UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 17, 2021

 

 

Vine Energy Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-40239   81-4833927

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas   75024
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (469) 606-0540

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

  

Trading

Symbol(s)

  

Name of each exchange

on which registered

Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share    VEI    The New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Emerging growth company  ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

 

 


Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

In connection with the initial public offering (the “Offering” or the “IPO”) by Vine Energy Inc. (the “Company”) of its Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), described in the prospectus (the “Prospectus”), dated March 17, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which is deemed to be part of the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-253366) (as amended, the “Registration Statement”), the following agreements were entered into:

 

 

the Underwriting Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company, Vine Energy Holdings LLC (“Vine Holdings”) and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representatives of the several initial underwriters listed on Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriting Agreement”), which contains customary representations and warranties and indemnification of the underwriters by the Company;

 

 

the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Holdings, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company and the other parties thereto (the “Vine Holdings Limited Liability Company Agreement”);

 

 

the Tax Receivable Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”);

 

 

the Exchange Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company, Vine Holdings and holders of limited liability company units representing a membership interest in Vine Holdings (the “Class B Units”) and Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Class B Common Stock”) from time to time party thereto (the “Exchange Agreement”);

 

 

the Registration Rights Agreement, dated March 22, 2021, by and among the Company and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto (the “Registration Rights Agreement”);

 

 

the Stockholders’ Agreement, dated March 22, 2021, by and among the Company and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”);

 

 

the Master Reorganization Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company, Vine Holdings and each of the other parties thereto (the “Master Reorganization Agreement”);

 

 

the First Lien RBL Credit Agreement, dated March 8, 2021, by and among Vine Holdings as the Borrower, the several lenders from time to time party thereto and Citibank, N.A. as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, Swingline Lender and an Issuing Bank (the “New RBL”);


 

the Amendment No. 1 to Second Lien Credit Agreement, dated March 8, 2021, by and among Vine Holdings as the New Borrower, Vine Oil & Gas LP as the Existing Borrower, the several lenders from time to time party thereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent (the “2L Amendment”);

 

 

the First Supplemental Indenture, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Holdings, Vine Oil & Gas LP (“Vine LP”), Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP (“Brix”), Harvest Royalties Holdings LP (“Harvest”) and Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee”) (the “2017 Notes Supplemental Indenture”); and

 

 

the First Supplemental Indenture, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Holdings LLC, Vine LP, Brix, Harvest and the Trustee (the “2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture”).

The Vine Holdings Limited Liability Company Agreement, the Tax Receivable Agreement, the Exchange Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Stockholders’ Agreement, the Master Reorganization Agreement, the New RBL, the 2L Amendment, the 2017 Notes Supplemental Indenture and the 2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture are filed herewith as Exhibits 1.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 and 10.10, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the terms set forth in the forms of such agreements previously filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and as described therein. Certain parties to certain of these agreements have various relationships with the Company. For further information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” in the Prospectus.

Item 1.02 Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement.

On March 22, 2021, in connection with the closing of the IPO, the Company terminated all commitments and obligations under that certain credit agreement entered into in December 2019 with Blackstone Holdings Finance Co LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent and certain other banks, financial institutions and other lending institutions from time to time party thereto (the “Third Lien Credit Agreement”).

The foregoing summary of the Third Lien Credit Agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Third Lien Credit Agreement, which was filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

On March 17, 2021, the Company completed the reorganization transactions contemplated by the Master Reorganization Agreement among the Company and the other parties named therein, pursuant to which: (a) the Existing Owners (as defined in the Prospectus) who directly hold equity interests in Vine Oil & Gas Parent LP, Vine Oil & Gas Parent GP LLC, Brix, Brix Oil & Gas Holdings GP LLC, Harvest and Harvest Royalties Holdings GP LLC

 

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contributed all of such equity interests to Vine Holdings in exchange for newly issued equity in Vine Holdings (the “LLC Interests”), (b) certain of the Existing Owners contributed a portion of their LLC Interests directly or indirectly, by contribution of Blocker Entities (as defined in the Prospectus) holding LLC Interests, to the Company in exchange for newly issued Class A Common Stock and contributed such Class A Common Stock received to Vine Investment II LLC (“Vine Investment II”), Brix Investment II LLC (“Brix Investment II”), Harvest Investment II LLC (“Harvest Investment II”), Vine Investment LLC (“Vine Investment”), Brix Investment LLC (“Brix Investment”) or Harvest Investment LLC (“Harvest Investment”), as applicable, (c) certain of the Existing Owners exchanged the remaining portion of their LLC Interests for newly issued units representing limited liability company interests in Vine Holdings issued pursuant to the Vine Holdings Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “Vine Units”) and subscribed for newly issued Class B Common Stock of the Company with no economic rights or value and will contribute such Vine Units and Class B Common Stock to Vine Investment, Brix Investment and Harvest Investment, as applicable, and (d) the Company contributed the net proceeds of the offering to Vine Holdings in exchange for newly issued Vine Units and a managing member interest in Vine Holdings.

The foregoing description of the Master Reorganization Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Master Reorganization Agreement, which is attached as Exhibit 10.6 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated in this Item 2.01 by reference.

Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

New RBL

Contemporaneously with the IPO, Vine Holdings entered into a new reserve-based lending facility (the “New RBL”). The New RBL has a total facility size of $750 million, a borrowing base of $350 million and available capacity of $293 million (after giving effect to $25 million of letters of credit issued at the closing of the IPO).

The New RBL bears interest at a rate equal to LIBOR plus an additional margin, based on the percentage of the revolving commitment being utilized, ranging from 3.00% to 4.00%, with a LIBOR ‘floor’ of 0.50%. The New RBL matures on the earlier to occur of (a) 45 months after the closing of the IPO, (b) 91 days prior to the maturity of that certain Second Lien Term Loan, dated December 30, 2020 (the “Second Lien Term Loan”), to the extent any of such indebtedness remains outstanding, and (c) 91 days prior to the maturity of the 2018 Notes or 2017 Notes (each as defined below), to the extent specified amounts of such indebtedness remain outstanding. There will also be a commitment fee of 0.50% on the undrawn borrowing base amounts. The New RBL is secured on a senior basis by substantially all of our assets and stock and guaranteed by the subsidiaries that secure and guarantee the Second Lien Term Loan.

 

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The New RBL provides for a quarterly Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio financial maintenance covenant of 3.25x beginning with the quarter ended June 30, 2021, a quarterly Current Ratio maintenance covenant of 1.00x beginning with the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and a $100 million weekly minimum liquidity covenant that is applicable starting 180 days prior to the maturity of the indebtedness under the Second Lien Term Loan, the 2018 Notes or the 2017 Notes, to the extent any of such indebtedness is outstanding. The New RBL also contains customary incurrence-based covenants for facilities of this type, including restrictions on the incurrence of liens, indebtedness, asset dispositions, fundamental changes, transactions with affiliates, restricted payments and other customary covenants.

The credit agreement governing the New RBL contains customary events of default, including non-payment, breach of covenants, materially incorrect representations, cross-default, bankruptcy and change of control.

Amendment to the Second Lien Term Loan

In connection with the entry into the New RBL, Vine Holdings entered into an amendment to the Second Lien Term Loan. The 2L Amendment provides for, among other changes, the retirement of Vine LP as the ‘existing borrower’ under that facility, and its replacement with Vine Holdings as the ‘new borrower.’

The 2L Amendment also provides for an amendment to the maturity date of the Second Lien Term Loan, such that the Second Lien Term Loan matures on the earlier of (a) December 30, 2025, and (b) 90 days prior to the maturity of the 2017 Notes and the 2018 Notes, to the extent $182,000,000 of the aggregate principal amount outstanding under such notes remains outstanding on that date.

2017 Notes Supplemental Indenture

In connection with the IPO, on March 17, 2021, the 2017 Notes Supplemental Indenture was entered into by and among Vine Holdings, Vine LP, Brix, Harvest and the Trustee, pursuant to which (i) Vine Holdings assumed all the payments and other obligations of Vine LP under that certain Indenture, dated October 18, 2017 (the “2017 Indenture”), providing for the issuance of 8.75% senior notes due 2023 (the “2017 Notes”) and (ii) each of Vine Holdings, Brix and Harvest agreed to unconditionally guarantee all of the issuers’ obligations under the 2017 Notes and the 2017 Indenture.

2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture

In connection with the IPO, on March 17, 2021, the 2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture was entered into by and among Vine Holdings, Vine LP, Brix, Harvest and the Trustee, pursuant to which (i) Vine Holdings assumed all the payments and other obligations of Vine LP under that certain Indenture, dated October 3, 2018 (the “2018 Indenture”), providing for the issuance of 9.75% senior notes due 2023 (the “2018 Notes”) and (ii) each of Vine Holdings, Brix and Harvest agreed to unconditionally guarantee all of the issuers’ obligations under the 2018 Notes and the 2018 Indenture.

The foregoing descriptions of each of the the New RBL, the 2L Amendment, the 2017 Notes Supplemental Indenture and the 2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the New RBL, the 2L Amendment, the 2017 Supplemental Indenture and the 2018 Notes Supplemental Indenture, which are filed herewith as Exhibits 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 and 10.10, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated into this Item 2.03 by reference.

 

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Item 3.03 Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.

The information provided in Item 1.01 regarding the Registration Rights Agreement and Stockholders’ Agreement and the information set forth under Item 5.03 below is incorporated by reference in this Item 3.03.

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Appointment of Directors; Committee Composition; Director Compensation

Effective March 17, 2021, following the effective time of the Registration Statement, H. Paulett Eberhart and David I. Foley were elected to the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Foley was designated to serve on the Board of Directors by affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement. Ms. Eberhart will serve as a Class II director with a term expiring at the Company’s second annual meeting of stockholders following the IPO and Mr. Foley as a Class III director with a term expiring at the Company’s third annual meeting of stockholders following the IPO. Ms. Eberhart will also serve on the Audit Committee and Environmental, Safety and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors and Mr. Foley will also serve on the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

Except as set forth under the heading “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” in the Prospectus, Ms. Eberhart and Mr. Foley have no direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan

Effective March 17, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted and approved the Company’s 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”) substantially in the form previously filed as Exhibit 10.12 to the Registration Statement. For further information regarding the Incentive Plan, see “Executive Compensation—Future Compensation Arrangements—2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan” in the Prospectus.

A copy of the Incentive Plan is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.11 and is incorporated herein by reference. The above description of the Incentive Plan is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

Indemnification Agreements

In connection with the IPO, the Company entered into Indemnification Agreements (the “Indemnification Agreements”) with each of the executive officers and directors of the Company. These Indemnification Agreements require the Company to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liability that may arise by reason of their service to the Company, and to advance certain expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

 

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The foregoing description of the Indemnification Agreements is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Indemnification Agreements, which are attached as Exhibits 10.12, 10.13, 10.14. 10.15, 10.16, 10.17, 10.18, 10.19 and 10.20 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated into this Item 5.02 by reference.

Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

On March 18, 2021, the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”), substantially in the form previously filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registration Statement became effective, and on March 17, 2021, the Company’s Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”), substantially in the form previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the Registration Statement, became effective. The Charter, among other things, provides that the Company’s authorized capital stock consists of 350,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, 150,000 shares of Class B common stock, and 50,000 shares of preferred stock. A description of the material terms of the Company’s capital stock, after giving effect to the adoption of the Charter and Bylaws, has previously been reported by the Company in the Registration Statement. The Charter and Bylaws are filed herewith as Exhibit 3.1 and Exhibit 3.2, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On March 22, 2021, the Company completed the Offering of 21,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock for cash consideration of $13.30 per share (net of underwriting discounts). On March 23, 2021, the Company received a notice pursuant to which the underwriters elected to exercise their option to purchase 3,225,000 additional shares of Class A Common Stock on the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus. As contemplated in the Prospectus, the Company has used borrowings under its new reserve-based lending facility and the proceeds (net of underwriting discounts) from the Offering to repay in full and terminate certain existing credit facilities of its subsidiaries.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.    Description
1.1    Underwriting Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among the Company, Vine Energy Holdings LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley  & Co. LLC, as representatives of the several initial underwriters listed on Schedule I thereto.
3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Vine Energy Inc.
3.2    Amended and Restated Bylaws of Vine Energy Inc.
10.1    Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Energy Holdings LLC, dated as of March 17, 2021.
10.2    Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto.

 

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10.3    Exchange Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc., Vine Energy Holdings LLC and holders of Class B Units and Class  B Common Stock from time to time party thereto.
10.4    Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto.
10.5    Stockholders’ Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and each of the other persons from time to time party thereto.
10.6    Master Reorganization Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc., Vine Energy Holdings LLC and each of the other parties thereto.
10.7    First Lien RBL Credit Agreement, dated March  8, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Holdings LLC as the Borrower, the several lenders from time to time party thereto and Citibank, N.A. as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, Swingline Lender and an Issuing Bank.
10.8    Amendment No. 1 to Second Lien Credit Agreement, dated March 8, 2021, by and among Vine Holdings as the New Borrower, Vine Oil  & Gas LP as the Existing Borrower, the several lenders from time to time party thereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent.
10.9    First Supplemental Indenture, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Holdings LLC, Vine Oil & Gas LP, Brix Oil  & Gas Holdings LP, Harvest Royalties Holdings LP and Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee.
10.10    First Supplemental Indenture, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Holdings LLC, Vine Oil & Gas LP, Brix Oil  & Gas Holdings LP, Harvest Royalties Holdings LP and Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee.
10.11    Vine Energy Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
10.12    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Eric D. Marsh.
10.13    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and David M. Elkin.
10.14    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Wayne B. Stoltenberg.
10.15    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Jonathan C. Curth.
10.16    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Angelo G. Acconcia.
10.17    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Murat T. Konuk.
10.18    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and Charles M. Sledge.
10.19    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and H. Paulett Eberhart.
10.20    Indemnification Agreement, dated March 17, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc. and David I. Foley.

 

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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 by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

    Vine Energy Inc.
Date: March 23, 2021     By:   /s/ Eric D. Marsh
    Name: Eric D. Marsh
    Title: President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

[Signature Page to Closing 8-K]

Exhibit 1.1

Execution Version

21,500,000 Class A Common Stock

VINE ENERGY INC.

CLASS A COMMON STOCK

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

March 17, 2021


March 17, 2021

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

As Representatives of the several

Underwriters named in Schedule I attached hereto

c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

388 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10013

c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

11 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10010

c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Vine Energy Inc. (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) 21,500,000 shares (the “Firm Shares”) of its Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class A Common Stock”). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 3,225,000 shares of its Class A Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”) if and to the extent that Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representatives of the Underwriters (the “Representatives”), shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such Additional Shares granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.”

The Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Shares (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to

 

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Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.

For purposes of this Underwriting Agreement (this “Agreement”), “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto, and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.

The Company hereby confirms its engagement of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. as, and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. hereby confirms its agreement with the Company to render services as, the “qualified independent underwriter” within the meaning of Rule 5121(f)(12) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., solely in its capacity as the qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the “QIU.”

It is understood and agreed to by all parties that the Company was incorporated to become a holding company for equity interests in Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Holdings”). (x) The steps outlined in paragraphs (1)(a) through (1)(d) below and the transactions contemplated thereby (the “Reorganization”), (y) the steps outlined in paragraphs (2) through (5) below and the transactions contemplated thereby and (z) the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement are collectively referred to as the “Transactions.” It is understood and agreed to by all parties that the following Transactions have occurred prior to the date hereof:

(1) The Company has entered into a Master Reorganization Agreement (the “Reorganization Agreement”) pursuant to which:

 

  (a)

Investment funds affiliated with or managed by The Blackstone Group L.P. and certain individual officers and employees of the Company (collectively, the “Existing Owners”), who together with Blackstone, hold equity in Vine Oil & Gas LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Vine LP”), Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Brix”), and Harvest Royalties Holding LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Harvest”), contributed all of its equity interests in Vine LP, Vine Oil & Gas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of Vine LP (“Vine GP”), Brix, Brix Oil & Gas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of Brix (“Brix GP”), Harvest, and Harvest Royalties Holding GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of Harvest (“Harvest GP”), to Vine Holdings in exchange for newly issued limited liability company interests in Vine Holdings (the “LLC Interests”).

 

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  (b)

Certain of the Existing Owners contributed a portion of their LLC Interests to the Company in exchange for newly issued Class A Common Stock and contributed such Class A Common Stock received to Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment”), Vine Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment II”), Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment”), Brix Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment II”), Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment” and, together with Vine Investment and Brix Investment, the “Vine Energy Investment Vehicles”), or Harvest Investment II, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment II” and, together with Vine Investment II and Brix Investment II, “Vine Energy Investment II Vehicles”), as applicable, in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Vine Energy Investment Vehicles and Vine Energy Investment II Vehicles.

 

  (c)

Certain of the Existing Owners (i) exchanged the remaining portion of their LLC Interests for newly issued units representing limited liability company interests in Vine Holdings (“Vine Units”), (ii) subscribed for newly issued shares of Class B common stock in the Company (“Class B Common Stock”) and (iii) immediately after the transactions in clauses (i) and (ii), contributed all of such Vine Units and Class B Common Stock to Vine Investment, Brix Investment or Harvest Investment, as applicable, in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Vine Energy Investment Vehicles.

(2) The Company will enter into a Registration Rights Agreement, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”).

(3) The Company entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with the entities that comprise Vine Energy Investment Vehicles and Vine Energy Investment II Vehicles, substantially in the form attached as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”).

(4) The Company entered into an Exchange Agreement with Vine Holdings and the entities that comprise Vine Energy Investment Vehicles (the “Exchange Agreement”).

(5) Vine Holdings will enter into a new reserve-based lending facility with Citibank, N.A. (the “New RBL” and, together with this Agreement, the Reorganization Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Tax Receivable Agreement and the Exchange Agreement, the “Transaction Agreements”).

 

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1. Representations and Warranties of the Company and Vine Holdings. The Company and Vine Holdings (together, the “Company Parties”), jointly and severally, represent and warrant to and agree with each of the Underwriters that:

(a) The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (file number 333-253366) on Form S-1, including a related preliminary prospectus, for registration under the Securities Act of the offering and sale of the Shares. Such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the time of execution of this Agreement (the “Execution Time”), has become effective. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a related preliminary prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to the Underwriters. The Company will timely file with the Commission a final prospectus in accordance with Rule 424(b). As filed, such final prospectus shall contain all information required by the Securities Act and, except to the extent the Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to the Representatives prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the latest Preliminary Prospectus) as the Company has advised the Representatives, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein.

(b) (i) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date, the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (v) the Prospectus, as of its date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

 

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(c) At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement and as of the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder on the date of first use, and the Company has complied with all prospectus delivery and any filing requirements applicable to such any such free writing prospectus pursuant to the Securities Act and rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. If at any time following issuance of a free writing prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such free writing prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement or as a result of which such free writing prospectus, if republished immediately following such event or development, would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (i) the Company has promptly notified or will promptly notify the Representatives and (ii) the Company has promptly amended or will promptly amend or supplement such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Representatives before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the Representatives’ prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.

(d) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(e) The historical financial statements and the related notes and supporting schedules thereto included in the Time of Sale Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the (i) financial position of the Company’s accounting predecessor as of the dates indicated and the results of its operations and the changes in its cash flows for the periods specified, (ii) financial position of Brix, Harvest and their consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates

 

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indicated and the results of its operations and the changes in its cash flows for the periods specified and (iii) financial position of the Company; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby, except to the extent disclosed therein. The other financial information included in the Time of Sale Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company’s accounting predecessor or the Company, as applicable, and its subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby. The pro forma financial statements and the related notes thereto included in the Time of Sale Prospectus include assumptions that provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects directly attributable to the transactions and events described therein, the related pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions, and the pro forma adjustments reflect the proper application of those adjustments to the historical financial statement amounts in the pro forma financial statements included in the Time of Sale Prospectus. The pro forma financial statements and the related notes thereto included in the Time of Sale Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act.

(f) Since the date of the most recent audited financial statements included in the Time of Sale Prospectus, (i) there has not been any material change in the equity or long-term debt of the Company Entities, considered as one entity, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by any of the Company Entities on any class of equity interests, or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position or results of operations of the Company Entities taken as a whole; (ii) none of the Company Entities has entered into any transaction or agreement that is material to the Company Entities taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company Entities taken as a whole, other than in the ordinary course of business; (iii) none of the Company Entities has sustained any material loss or interference with its business or operation from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority; and (iv) none of the Company Entities has issued or granted any securities; except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, would not, in the aggregate, be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined below).

(g) The Company does not have any direct or indirect subsidiaries other than as listed on Schedule V hereto (each, a “Subsidiary,” collectively, the “Subsidiaries” and, together with the Company, the “Company Entities”). Each of the Company Entities has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, and has all

 

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power and authority necessary to own or hold its properties and to conduct the business in which it is engaged and enter into and perform its obligations under the Organizational Documents (as defined below) of the Company Entities and each of the Transaction Agreements (together with the Organizational Documents, the “Operative Agreements”), except where the failure to be so qualified, in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, (A) have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, results of operations or prospects of the Company Entities taken as a whole; (B) materially impair the ability of any of the Company Entities to consummate the Transactions or to perform their respective obligations under the Operative Agreements (each of clause (A) and (B), a “Material Adverse Effect”); or (C) subject the stockholders of the Company to any material liability or disability. Each of the Company Entities has all power and authority necessary to enter into to own or hold its properties and to conduct the business in which it is engaged as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and perform its obligations under each of the Operative Agreements.

(h) After giving effect to the Transactions, the Company will own 52.5% of the limited liability company interests in Vine Holdings represented by 37,806,386 Vine Units; such Vine Units will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Holdings (the “Vine Holdings LLC Agreement”) and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “Delaware LLC Act”)); and such limited liability company interests will be owned free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim (each, a “Lien”) (except for (i) restrictions on transferability contained in the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, (ii) such Liens as are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to such ownership and (iii) Liens created or arising under the Delaware LLC Act).

(i) After giving effect to the Transactions, the entities that comprise Vine Energy Investment Vehicles will collectively own 47.5% of the limited liability company interests in Vine Holdings represented by 34,227,870 Vine Units (with Vine Investment owning 17,387,013 Vine Units, Brix Investment owning 16,629,516 Vine Units and Harvest Investment owning 201,341 Vine Units); such Vine Units will have been duly authorized and validly issued in accordance with the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement and will be fully paid (to the extent required under the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement) and nonassessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act); and such limited liability company interests will be owned free and clear of any Lien (except for (i) restrictions on transferability contained in the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement or as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, (ii) such Liens as are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to such ownership and (iii) Liens created or arising under the Delaware LLC Act).

 

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(j) After giving effect to the Transactions, each Company Entity that serves as the general partner, managing member or similar role of another Company Entity will have, full power and authority to serve in such role of such Company Entity.

(k) After giving effect to the Transactions, all of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary, other than Vine Holdings, (a) will be duly authorized and validly issued (in accordance with the agreement or certificate of limited partnership, limited liability company agreement, certificate of formation, certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other similar organizational documents, as applicable, (in each case as in effect on the date hereof and as the same may be amended or restated prior to the Closing Date and the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) (the “Organizational Documents”) of such Subsidiary), will be fully paid (in the case of an interest in a limited partnership or limited liability company, to the extent required under the Organizational Documents of such Subsidiary) and nonassessable (except (i) in the case of an interest in a Delaware limited partnership or Delaware limited liability company, as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware LP Act or Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act, as applicable and (ii) with respect to the general partner interest of any Subsidiary) and (b) will be owned, directly or indirectly, by Vine Holdings, free and clear of all Liens, except for such Liens as are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to such ownership or as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and except for any Liens under (A) Vine LP’s revolving credit facility, dated as of November 25, 2014, by and among Vine LP, HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as administrative agent, collateral agent, swingline lender and as issuing bank and the banks, financial institutions and other lending institutions from time to time party thereto, as amended (the “RBL”), (B) the New RBL, (C) Vine LP’s $150 million second lien term loan facility, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and among Vine LP, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the several lenders party thereto, issued at 97.25% of face value on December 30, 2020 (the “Second Lien Term Loan”), (D) that certain credit agreement entered into in December 2019 with Blackstone Holdings Finance Co LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent and certain other banks, financial institutions and other lending institutions from time to time party thereto (the “Third Lien Credit Agreement”) and (E) that certain senior secured credit agreement, dated as of March 20, 2018, by and among Brix Operating LLC, Macquarie Investments US Inc., as administrative agent, and the several lenders party thereto, as amended (the “Brix Credit Facility”).

(l) After giving effect to the Transactions (and assuming no purchase by the Underwriters of the Additional Shares), the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company will consist of (i) 37,806,386 shares of Class A Common Stock and (ii) 34,227,870 shares of Class B Common Stock. All of the

 

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issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock have, or after giving effect to the Transactions will have, been duly authorized in accordance with the Company’s Organizational Documents and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, conform to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and Time of Sale Preliminary Prospectus in all material respects and were issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws and not in violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or similar right.

(m) After giving effect to the Transactions, (i) the entities that comprise Vine Energy Investment Vehicles will collectively own 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock (with Vine Investment owning 50.8%, Brix Investment owning 48.6% and Harvest Investment owning 0.6% of the total shares of Class B Common Stock) and will collectively own 100% of the issued and outstanding Vine Units (with Vine Investment owning 50.80%, Brix Investment owning 48.61% and Harvest Investment owning 0.59% of the total Vine Units) and (ii), the entities that comprise Vine Energy Investment II Vehicles will collectively own 42.8% of the issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (with Vine Investment II owning 25.1%, Brix Investment II owning 17.3% and Harvest Investment II owning 0.4% of the total shares of Class A Common Stock).

(n) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no options, warrants, preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, or any restriction upon the voting or transfer of, any equity securities of any of the Company Entities pursuant to any of their Organizational Documents or any agreement or instrument listed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement to which any of the Company Entities is a party or by which any of them may be bound. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights for or relating to the registration of any Shares or other securities of the Company.

(o) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and as set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company owned or to be owned by such person or to require the Company to include such securities in the securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or in any securities being registered pursuant to any other registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act (collectively, “registration rights”), and any person to whom the Company has granted registration rights has agreed not to exercise such rights until after the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to in Section 2 hereof.

 

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(p) Each of the Company Parties has full corporate or limited liability company right, power and authority, as applicable, to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform their obligations hereunder. Each of the Company Entities has or had, as applicable, full corporate, partnership or limited liability company right, power and authority to execute and deliver each of the Operative Agreements to which such Company Entity is a party and to perform its obligations thereunder. The Company has all requisite corporate right, power and authority to issue, sell and deliver the Shares, in accordance with and upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company’s Organizational Documents, the Registration Statement and the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(q) At the Closing Date, the Shares to be issued and sold by the Company will have been duly authorized in accordance with the Company’s Organizational Documents and, when issued and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance with the terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, will conform in all material respects to the description of the Shares contained in the Registration Statement and the Time of Sale Prospectus, will be issued in compliance with federal and state securities laws and will be free of statutory and contractual preemptive rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights.

(r) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company Parties.

(s) At the Closing Date, each of the Transaction Agreements will have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company Entities party thereto and will be a valid and legally binding agreement of such Company Entities, enforceable against such Company Entities in accordance with its terms.

(t) Each of the Operative Agreements conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(u) None of the Company Entities is (i) in violation of its Organizational Documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which any of the Company Entities is a party or by which any of the Company Entities is bound or to which any of the property or assets of any of the Company Entities is subject; or (iii) in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority; except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(v) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company Entities of this Agreement and each of the other Operative Agreements to which they are a party, as applicable, the issuance and sale of the Shares, the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Operative Agreements and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of any of the Company Entities pursuant to any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, license, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of the Company Entities is a party or by which any of the Company Entities is bound or to which any of the property, right or assets of any of the Company Entities is subject; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Documents of any of the Company Entities; or (iii) result in any violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, decree, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(w) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing, registration or qualification (each, a “consent”) of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for (i) the execution, delivery and performance by any of the Company Entities of any of the Operative Agreements; (ii) the issuance and sale of the Shares as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus; (iii) the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the other Transaction Agreements; or (iv) the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Prospectus, except (A) such as have been, or prior to the Closing Date will be, obtained or made, (B) for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and consents as may be required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), applicable state securities laws, and the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) in connection with the purchase and sale of the Shares by the Underwriters, (C) for filings that have been or will be made on or prior to the Closing Date with the Delaware Secretary of State in connection with the Reorganization and (D) for such consents that, if not obtained, have not or would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(x) There are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which any of the Company Entities is or may be a party or to which any other property, right or asset of the Company Entities is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company Entities, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and to the knowledge of the Company Parties, no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or by others.

 

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(y) Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”), which has audited certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, Vine LP and its consolidated subsidiaries, and Brix and Harvest and their consolidated subsidiaries; is an independent public accounting firm with respect to each of such entities within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.

(z) W.D. Von Gonten & Co. (“Von Gonten”), who has delivered the letter referred to in Section 6(g) hereof, was, as of the date of such report, and is, as of the date hereof, an independent reserve engineer with respect to each of Vine LP, Brix and Harvest.

(aa) To the knowledge of the Company Parties, the oil and natural gas reserve estimates of Vine LP, Brix and Harvest, as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus are derived from reports that have been audited by Von Gonten; and such estimates fairly reflect, in all material respects, the oil and natural gas reserves of each of such entities as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and are in accordance, in all material respects, with Commission rules and guidelines that are currently in effect for oil and gas producing companies applied on a consistent basis.

(bb) Each of the Company Entities has (i) defensible title to all of their oil and gas properties (including oil and gas wells, producing leasehold interests and appurtenant personal property), title investigations having been carried out by the Company Entities consistent with reasonable practice in the oil and gas industry in the areas in which the Company Entities operate, and (ii) good and marketable title to, or valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real property (other than oil and gas properties) and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company Entities, in each case free and clear of all Liens except those (x) that do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company Entities or (y) that could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(cc) Each of the Company Entities, directly or indirectly, has such consents, easements, rights-of-way, permits or licenses from each person (collectively, “rights-of-way”) as are necessary to conduct its business in the manner described in the Registration Statement and the Time of Sale Prospectus, subject to the limitations described in the Registration Statement and the Time of Sale Prospectus, if any, except for (i) qualifications, reservations and encumbrances with respect thereto that would not have a Material Adverse Effect and (ii) such rights-of-way that, if not obtained, would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect; each of the Company Entities has, or at the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, will have, fulfilled and performed, in all material respects, its obligations with respect to such rights-of-way and no event has occurred that allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination thereof or would result in any impairment of the rights of the holder of any such rights-of-way, except for such revocations, terminations and impairments that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and none of such rights-of-way contains any restriction that would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(dd) Each of the Company Entities owns or possesses adequate rights to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of its business, except as could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ee) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company Entities, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, holders of equity interests or other affiliates of any of the Company Entities, on the other hand, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, which is not so described.

(ff) None of the Company Entities is and, as of the Closing Date and the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, after giving effect to the offer and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of them will be, (i) an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”) or (ii) a “business development company” (as defined in Section 2(a)(48) of the Investment Company Act).

(gg) Each of the Company Entities has paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof, and except as otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus or as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, there is no tax deficiency that has been, or could reasonably be expected to be, asserted against the Company Entities or any of their respective properties or assets.

(hh) Each of the Company Entities possesses all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities (“Permits”) that are necessary for the ownership or lease of its properties or the conduct of its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, none of the Company Entities has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such Permits or has any reason to believe that any such Permits will not be renewed in the ordinary course.

 

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(ii) No labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of the Company Entities exists or, to the knowledge of the Company Parties, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company Parties are not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of the Company Entities, except as could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(jj) (i) Each of the Company Entities (x) is in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules (including, without limitation, rules of common law), regulations, ordinances, codes, requirements having the force or effect of law, legally-binding decisions and orders relating to pollution or the protection of human health or safety (to the extent such human health or safety protection is related to exposure to hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, other wastes, pollutants or contaminants), the environment, natural resources, or any hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, other wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (y) has received and is in compliance with the terms and conditions of all permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to own or conduct its respective business as currently conducted and (z) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, has not received any notice of any actual or potential liability against it or its respective operations under or relating to any Environmental Laws, including, without limitation, for the investigation or remediation of any pollution, contamination or the emission, discharge, disposal or release of, or exposure to, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, other wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and the Company Parties have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in the receipt of any such notice; (ii) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, there are no reasonably anticipated material costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or to achieve the environmental standards described in the Registration Statement or relating to the Company Entities, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such failure to comply or perform, or such failure to receive required permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals, or costs or liability, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, there are no formal proceedings that are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company Parties, threatened against any of the Company Entities under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental authority is also a party, other than such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $300,000 or more will be imposed.

(kk) The Company Entities have not identified costs and liabilities arising under Environmental Laws with respect to their businesses, operations and properties of the Company Entities as presently conducted, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(ll) Except, in each case, for any such matter as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (i) each “employee benefit plan” (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”)) for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, to the knowledge of the Company Parties: (A) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (B) no Plan is or is reasonably expected to be “at risk” status (within the meaning of Section 430 of the Code or Section 303 of ERISA), (C) there has been no filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan or the receipt by the Company or any member of its Controlled Group from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or the plan administrator of any notice relating to the intention to terminate any Plan or the appointment of a trustee to administer any Plan, (D) no conditions contained in Section 303(k)(1)(A) of ERISA for imposition of a Lien shall have been met with respect to any Plan and (E) neither the Company nor any member of its Controlled Group has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan,” within the meaning of Section 4001(c)(3) of ERISA) (a “Multiemployer Plan”); (iv) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (v) no Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, “insolvent” (within the meaning of Section 4245 of ERISA) or in “endangered” or “critical” status (within the meaning of Section 432 of the Code or Section 304 of ERISA); and (vi) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification.

(mm) The Company Entities maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company Entities in reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Company’s principal executive officer(s) and principal financial

 

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officer(s), as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure to be made. The Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. The Company Entities will carry out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

(nn) The Company Entities maintain a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is defined in Rule 13(a)-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive officer(s) and principal financial officer(s), to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. As of the date of the most recent balance sheet of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries reviewed or audited by Deloitte, there were no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the internal controls of the Company Entities.

(oo) Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, each of the Company Entities has insurance from insurers of recognized financial responsibility covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, which insurance is in reasonable amounts and insures against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are reasonably adequate to protect the Company Entities and their respective businesses; none of the Company Entities has (i) received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

(pp) (i) None of the Company Entities, or to any Company Party’s knowledge, any director, officer, employee, agent or representative of the Company Entities, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) in order to

 

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influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company Entities have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) the Company Entities will not use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.

(qq) The operations of the Company Entities are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company Entities conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company Entities with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company Entities, threatened.

(rr) (i) None of the Company Entities, or to the Company Party’s knowledge, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or representative of the Company Entities, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:

(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or

(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).

(ii) The Company Entities will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:

(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or

 

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(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).

(iii) For the past 5 years, the Company Entities have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.

(ss) No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s equity interests, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company, except as contained in (A) the RBL, (B) the New RBL, (C) the Second Lien Term Loan, (D) the Third Lien Credit Agreement, (E) the Brix Credit Facility, (F) that certain indenture dated as of October 18, 2017, by and among Vine LP, Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp., the subsidiary guarantors named therein and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and (G) that certain indenture dated as of October 3, 2018, by and among Vine LP, Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp., the subsidiary guarantors named therein and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee.

(tt) None of the Company Entities is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the Transactions.

(uu) The Company has not, directly or through any agent, issued, sold, offered for sale, solicited offers to buy or otherwise negotiated in respect of, any security (as defined in the Securities Act), that is or will be integrated with the offering and sale of the Shares contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the Securities Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or the interpretations thereof by the Commission.

(vv) The Company and its affiliates have not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company in connection with the offering of the Shares.

(ww) Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the consolidated financial statements included in the Time of Sale Prospectus are not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

 

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(xx) There has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of its directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith applicable to the Company.

(yy) Since the date of the most recent balance sheet of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries reviewed or audited by Deloitte, (i) the Company Parties have not been advised of or become aware of (A) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal controls that could adversely affect the ability of any of the Company Entities to record, process, summarize and report financial data, or any material weaknesses in internal controls, and (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the internal controls of any of the Company Entities; and (ii) there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

(zz) The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Estimates” set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus accurately and fully describes (i) the accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“Critical Accounting Policies”); (ii) the judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of Critical Accounting Policies; and (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions and an explanation thereof for the Critical Accounting Policies.

(aaa) There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Time of Sale Prospectus or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described and, if applicable, filed as required. The statements made in the Time of Sale Prospectus, insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of the terms of the contracts and other documents described and filed, constitute accurate summaries of the terms of such contracts and documents in all material respects. To each Company Party’s knowledge, no other party to any such contract or other document has any intention not to render full performance as contemplated by the terms thereof.

(bbb) The statements made in the Time of Sale Prospectus under the captions “Business—Regulation of the Natural Gas Industry”; “Business—Regulation of Environmental, Health and Safety Matters”; “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions”; “Description of Capital Stock”; and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders,” insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of the terms of statutes, rules or regulations, legal or governmental proceedings or contracts and other documents, constitute accurate summaries of the terms of such statutes, rules and regulations, legal and governmental proceedings and contracts and other documents in all material respects.

 

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(ccc) The Shares have been approved for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”).

(ddd) From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) and as of the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.

(eee) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives, with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

(fff) As of the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (B) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (C) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(ggg) To the extent required, the Company has filed publicly on EDGAR at least 15 calendar days prior to any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act), any confidentially submitted registration statement and registration statement amendments relating to the offer and sale of the Shares. The Company has taken all actions necessary so that any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) in connection with the offering of the Shares will not be required to be filed pursuant to the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

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(hhh) The Company Entities have never had and do not have operations outside of the United States and have not and do not conduct any business outside of the United States.

(iii) (i) The Company Entities (x) have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any material security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company Entities’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and (y) have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company Entities are presently in compliance with applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) the Company Entities have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent in all material respects with industry standards and practices.

Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company Entities and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by such Company Entity, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.

2. Agreement to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective numbers of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $13.30 a share (the “Purchase Price”).

On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 3,225,000 Additional Shares at the Purchase Price, provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional Shares shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Shares but not payable on such Additional Shares. The Representatives may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date

 

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on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

For the period specified below (the “Restricted Period”), the Company will not, directly or indirectly, take any of the following actions with respect to any shares of its stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any of shares of its stock (“Lock-Up Securities”): (i) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of Lock-Up Securities, (ii) offer, sell, issue, contract to sell, contract to purchase, lend or grant any option, right or warrant to purchase Lock-Up Securities, (iii) enter into any swap, hedge or any other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequences of ownership of Lock-Up Securities, (iv) establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position in Lock-Up Securities within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act or (v) file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to Lock-Up Securities, or publicly disclose the intention to take any such action, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, except (1) the sale of Securities to the Underwriters as contemplated by this Agreement, (2) the issuance of Securities in connection with the Reorganization, (3) issuances of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to the conversion, exchange or redemption of convertible, exchangeable or redeemable securities or the exercise of warrants or options, in each case outstanding on the Closing Date, (4) grants of employee share options or other compensatory awards pursuant to the terms of a plan in effect on the Closing Date with respect to the Firm Shares or otherwise described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or issuances of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to the exercise or vesting of such options or other compensatory awards or (5) the filing of a registration statement on Form S-8 relating to issuances of Lock-Up Securities pursuant to the terms of a plan described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Restricted Period will commence on the date hereof and continue for 180 days after the date hereof or such earlier date that the Representatives consent to in writing.

If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 6(i) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.

 

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3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by the Representatives that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in the Representatives’ judgment is advisable. The Company is further advised by the Representatives that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at $14.00 a share (the “Public Offering Price”), except with respect to an aggregate of 4,285,000 shares, which shall be offered and sold to Vine Energy Investment Vehicles and Vine Energy Investment II Vehicles at the Purchase Price, and to certain dealers selected by the Underwriters at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $0.42 a share under the Public Offering Price.

4. Offering of Stock by the Underwriters. Upon authorization by the Representatives of the release of the Shares, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Shares for sale upon the terms and conditions to be set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

5. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on March 22, 2021, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than March 29, 2021, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”

Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than March 29, 2021, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives.

The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date and the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to the Representatives on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters. The Purchase Price payable by the Underwriters shall be reduced by (i) any transfer taxes paid by, or on behalf of, the Underwriters in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters and (ii) any withholding required by law.

6. Conditions to the Underwriters Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof.

 

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The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:

(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:

(i) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the securities of any of the Company Entities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act; and

(ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company Entities, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in the Representatives’ judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(b) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriters and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 6(a) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company Parties contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company Parties have complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.

The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.

(c) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C.

(d) The Representatives shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.

 

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With respect to Sections 6(c) and 6(d) above, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. may state that their opinions and beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.

The opinion of Kirkland & Ellis LLP described in Section 6(c) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company Parties and shall so state therein.

(e) The Representatives shall have received from Deloitte a “comfort letter” (the “initial comfort letter”) dated as of the date hereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, and (ii) stating, as of the date hereof (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the most recent Time of Sale Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date hereof), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

(f) The Representatives shall have received from Deloitte a “bring-down comfort letter” (the “bring-down comfort letter”) dated as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, (i) confirming that they are independent public accountants within the meaning of the Securities Act and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, (ii) stating, as of the Closing Date (or, with respect to matters involving changes or developments since the respective dates as of which specified financial information is given in the Prospectus, as of a date not more than three days prior to the date of the bring-down letter), the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters covered by the initial letter, and (iii) confirming in all material respects the conclusions and findings set forth in the initial letter.

(g) The Representatives shall have received from Von Gonten a letter (the “Initial Expert Letter”), dated as of the date hereof, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, stating the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to reserve and other operational information and other matters as is customary to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

(h) The Representatives shall have received from Von Gonten a subsequent letter, dated as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, which such letter shall cover the period from the Initial Expert Letter to the Closing Date or the

 

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Option Closing Date, as the case may be, stating the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to reserve and other operational information and other matters as is customary to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

(i) The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between the Representatives and those certain stockholders, officers and directors of the Company named in Schedule IV hereto relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of stock of the Company or certain other securities, delivered to the Representatives on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.

(j) The Operative Agreements shall have been executed and delivered by the Company Entities party thereto and shall be in full force and effect on such date.

(k) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Representatives on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:

(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 6(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;

(ii) an opinion of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 6(c) hereof;

(iii) an opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 6(d) hereof;

(iv) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, from Deloitte, independent public accountants, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 6(f) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date;

(v) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, from Von Gonten, independent reserves engineers, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 6(h) hereof; and

 

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(vi) such other documents as the Representatives may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company Entities, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.

7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the execution and delivery of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to the later of the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, except as provided herein; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representatives with copies thereof; to advise the Representatives, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding or examination for any such purpose of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to use promptly its best efforts to obtain its withdrawal.

(b) To furnish to the Representatives, without charge, a number of signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) as may be reasonably requested and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to the Representatives, in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 7(f) or 7(g) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representatives may reasonably request.

(c) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.

 

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(d) To furnish to the Representatives a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object.

(e) Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.

(f) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(g) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representatives will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

 

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(h) The Company will arrange for the qualification of the Shares for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives designate and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution.

(i) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(j) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.

(k) The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (b) completion of the Restricted Period referred to in Section 2.

(l) The Company will use the net proceeds received by it in connection with this offering in the manner described in the “Use of Proceeds” section of the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(m) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.

(n) The Company and its affiliates will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company in connection with the offering of the Shares.

(o) The Company will do and perform all things required or necessary to be done and performed under this Agreement by it prior to the Closing Date and the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and to satisfy all conditions precedent to the Underwriters’ obligations hereunder to purchase the Shares.

 

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(p) The Company Parties will deliver to each Underwriter (or its agent), on the date of execution of this Agreement, a properly completed and executed Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers, together with copies of identifying documentation, and the Company Parties undertake to provide such additional supporting documentation as each Underwriter may reasonably request in connection with the verification of the foregoing Certification.

8. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the reasonable, documented cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or legal investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 7(h) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable, documented fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or legal investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by FINRA (provided that the amount payable by the Company pursuant to subsection (iv) for the fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters shall not exceed $30,000 and provided further that the Underwriters shall provide reasonable supporting documentation to the Company for all amounts payable by the Company pursuant to subsection (iv)), (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the shares of Class A Common Stock and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the NYSE, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior written approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and 50.0% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show (and the Underwriters will pay the remaining 50.0% of the cost of such aircraft), (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement, (x) the reasonable, out-of-pocket fees and expenses of the QIU acting in its capacity as such (provided that the amount payable by the Company pursuant to this subsection (x) for the fees and expenses of the QIU acting in its capacity as such shall not exceed $10,000;

 

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provided, further, that this subsection (x) shall not limit or otherwise impact the QIU’s right to indemnification as set forth under Article X for acting as the “qualified independent underwriter”) and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section 8. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 8, Section 10, Section 11 and the last paragraph of Section 12 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

9. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.

10. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company Parties agree, jointly and severally, to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its officers, directors, employees, agents, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any “road show” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration

 

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Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus, road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.

(c) Without limitation and in addition to its obligation under the other subsections of this Section 10, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the QIU, its directors, officers, employees, agents and each person, if any, who controls the QIU within the meaning of Section 15 and Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities arising out of or based upon the QIU’s acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” (within the meaning of Rule 5121(f)(12) of FINRA) in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified person for any legal or other expense reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending against any loss, claim, damage, liability, action, litigation, investigation or proceeding whatsoever (whether or not the QIU is a party thereto), whether threatened or commenced, and in connection with the enforcement of this provision with respect to any of the above as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability results from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the QIU.

(d) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 10(a), 10(b) or 10(c) such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be

 

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inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act and (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.

(e) Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, if indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 10(c) in respect of such action or proceeding, then in addition to such separate firm for the indemnified parties, the indemnifying party shall be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of not more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the QIU in its capacity as a “qualified independent underwriter” and all persons, if any, who control the QIU within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act.

 

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(f) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Sections 10(a), 10(b) or 10(c) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 10(f)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 10(f)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company Parties on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company Parties on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company Parties or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 10 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint. The relative benefits received by the QIU with respect to the offering contemplated by this Agreement shall, for purposes of this Section 10(f), be deemed to be equal to the compensation received by the QIU for acting in such capacity. In addition, notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 10(f), the QIU shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the compensation received by the QIU for acting in such capacity.

(g) The Company Parties and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 10 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 10(f). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 10(f) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 10, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been

 

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required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 10 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.

(h) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 10 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the QIU, the Company Parties or any of their respective representatives, officers, directors, employees, agents or any person controlling any of the foregoing and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.

11. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representatives to the Company Parties, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to or on the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the NYSE, the NYSE MKT, the NASDAQ Global Market, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in the Representatives’ judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

12. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused

 

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to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 12 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company Parties to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company Parties will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.

13. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Shares, represents the entire agreement between the Company Parties, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the Shares.

(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Shares: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arm’s length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company Parties or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company and (iv) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting,

 

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regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby, and the Company Entities have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they deemed appropriate. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Shares.

14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail or other transmission method, and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery” and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement or any document to be signed in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed to include electronic signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, and the parties hereto consent to conduct the transactions contemplated hereunder by electronic means.

15. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

16. Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the Company Parties hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

17. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.

18. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to care of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: General Counsel, facsimile number: +1 (646) 291-1469; Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, 11 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010, Attention: IB-Legal, fax: (212) 325-4296; Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; and if to the Company Parties shall be delivered, mailed or sent to 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024, Attention: Wayne B. Stoltenberg.

19. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company Parties or their officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company Parties or any of the officers, directors, affiliates or controlling persons referred to in Section 10 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares. The provisions of Sections 8 and 10 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.

 

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20. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 10 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

21. Jurisdiction. Each of the Company Parties agrees that any suit, action or proceeding against any Company Party brought by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in any State or U.S. federal court in The City of New York and County of New York, and waives any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Company Parties hereby appoints Eric D. Marsh as its authorized agent (the “Authorized Agent”) upon whom process may be served in any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein that may be instituted in any State or U.S. federal court in The City of New York and County of New York, by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, and expressly accepts the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Company Parties hereby represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as said agent for service of process, and each of the Company Parties agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect as aforesaid. Service of process upon the Authorized Agent shall be deemed, in every respect, effective service of process upon the relevant Company Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action arising out of or based upon this Agreement may be instituted by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, in any court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Delaware.

22. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

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(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

As used in this Section 22, “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b), (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b) or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

[Signature Pages Follow]


Very truly yours,
Vine Energy Inc.
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Vine Energy Holdings LLC
By:  

Vine Energy Inc.,

its Managing Member

By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name:  
  Title:  

[Signature Page – Underwriting Agreement]


Accepted as of the date hereof

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the other

several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto

 

By:

 

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

By:

 

/s/ James Jackson

 

Name:

 

James Jackson

 

Title:

 

Managing Director

By:

 

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

By:

 

/s/ Timothy E. Perry

 

Name:

 

Timothy E. Perry

 

Title:

 

Managing Director

By:

 

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

By:

 

/s/ Jonathon Glueck

 

Name:

 

Jonathon Glueck

 

Title:

 

Executive Director

[Signature Page – Underwriting Agreement]


SCHEDULE I

 

Underwriter

   Number of Firm Shares
To Be Purchased
 

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

     3,762,500  

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

     3,762,500  

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

     3,762,500  

Barclays Capital Inc.

     2,150,000  

BofA Securities, Inc.

     2,150,000  

RBC Capital Markets, LLC

     2,150,000  

Blackstone Securities Partners L.P.

     2,150,000  

Capital One Securities, Inc.

     505,251  

KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.

     505,251  

MUFG Securities Americas Inc.

     505,250  

CastleOak Securities, L.P.

     24,187  

Drexel Hamilton, LLC

     24,187  

Samuel A. Ramirez & Company, Inc.

     24,187  

Stern Brothers & Co.

     24,187  
  

 

 

 

Total:

     21,500,000  
  

 

 

 

 

I-1


SCHEDULE II

Time of Sale Prospectus

 

1.

Preliminary Prospectus issued March 9, 2021.

 

2.

The free writing prospectus filed by the Company on March 17, 2021 under Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act.

 

II-1


SCHEDULE III

Written Testing-the-Waters Communications

 

1.

Testing the Waters Presentation, dated January 2021 and February 2021.

 

III-1


SCHEDULE IV

List of Parties to Execute Lock-up Letters

Directors

Eric D. Marsh

Angelo G. Acconcia

Murat T. Konuk

Charles M. Sledge

H. Paulett Eberhart

David I. Foley

Officers

Eric D. Marsh

David M. Elkin

Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Jonathan C. Curth

Brian D. Dutton

Significant Stockholders

Vine Investment LLC

Brix Investment LLC

Harvest Investment LLC

Vine Investment II LLC

Brix Investment II LLC

Harvest Investment II LLC

 

IV-1


SCHEDULE V

Subsidiaries

Brix Oil & Gas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership

Harvest Royalties Holding GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

Harvest Royalties Holding LP, a Delaware limited partnership

Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

Vine Management Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

Vine Oil & Gas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company

Vine Oil & Gas LP, a Delaware limited partnership

 

V-1


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER

                , 2021

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

 

c/o

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

388 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10013

 

c/o

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

11 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10010

 

c/o

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

1585 Broadway

New York, New York 10036

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (the “Representatives”) proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with, inter alios, Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including the Representatives (the “Underwriters”), of [•] shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s Class A Common Stock (the “Class A Common Stock”).

To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus (the “Restricted Period”) relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Class A Common Stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares

 

A-1


of Class A Common Stock, (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of shares of Class A Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (3) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (a) transactions relating to shares of Class A Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, provided that no filing under the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of shares of Class A Common Stock or other securities acquired in such open market transactions, (b) transfers of shares of Class A Common Stock or any security convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock as a bona fide gift, (c) exchanges of shares of Class B Common Stock of the Company for Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Exchange Agreement (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) or (d) distributions of shares of Class A Common Stock or any security convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock to members, limited partners or stockholders of the undersigned; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b) through (d), (i) if applicable, each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this letter and (ii) no filing under the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Class A Common Stock, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period, or (e) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act (a “Rule 10b5-1 Plan”) for the transfer of shares of Class A Common Stock; provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of shares of Class A Common Stock or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Class A Common Stock during the Restricted Period and (ii) that no party is required to publicly announce, file, or report the establishment of such Rule 10b5-1 Plan in any public report, announcement, or filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act during the Restricted Period and does not otherwise voluntarily effect any such public report, announcement, or filing regarding such Rule 10b5-1 Plan. In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Class A Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s shares of Class A Common Stock except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing provisions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Shares the undersigned may purchase in the offering.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the Representatives agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of shares of Class A Common Stock, the Representatives will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending

 

A-2


release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representatives hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration or to an “immediate family member” (as defined in FINRA Rule 5130(i)(5)) and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offering of the Shares and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Underwriters may provide certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures or other related documentation to you in connection with the Public Offering, the Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures or documentation is intended to suggest that any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this letter in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this letter is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.

This letter shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

[Signature page follows.]

 

A-3


Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.

 

Very truly yours,

 

(Name)

 

(Address)

 

A-4


EXHIBIT B

FORM OF WAIVER OF LOCK-UP

                , 2021

[Name and Address of

Officer or Director

Requesting Waiver]

Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:

This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by Vine Energy Inc. (the “Company”) of [●] shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Class A Common Stock”), and the lock-up letter dated             , 2021 (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated             , 2021, with respect to              shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Shares”).

Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC hereby agree to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective             , 2021; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].

Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.

 

B-1


Very truly yours,
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the other several Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

cc:

Vine Energy Inc.

 

B-2


FORM OF PRESS RELEASE

Vine Energy Inc.

[Date]

Vine Energy Inc. (the “Company”) announced today that Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC the lead book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of [●] shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Class A Common Stock”) are [waiving][releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to [●] shares of Class A Common Stock held by [certain officers or directors][an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver][release] will take effect on [●], 2021, and the shares Class A Common Stock may be sold on or after such date.

This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

B-3


EXHIBIT C

FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S COUNSEL

(i) The Company is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of Delaware, with the corporate power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in the States of Louisiana and Texas.

(ii) Each direct and indirect subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation, with limited partnership or limited liability company power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; and each of the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to do business as a foreign limited partnership or limited liability company in good standing in the jurisdictions in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification.

(iii) The Company owns [●] Vine Units representing membership interests in Vine Holdings. All of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Vine Holdings have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as applicable) and such interests owned by the Company are owned free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. Vine Holdings owns 100% of the issued and outstanding limited partner and membership interests, as applicable, in Vine LP, Vine GP, Brix, Brix GP, Harvest and Harvest GP. Vine GP, Brix GP and Harvest GP own 100% of the general partner interest in Vine LP, Brix and Harvest, respectively. All of the issued equity interests of each Subsidiary (for purposes of this sentence, excluding Vine Holdings) have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable (except in the case of an interest in a Delaware limited partnership or Delaware limited liability company, as such nonassessability may be affected by Sections 17-303, 17-607 and 17-804 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act or Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as applicable) and are owned, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

(iv) All of the issued shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each direct and indirect subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

(v) The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the Underwriters under the Underwriting Agreement, have been duly authorized in accordance with the Company’s certificate of incorporation and bylaws (together, the “Governing Documents”) and, when issued and delivered by the Company to the Underwriters upon payment therefor in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued in accordance with the Governing Documents, free of preemptive rights under federal law, the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and the Governing Documents, fully paid and non-assessable.

 

C-1


(vi) Except as set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and as set forth in the Form of Registration Rights Agreement, filed with the Commission on February 22, 2021, as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement, there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights described in or created pursuant to any agreement filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement to have any securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or registered by the Company under the Securities Act or otherwise; and, except as set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company described in or created pursuant to any agreement filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement are outstanding.

(vii) The Reorganization has been duly authorized by the Company Entities.

(viii) Each of the Operative Agreements (other than the Underwriting Agreement) has been duly authorized, validly executed and delivered by the Company, the Company Entities party thereto and Vine Investment, Vine Investment II, Brix Investment, Brix Investment II, Harvest Investment and Harvest Investment II, as applicable. Each of the Operative Agreements (other than the Underwriting Agreement) constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, such Company Entities and Vine Investment, Vine Investment II, Brix Investment, Brix Investment II, Harvest Investment and Harvest Investment II, as applicable, enforceable against each of them in accordance with its respective terms, subject to (A) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (B) public policy, any applicable law relating to fiduciary duties and indemnification and an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

(ix) The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company Parties.

(x) Neither (A) the issuance and sale of the Shares, (B) the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Agreements by the Company Entities as applicable or (C) the application of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus will (1) result in a breach or result in a default (or an event that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such an event) under or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject and which are filed as an exhibit to the Registration

 

C-2


Statement; (2) violate the provisions of the limited liability company agreement, charter or bylaws (or similar organizational documents) of the Company any of its Subsidiaries or (3) violate any federal (based on the limitations set forth in such opinion) rule or regulation identified to us by the Company or its Subsidiaries (we note that none were identified), or the DGCL, except, with respect to clauses (1) and (3), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; it being understood that the counsel expresses no opinion in clause (3) of this paragraph (x) with respect to any federal or state securities, Blue Sky or anti-fraud laws, rules or regulations.

(xi) The Registration Statement has been declared effective under the Securities Act; to our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or threatened by the Commission; and any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act has been made in the manner and within the time period required by such rule.

(xii) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no consent, approval, authorization or order of, registration or qualification with any U.S. Federal or Delaware court or governmental agency is required to be obtained or made by (A) the Company for (1) the execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement, (2) the compliance by the Company with the terms thereof and (3) the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company, being delivered on the date hereof pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, or (B) the Company Entities, as applicable, for the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Agreements and the compliance by the Company Entities with the terms thereof except (1) as have been obtained or made, (2) for the registration of the offering and sale of the Shares under the Securities Act, (3) for such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations or qualifications as may be required under applicable federal or state securities or Blue Sky laws and the approval by FINRA of the underwriting terms and arrangements in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or (4) for such consents that, if not obtained, have not or would not, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(xiii) The statements set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Business—Regulation of the Natural Gas Industry,” “Business—Regulation of Environmental, Health and Safety Matters,” “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Capital Stock,” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and in the Registration Statement in Item 14, to the extent that they constitute descriptions or summaries of the legal matters or the documents referred to therein, are accurate in all material respects, subject to the assumptions and qualifications set for therein.

(xiv) The statements contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders,” insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of matters of United States federal tax law and regulations or legal conclusions with respect thereto, constitute accurate summaries of the matters described therein in all material respects, subject to the assumptions and qualifications set forth therein.

 

C-3


(xv) Each of the Registration Statement, at the time it was declared effective, the Time of Sale Prospectus, as of the date hereof, and the Prospectus, when filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and, along with any further amendments and supplements thereto, at the Closing Date (in each case other than (A) the financial statements and related schedules, including the notes and schedules thereto and the auditor’s report thereon, (B) the other financial data derived therefrom and (C) oil and natural gas reserve data or reports, in each case included in or omitted from the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, as to which we express no opinion) appears on their face to comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act.

We have participated in conferences with representatives of the Company and with representatives of its independent accountants and its independent reserves engineers, the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, at which conferences the contents of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendment and supplement thereto and related matters were discussed. Although we have not undertaken to determine independently, and do not assume any responsibility for, or express opinion regarding (other than listed in paragraphs (xiii) and (xiv) above), the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, based upon the participation described above (relying as to factual matters upon statements of fact made to us by representatives of the Company), nothing has come to our attention to cause us to believe that:

 

  (a)

the Registration Statement, as of the latest Effective Time, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;

 

  (b)

the Time of Sale Prospectus, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or

 

  (c)

the Prospectus, as of its date or as of the date hereof, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

except that in each case such counsel need not express any belief with respect to (i) the financial statements and related schedules, including the notes and schedules thereto and the auditors’ reports thereon, (ii) any other financial or accounting information; or (iii) any oil and natural gas reserve data or reports, or any information or estimates derived therefrom, in each case contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, or included in or omitted from the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

C-4

Exhibit 3.1

Execution Version

AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

VINE ENERGY INC.

The present name of the corporation is Vine Energy Inc. (the “Corporation”). The Corporation was incorporated under the name “Vine Resources Inc.” by the filing of its original certificate of incorporation (the “Original Certificate of Incorporation”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 30, 2016. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, which amends, restates and integrates the provisions of the Original Certificate of Incorporation, was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and by the written consent of the stockholders in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. The Original Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:

ARTICLE I

Section 1.1 Name. The name of the Corporation is Vine Energy Inc.

ARTICLE II

Section 2.1 Address. The registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, New Castle County; and the name of the Corporation’s registered agent at such address is Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd.

ARTICLE III

Section 3.1 Purpose. The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may now or hereafter be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).

ARTICLE IV

Section 4.1 Capitalization. The total number of shares of all classes of stock that the Corporation is authorized to issue is 550,000,000 shares, consisting of (i) 50,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Preferred Stock”), (ii) 350,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class A Common Stock”), and (iii) 150,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class B Common Stock” and, together with the Class A Common Stock, the “Common Stock”). The number of authorized shares of any of the Class A Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the DGCL (or any successor provision thereto), and no vote of the holders of any of the Class A Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or Preferred Stock voting separately as a class shall be required therefor, unless a vote of any such holder is required pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock).


Section 4.2 Preferred Stock.

(A) The Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) is hereby expressly authorized, by resolution or resolutions, at any time and from time to time, to provide, out of the unissued shares of Preferred Stock, for one or more series of Preferred Stock and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting such series and the designation of such series, the voting powers (if any) of the shares of such series, and the powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the shares of such series and to cause to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware a certificate of designation with respect thereto. The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of Preferred Stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding.

(B) Except as otherwise required by law, holders of a series of Preferred Stock, as such, shall be entitled only to such voting rights, if any, as shall expressly be granted thereto by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock).

Section 4.3 Common Stock.

(A) Voting Rights.

(1) Each holder of Common Stock, as such, shall be entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held of record by such holder on all matters on which stockholders generally are entitled to vote.

(2) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the fullest extent permitted by law, holders of Common Stock, as such, shall have no voting power with respect to, and shall not be entitled to vote on, any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock) or pursuant to the DGCL. Except as otherwise provided in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or required by applicable law, the holders of Common Stock shall vote together as a single class (or, if the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock are entitled to vote together with the holders of Common Stock, as a single class with the holders of such other series of Preferred Stock) on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders generally.

(B) Dividends and Distributions.

(1) Subject to applicable law and the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock or any class or series of stock having a preference over or the right to participate with the Class A Common Stock with respect to the payment of dividends and other distributions in cash, property of the Corporation or shares of the Corporation’s capital stock, such dividends and other distributions may be declared and paid ratably on the Class A Common Stock out of the assets of the Corporation that are by law available therefor at such times and in such amounts as the Board in its discretion shall determine.

 

2


(2) Dividends and other distributions shall not be declared or paid on the Class B Common Stock.

(C) Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation and subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of Preferred Stock or any class or series of stock having a preference over or the right to participate with the Class A Common Stock as to distributions upon dissolution or liquidation or winding up, the holders of all outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock shall be entitled to receive the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution ratably in proportion to the number of shares held by each such stockholder. The holders of shares of Class B Common Stock, as such, shall not be entitled to receive any assets of the Corporation in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation.

(D) Retirement of Class B Common Stock. In the event that any outstanding share of Class B Common Stock is not held by the holder of the associated Class B Unit (as defined in the Exchange Agreement, dated on or about the IPO Date (as defined below), by and among the Corporation, Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and the holders of Class B Units from time to time party thereto, as amended from time to time), such share shall automatically and without further action on the part of the Corporation or any holder of Class B Common Stock be transferred to the Corporation for no consideration and thereupon shall be retired.

(E) Shares Reserved for Issuance.

(1) The Corporation shall at all times reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued shares of Class A Common Stock, such number of shares of Class A Common Stock that shall from time to time be sufficient to effect the exchange of all outstanding Class B Units (excluding those Class B Units held by the Corporation) for shares of Class A Common Stock; provided that nothing contained herein shall be construed to preclude the Corporation from satisfying its obligations in respect of the exchange of Class B Units by delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock that are held in the treasury of the Corporation.

(2) The Corporation shall use its best efforts to cause to be reserved and kept available for issuance at all times a sufficient number of authorized but unissued shares of Class B Common Stock to permit issuance of shares of Class B Common Stock to holders of newly issued Class B Units for such consideration and for such corporate purposes as the Board may from time to time determine.

 

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ARTICLE V

Section 5.1 Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to the contrary, at any time when Blackstone (as defined below) beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, in addition to any vote required by applicable law, the following provisions in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation may be amended, altered, repealed or rescinded, in whole or in part, or any provision inconsistent therewith or herewith may be adopted, only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty six and two thirds percent (66 2/3%) in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class: this Article V, Article VI, Article VII, Article VIII, Article IX and Article X. For the purposes of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, beneficial ownership of shares shall be determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Section 5.2 Amendment of Bylaws. The Board is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind, in whole or in part, the bylaws of the Corporation (as in effect from time to time, the “Bylaws”) without the assent or vote of the stockholders in any manner not inconsistent with the laws of the State of Delaware or this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser vote of the stockholders, at any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required herein (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock), the Bylaws or applicable law, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty six and two thirds percent (66 2/3%) in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, shall be required in order for the stockholders of the Corporation to alter, amend, repeal or rescind, in whole or in part, any provision of the Bylaws or to adopt any provision inconsistent therewith.

ARTICLE VI

Section 6.1 Board of Directors.

(A) Except as provided in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and the DGCL, the business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board. Except as otherwise provided for or fixed pursuant to the provisions of Article IV (including any certificate of designation with respect to any series of Preferred Stock) and this Article VI relating to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect additional directors, the total number of directors shall be determined from time to time exclusively by resolution adopted by the Board. The directors (other than those directors elected by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or together with one or more other such series, as the case may be) shall be divided into three classes designated Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class shall consist, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number of such directors. Class I directors shall initially serve for a term expiring

 

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at the first annual meeting of stockholders following the initial closing of the registered initial underwritten public offering of the Class A Common Stock (the “IPO Date”), Class II directors shall initially serve for a term expiring at the second annual meeting of stockholders following the IPO Date and Class III directors shall initially serve for a term expiring at the third annual meeting of stockholders following the IPO Date. Commencing with the first annual meeting of stockholders following the IPO Date, the directors of the class to be elected at each annual meeting shall be elected for a three-year term. If the number of such directors is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, and any such additional director of any class elected to fill a newly created directorship resulting from an increase in such class shall hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of directors remove or shorten the term of any incumbent director. Any such director shall hold office until the annual meeting at which his or her term expires and until his or her successor shall be elected and qualified, or his or her death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office. The Board is authorized to assign members of the Board already in office to their respective class.

(B) Subject to the rights granted to the holders of any one or more series of Preferred Stock then outstanding or the rights granted pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement (as defined below), expected to be dated on or about March 17, 2021, by and among the Corporation and certain affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. (together with its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors and assigns (including, without limitation, Blackstone Group Management L.L.C., and any Blackstone Entity as defined in the Stockholders’ Agreement, but excluding the Corporation and its subsidiaries), collectively, “Blackstone”) (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”), any newly created directorship on the Board that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancy occurring in the Board (whether by death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause) shall be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, by a sole remaining director or by the stockholders; provided, however, that at any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any newly created directorship on the Board that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancy occurring in the Board shall be filled only by a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders). Any director elected to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship shall hold office until the next election of the class for which such director shall have been chosen and until his or her successor shall be elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.

(C) Subject to the rights granted under the Stockholders’ Agreement, any or all of the directors (other than the directors elected by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or together with one or more other such series, as the case may be) may be removed at any time either with or without cause by the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting as a single class; provided, however, that at any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any such director or all such directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty six and two thirds percent (66 2/3%) in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class.

 

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(D) During any period when the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or together with one or more series, have the right to elect additional directors, then upon commencement and for the duration of the period during which such right continues: (i) the then otherwise total authorized number of directors of the Corporation shall automatically be increased by such specified number of directors, and the holders of such Preferred Stock shall be entitled to elect the additional directors so provided for or fixed pursuant to said provisions, and (ii) each such additional director shall serve until such director’s successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s right to hold such office terminates pursuant to said provisions, whichever occurs earlier, subject to his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Except as otherwise provided by the Board in the resolution or resolutions establishing such series, whenever the holders of any series of Preferred Stock having such right to elect additional directors are divested of such right pursuant to the provisions of such stock, the terms of office of all such additional directors elected by the holders of such stock, or elected to fill any vacancies resulting from the death, resignation, disqualification or removal of such additional directors, shall forthwith terminate and the total authorized number of directors of the Corporation shall be reduced accordingly.

(E) Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws shall so provide.

ARTICLE VII

Section 7.1 Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers.

(A) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as it now exists or may hereafter be amended, a director or officer of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty owed to the Corporation or its stockholders.

(B) Neither the amendment nor repeal of this Article VII, nor the adoption of any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, nor, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, any modification of law shall eliminate, reduce or otherwise adversely affect any right or protection of a current or former director of the Corporation existing at the time of such amendment, repeal, adoption or modification.

ARTICLE VIII

Section 8.1 Consent of Stockholders in Lieu of Meeting. At any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, at least thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted and shall be

 

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delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the books in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be made by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. At any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of such holders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such holders; provided, however, that any action required or permitted to be taken by the holders of Preferred Stock, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more other such series, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, to the extent expressly so provided by the applicable certificate of designation relating to such series of Preferred Stock.

Section 8.2 Special Meetings of the Stockholders. Except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time only by or at the direction of the Board or the Chairman of the Board; provided, however, that at any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, at least thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation for any purpose or purposes shall also be called by or at the direction of the Board or the Chairman of the Board at the request of Blackstone.

Section 8.3 Annual Meetings of the Stockholders. An annual meeting of stockholders for the election of directors to succeed those whose terms expire and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, shall be held at such place, if any, on such date, and at such time as shall be fixed exclusively by resolution of the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof.

ARTICLE IX

Section 9.1 Competition and Corporate Opportunities.

(A) In recognition and anticipation that (i) certain directors, principals, officers, employees and/or other representatives of The Blackstone Group L.P. (the “Sponsors”) and their respective Affiliates (as defined below) may serve as directors, officers or agents of the Corporation, (ii) the Sponsors and their respective Affiliates may now engage and may continue to engage in the same or similar activities or related lines of business as those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage and/or other business activities that overlap with or compete with those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage, and (iii) members of the Board who are not employees of the Corporation (the “Non-Employee Directors”) and their respective Affiliates may now engage and may continue to engage in the same or similar activities or related lines of business as those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage and/or other business activities that overlap with or compete with those in which the Corporation, directly or indirectly, may engage, the provisions of this Article IX are set forth to regulate and define the conduct of certain affairs of the Corporation with respect to certain classes or categories of business opportunities as they may involve any of the Sponsors, the Non-Employee Directors or their respective Affiliates and the powers, rights, duties and liabilities of the Corporation and its directors, officers and stockholders in connection therewith.

 

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(B) None of (i) the Sponsors or any of their respective Affiliates or (ii) any Non-Employee Director (including any Non-Employee Director who serves as an officer of the Corporation in both his or her director and officer capacities) or his or her Affiliates (the Persons (as defined below) identified in (i) and (ii) above being referred to, collectively, as “Identified Persons” and, individually, as an “Identified Person”) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, have any duty to refrain from directly or indirectly (1) engaging in the same or similar business activities or lines of business in which the Corporation or any of its Affiliates now engages or proposes to engage or (2) otherwise competing with the Corporation or any of its Affiliates, and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no Identified Person shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders or to any Affiliate of the Corporation for breach of any fiduciary duty solely by reason of the fact that such Identified Person engages in any such activities. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Corporation hereby renounces any interest or expectancy in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, any business opportunity that may be a corporate opportunity for an Identified Person and the Corporation or any of its Affiliates, except as provided in Section 9.1(C) of this Article IX. Subject to Section 9.1(C) of this Article IX, in the event that any Identified Person acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business opportunity that may be a corporate opportunity for itself, herself or himself and the Corporation or any of its Affiliates, such Identified Person shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, have no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or other business opportunity to the Corporation or any of its Affiliates and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders or to any Affiliate of the Corporation for breach of any fiduciary duty as a stockholder, director or officer of the Corporation solely by reason of the fact that such Identified Person pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, herself or himself, or offers or directs such corporate opportunity to another Person.

(C) The Corporation does not renounce its interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any Non-Employee Director (including any Non-Employee Director who serves as an officer of this Corporation) if such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation, and the provisions of Section 9.1(B) of this Article IX shall not apply to any such corporate opportunity.

(D) In addition to and notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article IX, a corporate opportunity shall not be deemed to be a potential corporate opportunity for the Corporation if it is a business opportunity that (i) the Corporation is neither financially or legally able, nor contractually permitted to undertake, (ii) from its nature, is not in the line of the Corporation’s business or is of no practical advantage to the Corporation or (iii) is one in which the Corporation has no interest or reasonable expectancy.

(E) For purposes of this Article IX, (i) “Affiliate” shall mean (a) in respect of any of the Sponsors, any Person that, directly or indirectly, is controlled by any of the Sponsors, controls any of the Sponsors or is under common control with any of the Sponsors and shall include any principal, member, director, partner, stockholder, officer, employee or other representative of any of the foregoing (other than the Corporation and any entity that is controlled by the Corporation), (b) in respect of a Non-Employee Director, any Person that, directly or indirectly, is controlled by such Non-Employee Director (other than the Corporation and any entity that is controlled by the Corporation) and (c) in respect of the Corporation, any Person that, directly or indirectly, is controlled by the Corporation; and (ii) “Person” shall mean any individual, corporation, general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, association or any other entity.

 

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(F) To the fullest extent permitted by law, any Person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of this Article IX.

ARTICLE X

Section 10.1 DGCL Section 203. The Corporation hereby expressly elects not to be governed by Section 203 of the DGCL.

Section 10.2 Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever: (i) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (ii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each such portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their good faith service to or for the benefit of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Section 10.3 Forum.

(A) Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation or any director or officer of the Corporation arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws (as either may be amended and/or restated from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

(B) Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

 

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(C) To the fullest extent permitted by law, any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Section 10.3.

* * * * *

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed by Wayne B. Stoltenberg, its 18th, this day of March, 2021.

 

VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title: Chief Financial Officer

[Signature Page to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Vine Energy Inc.]

Exhibit 3.2

AMENDED AND RESTATED

BYLAWS

OF

VINE ENERGY INC.

Date of Adoption:

March 17, 2021

 


ARTICLE I

Offices

Section 1.01 Registered Office. The registered office and registered agent of Vine Energy Inc. (the “Corporation”) in the State of Delaware shall be as set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as defined below). The Corporation may also have offices in such other places in the United States or elsewhere (and may change the Corporation’s registered agent) as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) may, from time to time, determine or as the business of the Corporation may require as determined by any officer of the Corporation.

ARTICLE II

Meetings of Stockholders

Section 2.01 Annual Meetings. Annual meetings of stockholders may be held at such place, if any, either within or without the State of Delaware, and at such time and date as the Board shall determine and state in the notice of meeting. The Board may, in its sole discretion, determine that annual meetings of stockholders shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication as described in Section 2.11 in accordance with Section 211(a)(2) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The Board may postpone, reschedule or cancel any annual meeting of stockholders previously scheduled by the Board.

Section 2.02 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the stockholders may only be called in the manner provided in the Corporation’s certificate of incorporation as then in effect (as the same may be amended and/or restated from time to time, the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) and may be held at such place, if any, either within or without the State of Delaware, and at such time and date as the Board or the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation (the “Chief Executive Officer”) shall determine and state in the notice of such meeting. The Board may, in its sole discretion, determine that special meetings of the stockholders shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication as described in Section 2.11 of these Bylaws in accordance with Section 211(a)(2) of the DGCL. The Board may postpone, reschedule or cancel any special meeting of stockholders previously scheduled by the Board or the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer; provided, however, that with respect to any special meeting of stockholders previously scheduled by the Board or the Chairman of the Board at the request of Blackstone (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), the Board shall not postpone, reschedule or cancel such special meeting without the prior written consent of Blackstone.

Section 2.03 Notice of Stockholder Business and Nominations.

(A) Annual Meetings of Stockholders.

(1) Nominations of persons for election to the Board and the proposal of other business to be considered by the stockholders may be made at an annual meeting of


stockholders only (a) as provided in the Stockholders’ Agreement, dated on or about the date hereof, by and among the Corporation and certain stockholders of the Corporation from time to time party thereto (the “Stockholders Agreement”) (with respect to nominations of persons for election to the Board only), (b) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) delivered pursuant to Section 2.04, (c) by or at the direction of the Board or any authorized committee thereof or (d) by any stockholder of the Corporation who (i) is entitled to vote at the meeting, (ii) subject to paragraph (C)(4) of this Section 2.03, complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraph(A)(2) and paragraph (A)(3) of this Section 2.03 and (iii) was a stockholder of record at the time such notice is delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation, on the record date for the determination of stockholders of the Corporation and at the time of the meeting. Clause (d) of this Section 2.03(A)(1) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to make nominations (other than pursuant to clause (a) of this Section 2.03(A)(1)) or submit other business before an annual meeting of stockholders (other than pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)

(2) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (d) of paragraph (A)(1) of this Section 2.03, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation, and, in the case of business other than nominations of persons for election to the Board, such other business must constitute a proper matter for stockholder action. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business (as defined below) on the ninetieth (90th) day nor earlier than the close of business on the one hundred and twentieth (120th) day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting (which date shall, for purposes of the Corporation’s first annual meeting of stockholders after its shares of Class A Common Stock (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) are first publicly traded, be deemed to have occurred on March 18, 2021); provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than thirty (30) days, or delayed by more than seventy (70) days, from the anniversary date of the previous year’s meeting, or, following the Corporation’s first annual meeting of stockholders after shares of its Class A Common Stock are first publicly traded, if no annual meeting was held in the preceding year, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred and twentieth (120th) day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting or the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public announcement (as defined below) of the date of such meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above. Notwithstanding anything in this Section 2.03(A)(2) to the contrary, if the number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting is increased, and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for director or specifying the size of the increased Board at least one hundred (100) calendar days prior to the first anniversary of the prior year’s annual meeting of stockholders, then a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 2.03 shall be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it is received by the Secretary of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) calendar day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation. For the avoidance of doubt, a stockholder shall not be entitled to make additional or substitute nominations following the expiration of the time periods set forth in these Bylaws.


(3) A stockholder’s notice delivered pursuant to this Section 2.03 shall set forth:

(a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or re-election as a director (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of such person, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of such person (present and for the past five (5) years), (iii) the Ownership Information (as defined below) for such person and any member of the immediate family of such person, or any Affiliate or Associate of such person, or any person acting in concert therewith, (iv) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (including such person’s written consent to being named in the Corporation’s proxy statement as a nominee of the stockholder and to serving as a director if elected), (v) a complete and accurate description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings (whether written or oral) during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among each Holder (as defined below) and any Stockholder Associated Person (as defined below), on the one hand, and each proposed nominee and any member of the immediate family of such proposed nominee, and his or her respective Affiliates and Associates, or others acting in concert therewith, on the other hand, including, without limitation, all biographical and related party transaction and other information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to the federal and state securities laws, including Rule 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (or any successor provision), if any Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the nominee were a director or executive officer of such registrant, and (vi) a completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement and any and all other information required by paragraph (D) of this Section 2.03;

(b) as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and, in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend these Bylaws, the language of the proposed amendment), the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made;

(c) set forth, as to the stockholder giving the notice (the “Noticing Stockholder”) and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made (collectively with the Noticing Stockholder, the “Holders” and each, a “Holder”): (i) the name and address as they appear on the Corporation’s books of each Holder and the name and address of any Stockholder Associated Person, (ii)(A) the class or series and number of shares of the Corporation which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and of record by each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person (provided, however, that for purposes of this Section 2.03(A)(3), any such person shall in all events be deemed to beneficially own any shares


of the Corporation as to which such person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership of at any time in the future), (B) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class or series of shares of the Corporation or with a value derived, in whole or in part, from the value of any class or series of shares of the Corporation, whether or not such instrument or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of capital stock of the Corporation or otherwise (a “Derivative Instrument”) directly or indirectly owned beneficially by each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person and any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation, (C) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship pursuant to which each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person has a right to vote or has granted a right to vote any shares of any security of the Corporation, (D) any Short Interest held by each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person presently or within the last 12 months in any security of the Corporation (for purposes of this Section 2.03, a person shall be deemed to have a “Short Interest” in a security if such person, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has the opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any decrease in the value of the subject security), (E) any agreement, arrangement or understanding (including any contract to purchase or sell, acquisition or grant of any option, right or warrant to purchase or sell, swap or other instrument) between and among each Holder, any Stockholder Associated Person, on the one hand, and any person acting in concert with any such person, on the other hand, with the intent or effect of which may be to transfer to or from any such person, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security of the Corporation or to increase or decrease the voting power of any such person with respect to any security of the Corporation, (F) any direct or indirect legal, economic or financial interest (including Short Interest) of each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person in the outcome of any vote to be taken (x) at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation or (y) any other entity with respect to any matter that is related, directly or indirectly, to any nomination or business proposed by any Holder under this Section 2.03, (G) any rights to dividends on the shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (H) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership or limited liability company or similar entity in which any Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns any interest in a general partner or is the manager or managing member or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns any interest in the manager or managing member of a limited liability company or similar entity, (I) any direct or indirect legal, economic or financial interest (including Short Interest) in any principal competitor of the Corporation held by each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person and (J) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person is entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, if any, as of the date of such notice (Sub-clauses (A) through (J) above of this Section 2.03(A)(3)(c)(ii) shall be referred, collectively, as the “Ownership Information”), (iii) a representation by the Noticing Stockholder that such stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting, will continue to be a stockholder of record of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting through the date of such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such business or nomination, (iv) a representation


whether any Holder and/or any Stockholder Associated Person intends or is part of a group which intends (A) to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding capital stock required to approve or adopt the proposal or elect the nominee and/or (B) otherwise to solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such proposal or nomination, (v) a certification that each Holder and any Stockholder Associated Person has complied with all applicable federal, state and other legal requirements in connection with its acquisition of shares or other securities of the Corporation and such person’s acts or omissions as a stockholder of the Corporation, and (vi) a representation as to the accuracy of the information set forth in the notice;

(d) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding with respect to the nomination or proposal and/or the voting of shares of any class or series of stock of the Corporation between or among the Holders and any Stockholder Associated Person, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made, any of their respective affiliates or associates and/or any others acting in concert with any of the foregoing (collectively, “proponent persons”); and

(4) A Noticing Stockholder shall update and supplement such notice from time to time to the extent necessary so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice shall be true and correct (x) as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting and (y) as of the date that is fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof; provided that if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting is less than fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the information shall be supplemented and updated as of such later date. Any such update and supplement shall be delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than five (5) days after the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting (in the case of any update and supplement required to be made as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting), not later than ten (10) days prior to the date for the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof (in the case of any update or supplement required to be made as of fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting or adjournment or postponement thereof) and not later than five (5) days after the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, but no later than the day prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof (in the case of any update and supplement required to be made as of a date less than fifteen (15) days prior the date of the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof).

(5) The Corporation may also, as a condition to any such nomination or business being deemed properly brought before an annual meeting, require any Holder or any proposed nominee to deliver to the Secretary of the Corporation, within five (5) business days of any such request, such other information as may reasonably be requested by the Corporation, including such other information as may be reasonably required by the Board, in its sole discretion, to determine (1) the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation, (2) whether such nominee qualifies as an “independent director” or “audit committee financial expert” under applicable law, securities exchange rule or regulation, or any publicly disclosed corporate governance guideline or committee charter of the Corporation and (3) such other information that the Board determines, in its sole discretion, could be material to a reasonable stockholder’s understanding of the independence or lack thereof.


(B) Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business (including the election of specific individuals to fill vacancies or newly created directorships on the Board of Directors) shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. At any time that stockholders are not prohibited from filling vacancies or newly created directorships on the Board of Directors, nominations of persons for the election to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (1) as provided in the Stockholders’ Agreement, (2) by or at the direction of the Board or any committee thereof or (3) provided that the Board (or Blackstone pursuant to Section 8.2 of Article VIII of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who (a) is entitled to vote at the meeting, (b) (subject to paragraph (C)(4) of this Section 2.03) complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.03 and (c) is a stockholder of record at the time such notice provided for in this Section 2.03 is delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation on the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, and at the time of the meeting. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board, any such stockholder entitled to vote in such election of directors may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position(s) as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting if the stockholder’s notice as required by paragraph (A)(2) of this Section 2.03 shall be delivered to the Secretary not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such special meeting or the tenth (10th) day following the day on which a public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board to be elected at such meeting. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of a special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

(C) General.

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (C)(4) of this Section 2.03, only such persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.03 or the Stockholders’ Agreement shall be eligible to serve as directors and only such business shall be conducted at an annual or special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.03. Except as otherwise provided by the DGCL, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the chairman of the meeting shall, in addition to making any other determination that may be appropriate for the conduct of the meeting, have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with the procedures set forth in these Bylaws and, if any proposed nomination or business is not in compliance with these Bylaws, to declare that such defective proposal or nomination shall be disregarded. The date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced at the meeting by the chairman of the meeting. The Board of Directors may adopt by resolution such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem appropriate.


Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairman of the meeting shall have the right and authority to convene and (for any or no reason) to recess and/or adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iii) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (iv) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; (v) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants and on shareholder approvals; and (vi) restricting the use of cell phones, audio or video recording devices and similar devices at the meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03, unless otherwise required by the DGCL, if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present a nomination or business, such nomination shall be disregarded and such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation. For purposes of this Section 2.03, to be considered a qualified representative of the stockholder, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or must be authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairman of the meeting, the meeting of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

(2) Whenever used in these Bylaws,

(a) “Affiliate(s)” and “Associate(s)” shall have the meanings attributed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(b) “Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday that is not a day on which banking institutions in New York, NY are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

(c) “close of business” shall mean 5:00 p.m. local time at the principal executive offices of the Corporation, and if an applicable deadline falls on the close of business on a day that is not a Business Day, then the applicable deadline shall be deemed to be the close of business on the immediately preceding Business Day.

(d) “public announcement” shall mean disclosure (a) in a press release released by the Corporation, provided such press release is released by the Corporation following its customary procedures, is reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service, or is generally available on internet news sites, or (b) in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.


(e) “Stockholder Associated Person” shall mean as to any Holder (1) any person acting in concert with such Holder, (2) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Holder or any of their respective Affiliates and Associates, or person acting in concert therewith and (3) any member of the immediate family of such Holder or an affiliate or associate of such Holder.

(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03, a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 2.03; provided, however, that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any references in these Bylaws to the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder are not intended to and shall not limit any requirements applicable to nominations or proposals as to any other business to be considered pursuant to these Bylaws (including paragraph (A)(1)(d) and paragraph (B) of this Section 2.03), and compliance with paragraph (A)(1)(d) and paragraph (B) of this Section 2.03 of these Bylaws shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to make nominations or submit other business. Nothing in these Bylaws shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of any class or series of stock having a preference over the Class A Common Stock as to dividends or upon liquidation to elect directors under specified circumstances.

(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 2.03, for as long as the Stockholders’ Agreement remains in effect with respect to Blackstone, Blackstone (to the extent then subject to the Stockholders’ Agreement) shall not be subject to the notice procedures set forth in paragraph (A)(2), paragraph (A)(3) or paragraph (B) of this Section 2.03 with respect to any annual or special meeting of stockholders.

(D) Submission of Questionnaire. To be eligible to be a nominee for election as a director of the Corporation pursuant to Section 2.03, a proposed nominee must deliver in writing (in accordance with the time periods prescribed for delivery of notice under this Section 2.03) to the Secretary (i) a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Secretary upon written request of any stockholder of record identified by name within five (5) Business Days of such written request), (ii) an irrevocable, contingent resignation to the Board of Directors, in a form acceptable to the Board of Directors, and (iii) a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request of any stockholder of record identified by name within five Business Days of such request) that such person (A) is not and will not become a party to (1) any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether written or oral) with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or (2) any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such person’s fiduciary duties under applicable law, (B) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation


with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed therein, (C) in such person’s individual capacity and on behalf of any person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made, would be in compliance, if elected as a director of the Corporation, and will comply with all applicable rules of the exchanges upon which the securities of the Corporation are listed and all applicable publicly disclosed corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Corporation and (D) in such person’s individual capacity and on behalf of any Holder on whose behalf the nomination is being made, intends to serve a full term if elected as a director of the Corporation.

Section 2.04 Notice of Meetings. Whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a timely notice in writing or by electronic transmission, in the manner provided in Section 232 of the DGCL, of the meeting, which shall state the place, if any, date and time of the meeting, the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, if such date is different from the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, and, in the case of a special meeting, the purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be mailed to or transmitted electronically by the Secretary of the Corporation to each stockholder of record entitled to vote thereat as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting. Unless otherwise provided by law, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the notice of any meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting.

Section 2.05 Quorum. Unless otherwise required by law, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the rules of any stock exchange upon which the Corporation’s securities are listed, the holders of record of a majority of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings of stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where a separate vote by a class or series or classes or series is required, a majority in voting power of the outstanding shares of such class or series or classes or series, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to the vote on that matter. Once a quorum is present to organize a meeting, it shall not be broken by the subsequent withdrawal of any stockholders.

Section 2.06 Voting. Except as otherwise provided by or pursuant to the provisions of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, each stockholder entitled to vote at any meeting of the stockholders shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by such stockholder that has voting power upon the matters in question. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of the stockholders or to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy in any manner provided under Section 212(c) of the DGCL or as otherwise provided under applicable law, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A proxy shall be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power. A stockholder may revoke any proxy that is not irrevocable by attending the meeting and voting


in person or by delivering to the Secretary of the Corporation a revocation of the proxy or a new proxy bearing a later date. Unless required by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or applicable law, or determined by the chairman of the meeting to be advisable, the vote on any question need not be by ballot. On a vote by ballot, each ballot shall be signed by the stockholder voting, or by such stockholder’s proxy, if there be such proxy. When a quorum is present or represented at any meeting, the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall decide any question brought before such meeting, unless the question is one upon which, by express provision of applicable law, of the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation, of any regulation applicable to the Corporation or its securities, of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or of these Bylaws, a different vote is required, in which case such express provision shall govern and control the decision of such question. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence and subject to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, all elections of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast in respect of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.

Section 2.07 Chairman of Meetings. The Chairman of the Board, if one is elected, or, in his or her absence or disability, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, or in the absence of the Chairman of the Board and the President and Chief Executive Officer, a person designated by the Board shall be the chairman of the meeting and, as such, preside at all meetings of the stockholders.

Section 2.08 Secretary of Meetings. The Secretary of the Corporation shall act as secretary at all meetings of the stockholders. In the absence or disability of the Secretary, the Chairman of the Board or the President and Chief Executive Officer shall appoint a person to act as Secretary at such meetings.

Section 2.09 Consent of Stockholders in Lieu of Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote only to the extent permitted by and in the manner provided in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and in accordance with applicable law.

Section 2.10 Adjournment. At any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation, if less than a quorum be present, the chairman of the meeting or stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of stock of the Corporation, present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereat, shall have the power to adjourn the meeting from time to time without notice other than announcement at the meeting until a quorum shall be present. Any business may be transacted at the adjourned meeting that might have been transacted at the meeting originally noticed. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such adjourned meeting as of the record date so fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.


Section 2.11 Remote Communication. If authorized by the Board in its sole discretion, and subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board may adopt, stockholders and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of remote communication:

(A) participate in a meeting of stockholders; and

(B) be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication; provided that:

(1) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxyholder;

(2) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings; and

(3) if any stockholder or proxyholder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such vote or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.

Section 2.12 Inspectors of Election. The Corporation may, and shall if required by law, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, appoint one or more inspectors of election, who may be employees of the Corporation, to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof and to make a written report thereof. The Corporation may designate one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. In the event that no inspector so appointed or designated is able to act at a meeting of stockholders, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath to execute faithfully the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The inspector or inspectors so appointed or designated shall (i) ascertain the number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation outstanding and the voting power of each such share, (ii) determine the shares of capital stock of the Corporation represented at the meeting and the validity of proxies and ballots, (iii) count all votes and ballots, (iv) determine and retain for a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspectors and (v) certify their determination of the number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation represented at the meeting and such inspectors’ count of all votes and ballots. Such certification and report shall specify such other information as may be required by law. In determining the validity and counting of proxies and ballots cast at any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation, the inspectors may consider such information as is permitted by applicable law. No person who is a candidate for an office at an election may serve as an inspector at such election.


ARTICLE III

Board of Directors

Section 3.01 Powers. Except as otherwise provided by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the DGCL, the business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of its Board. The Board may exercise all such authority and powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by the DGCL or the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation directed or required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.

Section 3.02 Number and Term; Chairman. The number of directors shall be determined as set forth in Article VI, Section 6.1(A) of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Directors shall be elected by the stockholders at their annual meeting, and the term of each director shall be as set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Directors need not be stockholders. The Board shall elect from its ranks a Chairman of the Board, who shall have the powers and perform such duties as provided in these Bylaws and as the Board may from time to time prescribe. The Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Board at which he or she is present. If the Chairman of the Board is not present at a meeting of the Board, the President and Chief Executive Officer (if the President and Chief Executive Officer is a director and is not also the Chairman of the Board) shall preside at such meeting, and, if the President and Chief Executive Officer is not present at such meeting or is not a director, a majority of the directors present at such meeting shall elect one (1) of their members to preside over such meeting.

Section 3.03 Resignations. Any director may resign at any time upon notice given in writing or by electronic transmission to the Board, the Chairman of the Board, the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary of the Corporation. The resignation shall take effect at the time or upon the happening of any event specified therein, and if no specification is so made, at the time of its receipt. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective unless otherwise expressly provided in the resignation.

Section 3.04 Removal. Directors of the Corporation may be removed in the manner provided in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and applicable law.

Section 3.05 Vacancies and Newly Created Directorships. Except as otherwise provided by law and subject to the Stockholders’ Agreement, vacancies occurring in any directorship (whether by death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause) and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors shall be filled in accordance with the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Any director elected to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship shall hold office until the next election of the class for which such director shall have been chosen and until his or her successor shall be elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.


Section 3.06 Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board may be held at such places and times as shall be determined from time to time by the Board. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation or the Chairman of the Board, and shall be called by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary of the Corporation if directed by a majority of the Board and shall be at such places and times as they or he or she shall fix. Notice need not be given of regular meetings of the Board. At least twenty-four (24) hours before each special meeting of the Board, either written notice, notice by electronic transmission or oral notice (either in person or by telephone) notice of the time, date and place of the meeting shall be given to each director; provided, however, that if written notice is given only by United States mail, such notice be deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid at least five (5) days before such special meeting of the Board. Unless otherwise indicated in the notice thereof, any and all business may be transacted at a special meeting.

Section 3.07 Quorum, Voting and Adjournment. Unless otherwise provided by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, a majority of the total number of directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Unless otherwise provided in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, cumulative voting for the election of directors shall be prohibited. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the act of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board. In the absence of a quorum, a majority of the directors present thereat may adjourn such meeting to another time and place. Notice of such adjourned meeting need not be given if the time and place of such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting so adjourned.

Section 3.08 Committees; Committee Rules. The Board may designate one or more committees, including but not limited to an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, each such committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee to replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board establishing such committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers that may require it; provided that no such committee shall have the power or authority in reference to the following matters: (a) approving or adopting, or recommending to the stockholders, any action or matter (other than the election or removal of directors) expressly required by the DGCL to be submitted to stockholders for approval or (b) adopting, amending or repealing these Bylaws. Each committee of the Board may fix its own rules of procedure and shall hold its meetings as provided by such rules, except as may otherwise be provided by a resolution of the Board designating such committee. Unless otherwise provided in such a resolution, the presence of at least a majority of the members of the committee shall be necessary to constitute a quorum unless the committee shall consist of one or two members, in which event one member shall constitute a quorum; and all matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present at a meeting of the committee at which a quorum is present. Unless otherwise provided in such a resolution, in the event that a member and that member’s alternate, if alternates are designated by the Board, of such committee is or are absent or disqualified, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified member.


Section 3.09 Action Without a Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or any committee thereof, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission. After an action is taken, the consent or consents relating thereto shall be filed in the minutes of proceedings of the Board. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form or shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

Section 3.10 Remote Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, members of the Board, or any committee designated by the Board, may participate in a meeting by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment in which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Participation in a meeting by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

Section 3.11 Compensation. The Board shall have the authority to fix the compensation, including fees and reimbursement of expenses, of directors for services to the Corporation in any capacity.

Section 3.12 Reliance on Books and Records. A member of the Board, or a member of any committee designated by the Board shall, in the performance of such person’s duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon records of the Corporation and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Corporation by any of the Corporation’s officers or employees, or committees of the Board, or by any other person as to matters the member reasonably believes are within such other person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Corporation.

ARTICLE IV

Officers

Section 4.01 Number. The officers of the Corporation shall include a President and Chief Executive Officer and a Secretary, each of whom shall be elected by the Board and who shall hold office for such terms as shall be determined by the Board and until their successors are elected and qualify or until their earlier resignation or removal. In addition, the Board may elect one or more Vice Presidents, including one or more Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, a Treasurer and one or more Assistant Treasurers and one or more Assistant Secretaries, who shall hold their office for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Board. Any number of offices may be held by the same person.

Section 4.02 Other Officers and Agents. The Board may appoint such other officers and agents as it deems advisable, who shall hold their office for such terms and shall exercise and perform such powers and duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Board.


Section 4.03 President and Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer, who shall also be the President, subject to the determination of the Board, shall have general executive charge, management, and control of the properties and operations of the Corporation in the ordinary course of its business, with all such powers with respect to such properties and operations as may be reasonably incident to such responsibilities. If the Board has not elected a Chairman of the Board or in the absence or inability to act as the Chairman of the Board, the President and Chief Executive Officer shall exercise all of the powers and discharge all of the duties of the Chairman of the Board, but only if the President and Chief Executive Officer is a director of the Corporation.

Section 4.04 Vice Presidents. Each Vice President, if any are elected, of whom one or more may be designated an Executive Vice President or Senior Vice President, shall have such powers and shall perform such duties as shall be assigned to him or her by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Board.

Section 4.05 Treasurer.

(A) The Treasurer shall have custody of the corporate funds, securities, evidences of indebtedness and other valuables of the Corporation and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Corporation. The Treasurer shall deposit all moneys and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depositories as may be designated by the Board or its designees selected for such purposes. The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Corporation, taking proper vouchers therefor. The Treasurer shall render to the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Board, upon their request, a report of the financial condition of the Corporation. If required by the Board, the Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond for the faithful discharge of his or her duties in such amount and with such surety as the Board shall prescribe.

(B) In addition, the Treasurer shall have such further powers and perform such other duties incident to the office of Treasurer as from time to time are assigned to him or her by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Board.

Section 4.06 Secretary. The Secretary shall: (A) cause minutes of all meetings of the stockholders and directors to be recorded and kept properly; (B) cause all notices required by these Bylaws or otherwise to be given properly; (C) see that the minute books, stock books, and other nonfinancial books, records and papers of the Corporation are kept properly; and (D) cause all reports, statements, returns, certificates and other documents to be prepared and filed when and as required. The Secretary shall have such further powers and perform such other duties as prescribed from time to time by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Board.

Section 4.07 Assistant Treasurers and Assistant Secretaries. Each Assistant Treasurer and each Assistant Secretary, if any are elected, shall be vested with all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the Treasurer and Secretary, respectively, in the absence or disability of such officer, unless or until the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Board shall otherwise determine. In addition, Assistant Treasurers and Assistant Secretaries shall have such powers and shall perform such duties as shall be assigned to them by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the Board.


Section 4.08 Corporate Funds and Checks. The funds of the Corporation shall be kept in such depositories as shall from time to time be prescribed by the Board or its designees selected for such purposes. All checks or other orders for the payment of money shall be signed by the President and Chief Executive Officer, a Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary or such other person or agent as may from time to time be authorized and with such countersignature, if any, as may be required by the Board.

Section 4.09 Contracts and Other Documents. The President and Chief Executive Officer and the Secretary, or such other officer or officers as may from time to time be authorized by the Board or any other committee given specific authority in the premises by the Board during the intervals between the meetings of the Board, shall have power to sign and execute on behalf of the Corporation deeds, conveyances and contracts, and any and all other documents requiring execution by the Corporation.

Section 4.10 Ownership of Equity Interests or other Securities of Another Entity. Unless otherwise directed by the Board, the President and Chief Executive Officer, a Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary, or such other officer or agent as shall be authorized by the Board, shall have the power and authority, on behalf of the Corporation, to attend and to vote at any meeting of securityholders of any entity in which the Corporation holds securities or equity interests and may exercise, on behalf of the Corporation, any and all of the rights and powers incident to the ownership of such securities or equity interests at any such meeting, including the authority to execute and deliver proxies and consents on behalf of the Corporation.

Section 4.11 Delegation of Duties. In the absence, disability or refusal of any officer to exercise and perform his or her duties, the Board may delegate to another officer such powers or duties.

Section 4.12 Resignation and Removal. Any officer of the Corporation may be removed from office for or without cause at any time by the Board. Any officer may resign at any time in the same manner prescribed under Section 3.03 of these Bylaws.

Section 4.13 Vacancies. The Board shall have the power to fill vacancies occurring in any office.

ARTICLE V

Stock

Section 5.01 Certificated Shares. The shares of stock of the Corporation shall be represented by certificates; provided that the Board may provide by resolution or resolutions that some or all of any or all classes or series of the Corporation’s stock shall be uncertificated shares. Any such resolution shall not apply to shares represented by a certificate until such certificate is surrendered to the Corporation. Every holder of stock in the Corporation represented by certificates shall be entitled to have a certificate signed by, or in the name of the Corporation by any two authorized officers of the Corporation (it being understood that each of the Chairman of the Board or the Vice Chairman of the Board, or the President and Chief Executive Officer or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer or the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary


of the Corporation shall be an authorized officer for such purpose), certifying the number and class of shares of stock of the Corporation owned by such holder. Any or all of the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. The Board shall have the power to appoint one or more transfer agents and/or registrars for the transfer or registration of certificates of stock of any class, and may require stock certificates to be countersigned or registered by one or more of such transfer agents and/or registrars.

Section 5.02 Uncertificated Shares. If the Board chooses to issue uncertificated shares, the Corporation, if required by the DGCL, shall, within a reasonable time after the issue or transfer of uncertificated shares, send the stockholder a written statement of the information required by the DGCL shall be sent by or on behalf of the Corporation to stockholders entitled to such uncertificated shares. The Corporation may adopt a system of issuance, recordation and transfer of its shares of stock by electronic or other means not involving the issuance of certificates; provided that the use of such system by the Corporation is permitted by applicable law.

Section 5.03 Transfer of Shares. Shares of stock of the Corporation represented by certificates shall be transferable upon its books by the holders thereof, in person or by their duly authorized attorneys or legal representatives, upon surrender to the Corporation by delivery thereof (to the extent evidenced by a physical stock certificate) to the person in charge of the stock and transfer books and ledgers. Certificates representing such shares, if any, shall be cancelled and new certificates, if the shares are to be certificated, shall thereupon be issued. Shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are not represented by a certificate shall be transferred in accordance with any procedures adopted by the Corporation or its agents and applicable law. A record shall be made of each transfer. Whenever any transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security, and not absolutely, it shall be so expressed in the entry of the transfer if, when the certificates are presented to the Corporation for transfer or uncertificated shares requested to be transferred, both the transferor and transferee request the Corporation do so. The Corporation shall have power and authority to make such rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or proper concerning the issue, transfer and registration of certificates representing shares of stock of the Corporation and uncertificated shares.

Section 5.04 Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Mutilated Certificates. A new certificate of stock or uncertificated shares may be issued in the place of any certificate previously issued by the Corporation alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, and the Corporation may, in its discretion, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or his or her legal representative, to give the Corporation a bond, in such sum as the Corporation may direct, in order to indemnify the Corporation against any claims that may be made against it in connection therewith. A new certificate or uncertificated shares of stock may be issued in the place of any certificate previously issued by the Corporation that has become mutilated upon the surrender by such owner of such mutilated certificate and, if required by the Corporation, the posting of a bond by such owner in an amount sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against it in connection therewith.


Section 5.05 List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote. The officer who has charge of the stock ledger shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (provided, however, if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than ten (10) days before the date of the meeting, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth (10th) day before the meeting date), arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting (a) on a reasonably accessible electronic network; provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of meeting or (b) during ordinary business hours at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then a list of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof and may be examined by any stockholder who is present. If the meeting is to be held solely by means of remote communication, then the list shall also be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of the meeting. Except as otherwise provided by law, the stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list of stockholders required by this Section 5.05 or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.

Section 5.06 Fixing Date for Determination of Stockholders of Record.

(A) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, and which record date shall, unless otherwise required by law, not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If the Board so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance herewith at the adjourned meeting.

(B) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) days prior to such action. If no such record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution relating thereto.


(C) Unless otherwise restricted by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, in order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, and which record date shall not be more than ten (10) days after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board. If no record date for determining stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting is fixed by the Board, (i) when no prior action of the Board is required by law, the record date for such purpose shall be the first date on which a signed written consent setting forth the action taken or proposed to be taken is delivered to the Corporation in accordance with applicable law, and (ii) if prior action by the Board is required by law, the record date for such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution taking such prior action.

Section 5.07 Registered Stockholders. Prior to the surrender to the Corporation of the certificate or certificates for a share or shares of stock or notification to the Corporation of the transfer of uncertificated shares with a request to record the transfer of such share or shares, the Corporation may treat the registered owner of such share or shares as the person entitled to receive dividends, to vote, to receive notifications and otherwise to exercise all the rights and powers of an owner of such share or shares. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Corporation shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof.

ARTICLE VI

Notice and Waiver of Notice

Section 6.01 Notice. If mailed, notice to stockholders shall be deemed given when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, directed to the stockholder at such stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation, and if given by any other form, including any form of electronic transmission permitted by the DGCL shall be deemed given as provided in the DGCL. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively to stockholders, any notice to stockholders may be given by electronic transmission in the manner provided in Section 232 of the DGCL.

Section 6.02 Waiver of Notice. A written waiver of any notice, signed by a stockholder or director, or waiver by electronic transmission by such person, whether given before or after the time of the event for which notice is to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to the notice required to be given to such person. Neither the business nor the purpose of any meeting need be specified in such a waiver. Attendance at any meeting (in person or by remote communication) shall constitute waiver of notice except attendance for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.


ARTICLE VII

Indemnification

Section 7.01 Right to Indemnification. Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or an officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee, agent or trustee of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee, agent or trustee or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee, agent or trustee, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 7.03 with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification or advancement of expenses or with respect to any compulsory counterclaim brought by such indemnitee, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.

Section 7.02 Right to Advancement of Expenses. In addition to the right to indemnification conferred in Section 7.01, an indemnitee shall also have the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses (including attorney’s fees) incurred in appearing at, participating in or defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition or in connection with a proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Article VII (which shall be governed by Section 7.03 (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL requires or in the case of an advance made in a proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement, an advancement of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made solely upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking (hereinafter an “undertaking”), by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified or entitled to advancement of expenses under Section 7.01 and Section 7.02 or otherwise.

Section 7.03 Right of Indemnitee to Bring Suit. If a claim under Section 7.01 or Section 7.02 is not paid in full by the Corporation within (i) sixty (60) days after a written claim for indemnification has been received by the Corporation or (ii) twenty (20) days after a claim for an advancement of expenses has been received by the Corporation, the indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim or to obtain


advancement of expenses, as applicable. To the fullest extent permitted by law, if the indemnitee is successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid also the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (i) any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) any suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final adjudication that, the indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including by its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including by its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article VII or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.

Section 7.04 Indemnification Not Exclusive.

(A) The provision of indemnification to or the advancement of expenses and costs to any indemnitee under this Article VII, or the entitlement of any indemnitee to indemnification or advancement of expenses and costs under this Article VII, shall not limit or restrict in any way the power of the Corporation to indemnify or advance expenses and costs to such indemnitee in any other way permitted by law or be deemed exclusive of, or invalidate, any right to which any indemnitee seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses and costs may be entitled under any law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such indemnitee’s capacity as an officer, director, employee or agent of the Corporation and as to action in any other capacity.

(1) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims (as defined below) may arise due to the service of the indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Corporation at the request of the indemnitee-related entities (as defined below), the Corporation shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claims, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Article VII, irrespective of any right of recovery the indemnitee may have from the indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Corporation be entitled to any right of subrogation or contribution by the indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement or recovery the indemnitee may have from the indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the indemnitee or the obligations of the Corporation hereunder. In the event that any of the indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect


to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the indemnitee against the Corporation, and the indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. Each of the indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 7.04(A), entitled to enforce this Section 7.04(A).

(2) For purposes of this Section 7.04(A), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) The term “indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Corporation or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise for which the indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Corporation or at the Corporation’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described herein) from whom an indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Corporation may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation.

(b) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the indemnitee-related entities and the Corporation pursuant to applicable law, any agreement, certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Corporation or the indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 7.05 Nature of Rights. The rights conferred upon indemnitees in this Article VII shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators. Any amendment, alteration or repeal of this Article VII that adversely affects any right of an indemnitee or its successors shall be prospective only and shall not limit, eliminate, or impair any such right with respect to any proceeding involving any occurrence or alleged occurrence of any action or omission to act that took place prior to such amendment or repeal.

Section 7.06 Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

Section 7.07 Indemnification of Employees and Agents of the Corporation. The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article VII with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of directors and officers of the Corporation.


ARTICLE VIII

Miscellaneous

Section 8.01 Electronic Transmission. For purposes of these Bylaws, “electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, including the use of, or participation in, one or more electronic networks or databases (including one or more distributed electronic networks or databases), that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process.

Section 8.02 Corporate Seal. The Board may provide a suitable seal, containing the name of the Corporation, which seal shall be in the charge of the Secretary. If and when so directed by the Board or a committee thereof, duplicates of the seal may be kept and used by the Treasurer or by an Assistant Secretary or Assistant Treasurer.

Section 8.03 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirty-first day of December of each year.

Section 8.04 Section Headings. Section headings in these Bylaws are for convenience of reference only and shall not be given any substantive effect in limiting or otherwise construing any provision herein.

Section 8.05 Inconsistent Provisions. In the event that any provision of these Bylaws is or becomes inconsistent with any provision of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the DGCL or any other applicable law, such provision of these Bylaws shall not be given any effect to the extent of such inconsistency but shall otherwise be given full force and effect.

ARTICLE IX

Amendments

Section 9.01 Amendments. The Board is authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind, in whole or in part, these Bylaws without the assent or vote of the stockholders in any manner not inconsistent with the laws of the State of Delaware or the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Bylaws or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser vote of the stockholders, at any time when Blackstone beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than thirty percent (30%) in voting power of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation relating to any series of Preferred Stock (as defined in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), these Bylaws or applicable law, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66


2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, shall be required in order for the stockholders of the Corporation to alter, amend, repeal or rescind, in whole or in part, any provision of these Bylaws (including, without limitation, this Section 9.01) or to adopt any provision inconsistent herewith.

Exhibit 10.1

FORM OF AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC

a Delaware limited liability company

Dated as of March 17, 2021

THE MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS REFERENCED IN THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AND THEIR OFFER AND SALE HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE. THE MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS WHICH ARE REFERENCED HEREIN MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT IF THE OFFER OR SALE HAS BEEN REGISTERED AND/OR QUALIFIED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION AND/OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS IS AVAILABLE. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO TRADING MARKET FOR THE MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS, AND IT IS NOT ANTICIPATED THAT ONE WILL DEVELOP. THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL RESTRICTIONS UPON THE TRANSFERABILITY AND VOTING RIGHTS OF THE MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS SET FORTH HEREIN. NO SALE, TRANSFER OR OTHER DISPOSITION BY A MEMBER OF ITS MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS MAY BE MADE EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS SET FORTH HEREIN. THEREFORE, MEMBERS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO READILY LIQUIDATE THEIR INVESTMENTS.

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Article I DEFINITIONS

     2  

1.1

  Specific Definitions      2  

1.2

  Other Terms      11  

1.3

  Construction      11  

Article II ORGANIZATION

     12  

2.1

  Formation      12  

2.2

  Name      12  

2.3

  Principal U.S. Office; Registered Office and Registered Agent; Other Offices      12  

2.4

  Purpose      12  

2.5

  Foreign Qualification      12  

2.6

  Term      12  

2.7

  Business Opportunities      13  

Article III MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS AND TRANSFERS

     14  

3.1

  Classes and Series of Membership Interests; Members      14  

3.2

  Number of Members      16  

3.3

  Representations and Warranties      16  

3.4

  Restrictions on the Transfer of Interests      17  

3.5

  Change in Business Form      18  

3.6

  Exchange of Units      18  

Article IV CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

     19  

4.1

  Capital Contributions; Return of Cash      19  

4.2

  Capital Accounts      20  

4.3

  Contributions of Contributed Property      22  

Article V ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

     22  

5.1

  Allocations for Capital Account Purposes      22  

5.2

  Allocations for Tax Purposes      24  

5.3

  Requirement of Distributions      26  

5.4

  Withholding      27  

Article VI MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY

     28  

6.1

  Management by Managing Member      28  

6.2

  Powers of the Managing Member      28  

6.3

  Resignation; Removal and Vacancy      29  

6.4

  Officers      29  

6.5

  Term of Officers      30  

6.6

  Compensation and Reimbursement      30  

6.7

  Member Meetings      30  

6.8

  VCOC Management Rights      31  

 

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Article VII INDEMNIFICATION

     31  

7.1

  Right to Indemnification      31  

7.2

  Indemnification of Officers, Employees (if any) and Agents      32  

7.3

  Indemnification and Expense Advancement With Respect to Actions Commenced by an Indemnitee      32  

7.4

  Advance Payment      32  

7.5

  Appearance as a Witness      33  

7.6

  Nonexclusivity of Rights      33  

7.7

  No Member Liability for Indemnification Obligations      33  

7.8

  Member Notification      33  

7.9

  Savings Clause      33  

7.10

  Scope of Indemnity      33  

7.11

  Other Indemnities      34  

7.12

  Replacement of Fiduciary Duties      34  

7.13

  Liability of Indemnitees      34  

7.14

  Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties      35  

Article VIII TAXES

     36  

8.1

  Tax Returns      36  

8.2

  Tax Elections      36  

8.3

  Tax Matters Partner      37  

Article IX BOOKS, RECORDS, REPORTS, AND BANK ACCOUNTS

     37  

9.1

  Maintenance of Books      37  

9.2

  Financial Statements and Reports      37  

9.3

  Accounts      38  

Article X DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION, AND TERMINATION

     38  

10.1

  Dissolution      38  

10.2

  Liquidation and Termination      39  

10.3

  Provision for Contingent Claims      40  

10.4

  Deficit Capital Accounts      40  

10.5

  Deemed Contribution and Distribution      40  

Article XI AMENDMENT OF THE AGREEMENT

     40  

11.1

  Amendments to be Adopted by the Company      40  

11.2

  Amendment Procedures      41  

Article XII MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS

     41  

12.1

  Certificates      41  

12.2

  Registered Holders      41  

12.3

  Security      41  

Article XIII GENERAL PROVISIONS

     42  

13.1

  Offset      42  

13.2

  Entire Agreement      42  

13.3

  Waivers      42  

 

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13.4

  Binding Effect      42  

13.5

  Governing Law; Severability      42  

13.6

  Further Assurances      43  

13.7

  Exercise of Certain Rights      43  

13.8

  Notice to Members of Provisions of this Agreement      43  

13.9

  Counterparts      43  

13.10

  Books and Records      43  

13.11

  Information      43  

13.12

  Liability to Third Parties      44  

13.13

  No Third Party Beneficiaries      44  

13.14

  Notices      44  

13.15

  Remedies      45  

13.16

  Disputes      45  

13.17

  No Recourse      47  

 

Attachments   

Exhibit A

  

Ownership Information

Schedule 6.4

  

List of Initial Officer Appointees

Annex A

  

Form of VCOC Management Rights Letter

 

 

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AMENDED AND RESTATED

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT

OF

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC

a Delaware limited liability company

This Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Energy Holdings LLC (the “Company”), dated as of March 17, 2021 (the “Effective Date”), is (a) adopted by the Members (as defined herein) and (b) executed and agreed to, for good and valuable consideration, by the Members.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Company was formed as a limited liability company pursuant to the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act by filing a Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State of Delaware on March 1, 2017 (the “Formation Date”) under the name “Vine Resources Holdings LLC”;

WHEREAS, on the Formation Date, Vine Oil & Gas Holdings LLC entered into the Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company (the “Initial LLC Agreement”);

WHEREAS, on February 18, 2021, the Company changed its name from “Vine Resources Holdings LLC” to “Vine Energy Holdings LLC”;

WHEREAS, contemporaneously with the execution of this Agreement, the Company entered into the Master Reorganization Agreement with the other parties contained therein (the “Master Reorganization Agreement”), pursuant to which the parties therein have agreed to consummate the reorganization of the Company and certain of its Affiliates and to take the other actions contemplated therein;

WHEREAS, in connection with the Master Reorganization Agreement, the Company has agreed to, among other things and pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (i) grant Class A Units (as defined herein) to Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (“VEI”), and certain subsidiaries thereof and (ii) Class B Units to Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment”), Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment”) and Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment” and together with Vine Investment and Brix Investment, the “Investment Entities”);

WHEREAS, in connection with the Master Reorganization Agreement, VEI is issuing shares of its Class B common stock, par value $0.01 (“Class B Stock”), to each of the Investment Entities;

WHEREAS, each share of Class B Stock, together with a corresponding Class B Unit, may be exchanged for one share of VEI Class A common stock, par value $0.01 (“Class A Stock”), pursuant to the terms of that certain Exchange Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, by and between the Company, VEI and the Investment Entities (the “Exchange Agreement”);

 

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WHEREAS, the Members are entering into this Agreement in order to amend and restate the Initial LLC Agreement in its entirety; and

WHEREAS, for the foregoing purposes the Parties wish to enter into this Agreement to, among other things, (a) amend and restate the Initial LLC Agreement in its entirety; (b) admit as Members, the Persons specified on Exhibit A, (c) provide for the management of the Company and (d) set forth their respective rights and obligations.

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby confirmed and acknowledged), the Parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Specific Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the following meanings:

Act” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, and any successor statute, as amended from time to time.

Additional Call Amount” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1(b)(i).

Adjusted Capital Account” means the Capital Account, with respect to each Member, maintained for such Member as of the end of each taxable year of the Company, (a) increased by any amounts that such Member is obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury Regulation sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5)), and (b) decreased by (i) the amount of all deductions in respect of depletion that, as of the end of such taxable year, are expected to be made to such Member’s Capital Account in respect of the oil and gas properties of the Company, (ii) the amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of such taxable year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Member in subsequent years under sections 704(e)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury Regulation section 1.751.1(b)(2)(ii), and (iii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the end of such taxable year, are reasonably expected to be made to such Member in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Member’s Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the year in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 5.1(b)(i) or Section 5.1(b)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

Adjusted Property” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 4.2(d).

 

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Affiliate” means, when used with respect to any Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, Controls, is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such Person in question; provided, that notwithstanding the foregoing, Blackstone and its Affiliates (other than the Company or any of its Subsidiaries) shall not be considered Affiliates of one another solely by virtue of their ownership or Control of the Company.

Agreed Allocation” means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 5.1.

Agreed Value” of any Contributed Property means the Fair Market Value of such property at the time of contribution as determined by the Managing Member.

Agreement” means this Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company (including any schedules, exhibits and annexes hereto), as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Assignee” means any Person that acquires an interest in any Membership Interest but has not been admitted as a Member in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Available Cash” means, as of any date of determination with respect to a quarterly cash distribution to be made to certain of the Members pursuant to Section 5.3(b), the following, without duplication:

(a) the cash, cash equivalents and liquid assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries from any and all sources (other than Capital Contributions and the proceeds of indebtedness for borrowed money) as of the end of the quarter preceding the quarter in which the distribution is to be made, less

(b) as of the end of the quarter preceding the quarter in which the distribution is to be made, the costs and expenses paid by the Company and its Subsidiaries and amounts reserved for payment of costs, including capital costs and operating costs and expenses (including costs and administrative expenses and including the payment of any transaction fee or any monitoring fee payable in respect of such quarter), production taxes and other applicable taxes and similar amounts, debt service, or other reasonable reserves determined in good faith by the Managing Member.

Blackstone” means the Blackstone Group L.P., together with any investment funds affiliated with or managed by the Blackstone Group L.P.

Book-Tax Disparity” means with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of such date.

Brix Blocker 1” means Blackstone BRIX-WI/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

Brix Blocker 2” means Blackstone BRIX-WI/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

 

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Brix Investment” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized or required by applicable Law to be closed in New York, New York or Dallas, Texas.

Call Election Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(b).

Call Right” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(b).

Capital Account” means the capital account maintained for each Member pursuant to Section 4.2.

Capital Contribution” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Member contributes to the Company in respect of Membership Interests.

Carrying Value” means (a) with respect to Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all Depreciation, depletion (including Simulated Depletion), amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Members’ Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b) with respect to any other Company property, the adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 4.2(d) to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Company properties, as deemed appropriate by the Managing Member.

Cash Election” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

Cash Election Amount” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

Certificate” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1.

Class A Member” means all Members holding a Class A Unit, including upon any Transfer of Class A Units permitted by this Agreement. The term “Class A Member” is intended to include and shall be deemed to include all such Members holding Class A Units whether or not references to the term “Class A Member” herein are singular or plural, unless otherwise stated herein.

Class A Member Tax Amount” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.3(b).

Class A Stock” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Class A Unit” means a Membership Interest designated as a Class A Unit.

Class B Member” means all Members holding a Class B Unit, including upon any Transfer of any Class B Units permitted by this Agreement. The term “Class B Member” is intended to include and shall be deemed to include all such Members holding Class B Units whether or not references to the term “Class B Member” herein are singular or plural, unless otherwise stated herein.

 

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Class B Stock” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Class B Unit” means a Membership Interest designated as a Class B Unit.

Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Company” has the meaning set forth in the preamble.

Company Minimum Gain” has the meaning given the term “partnership minimum gain” in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(b)(2) and the amount of which shall be determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(d).

Confidential Information” has the meaning set forth in Section 13.11(a).

Consent” means the affirmative consent of the indicated party (including the Managing Member) to the action requested in accordance with the terms hereof and any applicable requirements of the Act.

Consolidated” refers to the consolidation of any Person, in accordance with GAAP, with its properly consolidated Subsidiaries. References herein to a Person’s Consolidated financial statements, financial position, financial condition, liabilities, etc. refer to the consolidated financial statements, financial position, financial condition, liabilities, etc. of such Person and its properly consolidated Subsidiaries.

Contributed Property” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Company. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 4.2(d), such property shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

Control” (including its derivatives and similar terms) means possessing, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of any such relevant Person by ownership of voting interest, by contract or otherwise.

Curative Allocation” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction or loss pursuant to the provisions of Section 5.1(b)(ix).

Debt Securities” means, with respect to VEI, any and all debt instruments or debt securities that are not convertible or exchangeable into equity securities of VEI.

Depreciation” means, for any Fiscal Year or other period, except as provided in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-3(d)(2), an amount equal to the depreciation, amortization, or other cost recovery deduction allowable for federal income tax purposes with respect to an asset for such year or other period, except that, if the Carrying Value of an asset differs from its adjusted basis for federal income tax purposes at the beginning of such year or other period, Depreciation will be an amount that bears the same ratio to such beginning Carrying Value as the federal income tax

 

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depreciation, amortization, or other cost recovery deduction for such year or other period bears to such beginning adjusted tax basis; except that if the federal income tax depreciation, amortization, or other cost recovery deduction for such year is zero, Depreciation will be determined with reference to such beginning Carrying Value using any method reasonably selected by the Tax Matters Partner.

Dissolution Event” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.

Economic Risk of Loss” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation section 1.752-2(a).

Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Estimated Tax Payment Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.3(b).

Estimated Tax Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.3(b).

Exchange Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Fair Market Value” means the value of any specified interest or property as determined by the Managing Member (acting reasonably), which shall not in any event be less than zero, that would be obtained in an arm’s-length transaction for cash between an informed and willing buyer and an informed and willing seller, neither of whom is under any compulsion to purchase or sell, respectively, and without regard to the particular circumstances of the buyer or seller. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if shares of Class A Stock are publicly traded securities at the time of determination, the Fair Market Value of the Class A Stock shall equal the volume weighted average price of a share of Class A Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of determination.

Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Company, and its taxable year for federal income tax purposes, each of which shall be the calendar year unless otherwise established by the Managing Member.

Formation Date” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

GAAP” means those generally accepted accounting principles and practices that are recognized as such by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (or any generally recognized successor) and that, in the case of the Company and its Consolidated Subsidiaries, are applied for all periods after the date hereof in a consistent manner. If any change in any accounting principle or practice is required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (or any such successor) in order for such principle or practice to continue as a generally accepted accounting principle or practice, all reports and financial statements required hereunder with respect to the Company or with respect to the Company and its Consolidated Subsidiaries shall be prepared in accordance with such change.

Governmental Authority” means any legislature, court, tribunal, arbitrator, authority, agency, department, commission, division, board, bureau, branch, official or other instrumentality of the U.S., or any domestic state, county, city, tribal or other political subdivision, governmental department or similar governing entity, and including any governmental, quasi-governmental, regulatory, administrative or non-governmental body exercising similar powers of authority.

 

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Harvest Blocker 1” means Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

Harvest Blocker 2” means Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

Harvest Investment” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Incentive Plan” means any incentive equity plan or similar equity compensation arrangement adopted by the board of directors of VEI for employees of VEI and its Subsidiaries (including the Company), including, but not limited to, the Vine Energy Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as the same may be amended, modified, restated or replaced from time to time.

Indemnitee” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

Initial LLC Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Investment Entity” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Laws” means all federal, state and local statutes, laws (including common law), rules, regulations, codes, orders, ordinances, licenses, writs, injunctions, judgments, subpoenas, awards and decrees and other legally enforceable requirements enacted, adopted, issued or promulgated by any Governmental Authority.

Liabilities” means, as to any Person, all liabilities and obligations of such Person, whether matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, primary or secondary, direct or indirect, absolute, fixed or contingent, and whether or not required to be considered pursuant to GAAP.

Liquidator” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.2.

Managing Member” means VEI or its successor, in its capacity as the managing member of the Company.

Master Reorganization Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Member” means any Person executing this Agreement as of the date of this Agreement as a Member or any Person hereafter admitted to the Company as a new Member as provided in this Agreement, but does not include any Assignee or any Person who has ceased to be a Member in the Company.

Member Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Section 13.17.

Member Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning set forth for “partner nonrecourse liability” in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(b)(4).

 

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Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain” has the meaning set forth for the term “partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain” in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(i)(2).

Member Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction, expenditure (including any expenditure described in section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(i), are attributable to Member Nonrecourse Debt.

Membership Interest” means the limited liability company interest of a Member in the Company.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., or its successor.

Nonrecourse Built-in Gain” means with respect to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be allocated to the Members if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.

Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction, expenditure (described in section 705(a)(2)(b) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(b)(1), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.

Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning assigned to such term in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(b)(3).

Officers” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.4(a).

Other Business” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.7(b).

Other Indemnification Agreement” means one or more certificate or articles of incorporation, by-laws, limited partnership agreement, limited liability company operating agreement, limited partnership agreement and any other organizational document, and insurance policies maintained by any Member or Affiliate thereof providing for, among other things, indemnification of and advancement of expenses for any Indemnitee for, among other things, the same matters that are subject to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement.

Parties” means the Members and the Company.

Partnership Representative” means the “partnership representative” as defined in section 6223 of the Code.

Partnership Tax Audit Rules” means sections 6221 through 6241 of the Code, together with any guidance issued thereunder or successor provisions and any similar provision of state and local tax laws.

 

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Percentage Interest” means, as of any date with respect to any Member, a percentage equal to (A) the aggregate number of Membership Interests owned by such Member as of such date divided by (B) the aggregate number of all Membership Interests issued and outstanding as of such date. As of the Effective Date and as further set forth on Exhibit A, the Percentage Interest of: (i) Vine Investment is 24.1%, (ii) Brix Investment is 23.1%, (iii) Harvest Investment is 0.3% and (iv) the Class A Members is 52.5%.

Permitted Transferees” means (i) Blackstone and its Affiliates, (ii) an investment vehicle wholly-owned and controlled by the transferor and/or family members (in accordance with the following clause (iii)) or (iii) family members (within the meaning of Rule 701 of the Securities Act) through gifts or domestic relations orders, as permitted by Rule 701 of the Securities Act; provided, that with respect to the foregoing clauses such Transferee is an “accredited investor”, as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D, promulgated under the Securities Act, and the transferor remains liable for all obligations under this Agreement related to the Transferred Membership Interest; provided, further, that in the case of any Transfer pursuant to clauses (ii) or (iii) the transferor retains voting control and rights of notice with respect to such Transferred Membership Interests, as applicable. Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement (including Section 3.3) to the contrary, if any Person acquires Membership Interests pursuant to clauses (ii) or (iii) above by virtue of (x) such Person’s qualification as a family member of the transferor or (y) such Person’s qualification as an investment vehicle wholly-owned and controlled by the transferor, and such Person shall, at any time, cease to be a family member of the transferor or an investment vehicle wholly-owned and controlled by the transferor, as applicable, then such Person shall be required to transfer such Person’s Membership Interests, as applicable, back to the original transferor.

Person” means any individual or entity, including any corporation, limited liability company, partnership (whether, general, limited or otherwise), joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or Governmental Authority.

Proceeding” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

Redeeming Member” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

Redemption” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

Redemption Date” means (a) the later of (i) the date that is five Business Days after the Redemption Notice Date and (ii) if the Company or VEI has made a valid Cash Election with respect to the relevant Redemption, the first Business Day on which the Company or VEI has available funds to pay the Cash Election Amount, which in no event shall be more than ten Business Days after the Redemption Notice Date, or (b) such later date specified in the Redemption Notice.

Redemption Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

Redemption Notice Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.6(a).

 

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Required Allocations” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Section 5.1(b)(i), Section 5.1(b)(ii), Section 5.1(b)(iii), Section 5.1(b)(iv), Section 5.1(b)(v), Section 5.1(b)(vi) or Section 5.1(b)(vii).

S & P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (a division of The McGraw Hill Companies), or its successor.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Security Interest” means any security interest, lien, mortgage, deed of trust, encumbrance, hypothecation, pledge, purchase option or other similar adverse claim or obligation, whether created by operation of Law or otherwise, created by any Person in any of its property or rights.

Simulated Basis” means, with respect to each oil and gas property, the Carrying Value of such property. For purposes of such computation, the Simulated Basis of each oil and gas property shall be allocated to each Member in accordance with such Member’s relative Percentage Interest as of the time such oil and gas property is acquired by the Company, and shall be reallocated among the Members in accordance with the Members’ relative Percentage Interest as determined immediately following the occurrence of an event giving rise to any adjustment to the Carrying Values of the Company’s oil and gas properties pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

Simulated Depletion” means a depletion allowance computed for each oil and gas property as determined in accordance with Section 5.2(b)(i) of this Agreement provided that such Simulated Depletion shall not exceed such oil and gas property’s Simulated Basis prior to the adjustment that is caused by such depletion allowance.

Simulated Gain or Loss” means the simulated gain or loss computed with respect to a sale or other disposition of an oil and gas property pursuant to Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2) as more specifically set forth in Section 5.2(b)(ii) of this Agreement.

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any relevant Person as of the date the determination is being made, any other Person that (a) is Controlled (directly or indirectly) by such Person and (b) the equity entitled to vote to elect the board of directors, board of managers or other governing authority of which is more than fifty percent (50%) owned (directly or indirectly) by the relevant Person.

Tax Advances” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.4.

Tax Amount” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.3(b).

Tax Matters Partner” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.3.

Tax Receivable Agreement” means that certain Tax Receivable Agreement dated as of March 17, 2021 by and among VEI and the other parties thereto.

Third Party” means any Person other than a Member, its Affiliates and the Company.

 

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Transfer”, “Transferred” or “Transferring” means, with respect to a Membership Interest, (a) a direct voluntary or involuntary, sale, assignment, transfer, conveyance, exchange, bequest, devise, gift or any other alienation, including any pledge or grant of a Security Interest, (in each case, with or without consideration and whether by operation of Law or otherwise, including, by merger or consolidation) of any rights, interests or obligations with respect to all or any portion of such Membership Interest, or (b) a grant or sufferance of a Security Interest on all or any portion of such Membership Interest.

Transferee” means a Person who receives all or part of a Member’s Membership Interest through a Transfer.

Treasury Regulation” means the Income Tax Regulations promulgated under the Code, as may be amended from time to time (including corresponding provisions of successor regulations).

Unpaid Indemnity Amounts” means any amount that the Company fails to indemnify or advance to an Indemnitee as required by Article VII of this Agreement.

Unrealized Gain” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Fair Market Value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 4.2(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 4.2(d) as of such date).

Unrealized Loss” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 4.2(d) as of such date) over (b) the Fair Market Value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 4.2(d)).

VEI” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

Vine Blocker” means Blackstone Vine-892/US T-E Feeder Fund VI/BEP L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.

Vine Investment” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

1.2 Other Terms. Other capitalized terms may be defined elsewhere in the text of this Agreement and shall have the meaning so given.

1.3 Construction. Unless the context otherwise requires, the gender of all words used in this Agreement includes the masculine, feminine, and neuter, the singular shall include the plural, and the plural shall include the singular. All references to Articles and Sections refer to articles and sections of this Agreement, and all references to Exhibits are to exhibits attached hereto, each of which is incorporated herein for all purposes. Article and section titles or headings are for convenience only and neither limit nor amplify the provisions of the Agreement itself, and all references herein to articles, sections or subdivisions thereof shall refer to the corresponding article, section or subdivision thereof of this Agreement unless specific reference is made to such articles, sections or subdivisions of another document or instrument. Unless the context of this Agreement clearly requires otherwise, the words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation,” and the words “hereof,” “herein,” “hereunder” and similar terms in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not any particular section or Article in which such words appear.

 

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ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

2.1 Formation. The Company was organized as a Delaware limited liability company by the filing of a Certificate of Formation (as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Certificate”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to the Act on the Formation Date. This Agreement is adopted and agreed to by the Members to set forth their agreement with respect to the Company’s business and the rights, duties and obligations of the Members.

2.2 Name. The name of the Company is “Vine Energy Holdings LLC” and all Company business shall be conducted in that name or such other names that comply with Law as the Managing Member may select from time to time.

2.3 Principal U.S. Office; Registered Office and Registered Agent; Other Offices. The registered office of the Company required by the Act to be maintained in the State of Delaware shall be the registered office named in the Certificate or such other office (which need not be a place of business of the Company) as the Managing Member may designate from time to time in the manner provided by Law. The registered agent of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be the registered agent named in the Certificate or such other Person as the Managing Member may designate from time to time in the manner provided by Law. The principal office of the Company shall be at such place as the Managing Member may designate from time to time (which may be within or outside of the State of Delaware), and the Managing Member may designate additional offices, places of business and/or agents from time to time as deemed advisable.

2.4 Purpose. The Company was formed for the object and purpose of, and the nature and character of the business to be conducted by the Company is, engaging in any lawful act or activity for which limited liability companies may be formed under the Act.

2.5 Foreign Qualification. Prior to the Company’s conducting business in any jurisdiction other than Delaware, the Managing Member shall cause the Company to comply, to the extent procedures are available and those matters are reasonably within the control of the Company, with all requirements necessary to qualify the Company as a foreign limited liability company, and, if necessary, to make such filings and take such actions as may be required to keep the Company in good standing in that jurisdiction. Each Member agrees to execute, acknowledge and deliver such certificates and other instruments, if any, that are necessary or appropriate to qualify, continue or terminate the Company as a foreign limited liability company in all such jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct business.

2.6 Term. Subject to earlier termination pursuant to other provisions of this Agreement (including those contained in Article X), the term of the Company shall be perpetual.

 

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2.7 Business Opportunities.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, but subject to Section 2.7(d), Blackstone and its Affiliates may, during the term of the Company, engage in and possess an interest for their respective accounts in other business ventures of every nature and description, independently or with others, and neither the Company, any of its Subsidiaries nor any other Member shall have any right in or to said independent ventures or any income or profits derived from said independent ventures and, unless Blackstone or its Affiliates expressly agree otherwise in this Agreement or another written agreement, no such Person or any director, officer, manager or employee of such Person who may serve as an officer, manager, director and/or employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries shall be liable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by virtue of being a Member or an Affiliate of a Member by reason of activity undertaken by such Person or by any other Person in which such Person may have an investment or other financial interest which is in competition with the Company or its Subsidiaries.

(b) Subject to the provisions of this Section 2.7, Blackstone and its Affiliates (including one or more associated investment funds or portfolio companies) shall have the right: (i) to directly or indirectly engage in any business permitted by applicable Law (including, without limitation, financial or investment advisory services, investment management or any business activities or lines of business that are the same as or similar to those pursued by, or competitive with, the Company and its Subsidiaries) (an “Other Business”) and receive compensation or derive profits therefrom; (ii) to directly or indirectly do business with any client or customer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; (iii) to develop a strategic relationship with an Other Business; and (iv) not to present potential transactions, matters or business opportunities relating to an Other Business to the Company or its Subsidiaries, and to pursue, directly or indirectly, any such opportunity for themselves (and their agents, partners or Affiliates), and to direct any such opportunity to another Person. The other Members will not acquire or be entitled to any interest or participation in any Other Business (except as expressly provided in any agreement with the Company or its Subsidiaries) as a result of the participation therein of Blackstone or any of its Affiliates. The involvement of Blackstone or any of its Affiliates in any Other Business (except as expressly provided in any agreement with the Company or its Subsidiaries) will not constitute a conflict of interest by such Persons with respect to the Company or the Members or any of their respective Affiliates.

(c) None of Blackstone or its Affiliates shall have any duty (contractual or otherwise) to communicate or present any corporate opportunities to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective Affiliates or equityholders or to refrain from any actions specified in Section 2.7(b), and the Company, on its own behalf and on behalf of its Affiliates and equityholders, hereby irrevocably waives any right to require Blackstone or any of its Affiliates to act in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of this paragraph. None of Blackstone or its Affiliates shall be liable to the Company or any of its Affiliates or equityholders for breach of any duty (contractual or otherwise) by reason of any activities or omissions of the types referred to in this Section 2.7, or of any such Person’s participation therein.

(d) For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 2.7 is meant to limit the confidentiality undertakings of the Members described in Section 13.11(a).

 

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ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS AND TRANSFERS

3.1 Classes and Series of Membership Interests; Members.

(a) Classes. Each Member’s relative rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions and obligations with respect to the Company are represented by such Member’s Membership Interests. The Company is hereby authorized to issue two (2) classes of Membership Interests, the Class A Units and Class B Units, each with such rights, privileges, preferences, restrictions and obligations as provided in this Agreement and, to the extent applicable, the Act. A total of 350,000,000 Class A Units are hereby authorized for issuance, and 150,000,000 Class B Units are hereby authorized for issuance. Membership Interests may be issued in whole or fractional interests. A Member may own one or more classes of Membership Interests, and the ownership of one class of Membership Interests shall not affect the rights, privileges, preferences or obligations of a Member with respect to the other class of Membership Interests owned by such Member. Any reference herein to a holder of a class of Membership Interests shall be deemed to refer to such holder only to the extent of such holder’s ownership of such class or series of Membership Interests.

(b) Members. At the Effective Date, and upon the execution and delivery by the Members of this Agreement and the consummation of the transaction contemplated by the Master Reorganization Agreement, the Company issued:

(i) 21,642,857 Class A Units to VEI pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and VEI was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

(ii) 3,885,395 Class A Units to Brix Blocker 1 pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Brix Blocker 1 was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

(iii) 2,636,165 Class A Units to Brix Blocker 2 pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Brix Blocker 2 was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

(iv) 82,161 Class A Units to Harvest Blocker 1 pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Harvest Blocker 1 was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

(v) 55,747 Class A Units to Harvest Blocker 2 pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Harvest Blocker 2 was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

(vi) 9,504,061 Class A Units to Vine Blocker pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Vine Blocker was admitted to the Company as a Class A Member;

 

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(vii) 17,387,013 Class B Units to Vine Investment pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Vine Investment was admitted to the Company as a Class B Member;

(viii) 16,639,516 Class B Units to Brix Investment pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Brix Investment was admitted to the Company as a Class B Member; and

(ix) 201,341 Class B Units to Harvest Investment pursuant to the transactions contemplated in the Master Reorganization Agreement, and Harvest Investment was admitted to the Company as a Class B Member.

(c) Additional Persons may be admitted to the Company as new Members only as provided in this Agreement.

(d) Amendments to Exhibit A. The Membership Interests and respective Percentage Interests held by each Member are set forth on Exhibit A hereto. Exhibit A shall be amended from time to time to reflect changes and adjustments resulting from (i) the admission of any new Member, (ii) any Transfer of Membership Interests in accordance with this Agreement and/or (iii) any Capital Contributions made, changes to Percentage Interests or additional Membership Interests issued, in each case as permitted by this Agreement (provided, that a failure to reflect such change or adjustment on Exhibit A shall not prevent any otherwise valid change or adjustment from being effective). Any reference in this Agreement to Exhibit A shall be deemed a reference to the Exhibit A as amended in accordance with this Section 3.1(d) and in effect from time to time.

(e) Splits, Distributions and Reclassifications. The Company shall not in any manner subdivide (by any split, distribution, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combine (by reverse split, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) the outstanding Class A Units or Class B Units unless an identical event is occurring with respect to the Class A Stock or Class B Stock, respectively, in which event the Class A Units or Class B Units, as applicable, shall be subdivided or combined concurrently with and in the same manner as the Class A Stock or Class B Stock.

(f) Cancellation of Class A Stock and Class A Units. At any time a share of Class A Stock is redeemed, repurchased, acquired, cancelled or terminated by a Class A Member, the Company shall redeem, repurchase, acquire, cancel or terminate, as applicable, one (1) Class A Unit (or other economically equivalent equity interest) registered in the name of such Class A Member upon the same terms and for the same price as the Class A Stock so that the aggregate number of Class A Units held by such Class A Member at all times equals the number of shares of Class A Stock issued outstanding.

(g) Offerings of Class A Stock. At any time VEI issues a share of Class A Stock or other equity security other than pursuant to an Incentive Plan, the net proceeds received by VEI with respect to such share of Class A Stock or equity security, if any, shall be concurrently contributed to the Company and the Company shall issue to VEI one (1) Class A Unit (or in the event of an issuance of other equity securities, the corresponding equivalent number of Class A

 

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Units) registered in the name of VEI; provided, however, that if VEI issues any shares of Class A Stock in order to purchase or fund the purchase from a Member of a number of Class B Units (and the corresponding number of shares of Class B Stock) equal to the number of shares of Class A Stock so issued, then such purchased Class B Units shall automatically convert into Class A Units and the Company shall not issue any new Class A Units in connection therewith.

(h) Incentive Plan Awards. At any time VEI issues one or more shares of Class A Stock pursuant to an Incentive Plan, whether such share or shares are issued upon exercise of an option, settlement of a restricted stock unit, as restricted stock or otherwise, the Company shall issue to VEI a corresponding number of Class A Units; provided, that VEI shall be required to concurrently contribute the net proceeds (if any) received by VEI from or otherwise in connection with such corresponding issuance of one or more shares of Class A Stock, including the exercise price of any option exercised, to the Company. If any such shares of Class A Stock so issued by VEI in connection with an Incentive Plan are subject to vesting or forfeiture provisions, then the Class A Units that are issued by the Company to VEI in connection therewith in accordance with the preceding provisions of this Section 3.1(h) shall be subject to vesting or forfeiture on the same basis (and, if any of such shares of Class A Stock vest or are forfeited, then a corresponding number of the Class A Units issued by the Company in accordance with the preceding provisions of this Section 3.1(h) shall automatically vest or be forfeited). Any cash or property held by either VEI or the Company or on either’s behalf in respect of dividends paid on restricted Class A Stock that fails to vest shall be returned to the Company upon the forfeiture of such restricted Class A Stock.

(i) Issuances of Debt Securities. If at any time VEI or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries) issues Debt Securities, VEI or such Subsidiary shall transfer to the Company (in a manner to be determined by the Managing Member in its reasonable discretion) the proceeds received by VEI or such Subsidiary in exchange for such Debt Securities in a manner that directly or indirectly burdens the Company with the repayment of the Debt Securities.

3.2 Number of Members. The number of Members of the Company shall never be fewer than one (1).

3.3 Representations and Warranties. Each Member hereby represents, warrants and acknowledges to the Company that: (a) such Member has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters and is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Company and is making an informed investment decision with respect thereto; (b) such Member is acquiring interests in the Company for investment only and not with a view to, or for resale in connection with, any distribution to the public or public offering thereof; and (c) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized by such Member.

 

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3.4 Restrictions on the Transfer of Interests.

(a) Permitted Transfers. Except for Transfers to Permitted Transferees or Transfers made in accordance with Section 3.1(f) or Section 3.6, no Member shall Transfer all or any portion of such Member’s Membership Interests, without the prior written Consent of the Managing Member, which consent may be given or withheld in the sole discretion of the Managing Member. Any purported Transfer in breach of the terms of this Agreement shall be null and void ab initio, and the Company shall not recognize any such prohibited Transfer on its books and records. Any Member who Transfers or attempts to Transfer any Membership Interests except in compliance herewith shall be liable to, and shall indemnify and hold harmless, the Company and the other Members for all costs, expenses, damages and other liabilities resulting therefrom. In connection with the Transfer of any Membership Interests, the holder of such Membership Interests shall deliver prior written notice to the Company describing in reasonable detail the proposed Transfer at least one (1) Business Day prior thereto. For the avoidance of doubt, all Transfers to Permitted Transferees shall also comply with Sections 3.4(b) to 3.4(e).

(b) Securities Laws. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no Membership Interest shall be Transferred except pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or an applicable exemption from registration and/or qualification under the Securities Act and any other applicable securities Laws.

(c) Effect of Permitted Transfer. Any Transfer of a Membership Interest that complies with Section 3.4(a) and Section 3.4(b) shall be effective to assign the right to become a Member, and, without the need for any action or Consent of any other Person, a Transferee of such Membership Interest shall automatically be admitted as a Member upon such Transferee’s delivery to the Managing Member of an executed customary joinder agreement prepared by the Company. As a condition to the Company’s obligation to effect a Transfer permitted hereunder, any Transferee of Membership Interests shall be required to (i) become a party to this Agreement as a Member and shall have the rights and obligations of a Member hereunder, (ii) expressly assume all liabilities and obligations of the Transferring Member (or its applicable Affiliates) to the Company or the other Members and (iii) if the Transferee is to be admitted to the Company as a new Member, acknowledge the representations and warranties in Section 3.3 are true and correct with respect to such Transferee as of the date such Person is to become a Member. Each Transfer is effective against the Company as of the first Business Day following delivery of the joinder agreement to the Company.

(d) Expenses. Except as provided in Section 3.4(a), the Company shall bear any ordinary course expenses it may incur in connection with effecting any Transfer of any Membership Interests. Any transfer or similar taxes arising as a result of the Transfer of a Member’s Membership Interest shall be paid by the Transferring Member.

(e) Distributions. Any distribution or payment made by the Company to the Transferring Member prior to such time as the Transferee was admitted as a Member pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the Transfer of such Transferring Member’s Membership Interests shall constitute a release of the Company, the Managing Member, and the Members, of all liability to such Assignee or new Member who may be interested in such distribution or payment by reason of such Transfer.

 

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3.5 Change in Business Form.

(a) If the Managing Member approves the reorganization of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries into another business form, each Member hereby consents to such reorganization or election and shall vote for (to the extent such Member has voting rights), raise no objections against such reorganization, and each Member shall take such actions as are reasonably requested by the Managing Member in connection with the consummation of such reorganization of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as determined by the Managing Member. The method of effecting such reorganization shall be determined by the Managing Member.

(b) In connection with any such reorganization, (i) the organizational documents of the reorganized entity shall provide that the rights and obligations of the Members hereunder shall continue to apply substantially in accordance with the terms hereof, except to the extent the parties hereto otherwise agree in writing and (ii) each Membership Interest shall (effective upon and subject to the consummation of such reorganization) convert into equity securities of the reorganized entity and shall be allocated among the Members such that each Member shall receive equity securities in the or reorganization entity with substantially similar economic rights as such Member’s former Membership Interests.

3.6 Exchange of Units.

(a) Investment Entity Exchange Rights. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Exchange Agreement, each Investment Entity and its respective successors and assigns (the “Redeeming Member”) shall be entitled to exchange with the Company, at any time and from time to time upon delivery of a written notice (the “Redemption Notice”) to the Company, with a copy to VEI (the date of delivery of such Redemption Notice, the “Redemption Notice Date”), any or all of such Investment Entity’s or its successors’ and assigns’ Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Stock) for an equivalent number of shares of Class A Stock or, at VEI’s option, subject and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Agreement, cash (a “Cash Election” and, such amount, the “Cash Election Amount”) as set forth in the Exchange Agreement (each such transaction, a “Redemption”). Any such Redemption shall be treated for federal income tax purposes as a sale of the Redeeming Member’s Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Stock) to VEI in exchange for shares of Class A Stock or cash, as applicable.

(b) VEI Call Rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 3.6, a Redeeming Member shall be deemed to have offered to sell its Class B Units as described in the Redemption Notice to VEI, and VEI may, in its sole discretion, by delivery of a notice in accordance with, and subject to the terms of, this Section 3.6(b) (a “Call Election Notice”), elect to purchase directly and acquire such Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Stock) on the Redemption Date by transferring to the Redeeming Member the number of shares of Class A Stock the Redeeming Member (or its designee) would otherwise receive pursuant to Section 3.6(a) and the Exchange Agreement or, at VEI’s election, an amount of cash equal to the Cash Election Amount of such shares of Class A Stock (the “Call Right”), whereupon VEI shall acquire the Class B Units offered for redemption by the Redeeming Member (together with the same number of shares of Class B Stock). VEI shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as the owner of such Class B Units; provided, that if VEI funds the Cash Election

 

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Amount through the issuance of equity securities of VEI other than shares of Class A Stock, such Class B Units will be reclassified into another equity security of the Company if the Managing Member determines such reclassification is necessary. VEI may, at any time prior to the Redemption Date, in its sole discretion, deliver a Call Election Notice to the Company and the Redeeming Member setting forth its election to exercise its Call Right. A Call Election Notice may be revoked by VEI at any time; provided, that any such revocation does not prejudice the ability of the parties to consummate a Redemption on the Redemption Date. Except as otherwise provided by this Section 3.6(b), an exercise of the Call Right shall be consummated pursuant to the same timeframe and in the same manner as the relevant Redemption would have been consummated if VEI had not delivered a Call Election Notice. In the event VEI elects to exercise its Call Right with respect to an Investment Entity, then VEI must also simultaneously exercise the Call Right with respect to each Investment Entity that is participating in concurrently occurring Exchanges.

ARTICLE IV

CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS

4.1 Capital Contributions; Return of Cash.

(a) General. Following the Effective Date, no Member shall be required to make any Capital Contributions to the Company, except as otherwise agreed to in writing by such Member, and any Capital Contributions following the Effective Date shall be made as detailed in, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.1(b).

(b) Capital Calls.

(i) To the extent approved by the Managing Member, from time to time, additional Capital Contributions may be called for from the Members if the Managing Member determines that such additional Capital Contributions are necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business (any such additional Capital Contributions called for from the Members by the Managing Member, being hereinafter referred to as an “Additional Call Amount”). In that event, the Members shall have the opportunity, but not the obligation, to participate in such additional Capital Contributions in accordance with their Percentage Interest. To the extent that some Members elect not to make an additional Capital Contribution, those Members that do elect to make an additional Capital Contribution shall have the opportunity, but not the obligation, to increase their additional Capital Contributions pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests such that the total of the additional Capital Contribution equals the Additional Call Amount.

(ii) Upon the funding of any Capital Contribution by a Member pursuant to clause (i) above, such Member shall be issued a number of additional Class A or Class B Units, as applicable, equal to the amount of the Capital Contribution made by such Member in respect of such Capital Contribution divided by the Fair Market Value of such Class A Units and Class B Units. Exhibit A and the books and records of the Company shall be thereafter amended accordingly.

 

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4.2 Capital Accounts. The Company shall maintain for each Member a separate Capital Account in accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv) and in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) Each Member’s Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Company by such Member pursuant to this Agreement (net of any liabilities assumed by the Company in connection with such Capital Contributions and any liabilities to which any property comprising such Capital Contributions is subject), and (ii) all items of Company income and gain (including Simulated Gain and income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 4.2(b) and allocated with respect to such Member pursuant to Section 5.1, and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Agreed Value of property actually or deemed distributed to such Member pursuant to this Agreement (net of liabilities assumed by such Member and the liabilities to which such property is subject), and (y) all items of Company deduction and loss (including Simulated Loss and Simulated Depletion) computed in accordance with Section 4.2(b) and allocated to such Member pursuant to Section 5.1.

(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction which is to be allocated pursuant to Article V and is to be reflected in the Members’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes, provided, that:

(i) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Company to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Membership Interest that can neither be deducted nor amortized under section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Members pursuant to Section 5.1.

(ii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss shall be made without regard to any election under section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Company and, as to those items described in section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.

(iii) In lieu of the depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions taken into account in computing such items, there shall be taken into account Depreciation, computed in accordance with the definition of “Depreciation.”

 

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(iv) For purposes of determining income, gain, loss, and deduction, or any other item allocable to any period, such items will be determined on a daily, monthly or other basis, as reasonably determined by the Managing Member using any permissible method under Code section 706 and the related Treasury Regulations.

(v) If the Carrying Value of any asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any gain or loss resulting from a disposition of such asset shall be calculated with reference to such Carrying Value.

(vi) In the event an adjustment to the Carrying Value of the assets of the Company occurs pursuant to Section 4.2(d), any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized loss shall be treated as having been actually realized.

(c) A Transferee shall succeed to the pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Membership Interest so Transferred. Except as otherwise provided herein, all items of income, gain, expense, loss, deduction, and credit allocable to any Membership Interest that may have been Transferred during any calendar year shall, if permitted by law, be allocated between the transferor and the transferee based on the portion of the calendar year during which each was recognized as owning that Membership Interest, based upon the interim closing of the books method or such other method as agreed between the transferor, the transferee and the Company; provided however, that this allocation must be made in accordance with a method permissible under section 706 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.

(d) In accordance with Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), (i) on an issuance of additional Membership Interests for cash or Contributed Property, (ii) immediately prior to any actual or deemed distribution to a Member of any Company property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a Membership Interest) or (iii) upon the occurrence of any other event provided in such Treasury Regulation, the Capital Accounts of all Members and the Carrying Value of each Company property immediately prior to such issuance or adjustment shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Company property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance or adjustment and had been allocated to the Members at such time pursuant to Section 5.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated, provided, however, that such adjustments shall be made only if the Managing Member reasonably determines that such adjustments are necessary or appropriate to reflect the relative economic interests of the Members in the Company. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and Fair Market Value of all Company assets (including cash and cash equivalents) immediately prior to the event triggering such adjustment shall be determined by the Managing Member using such method of valuation as it may adopt. The Managing Member shall allocate such aggregate value among the assets of the Company (in such manner as it determines) to arrive at a Fair Market Value for individual properties.

 

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4.3 Contributions of Contributed Property. Except as set forth within the Master Reorganization Agreement, all Capital Contributions currently contemplated by this Agreement are to be made in readily available cash funds. To the extent that, as determined by the Managing Member, any subsequent Capital Contribution is made in the form of Contributed Property, any costs or expenses associated with the transfer, assignment, conveyance or recordation of such Contributed Property, including any taxes in respect thereof, shall be borne by the Member making such contribution, and any such costs or expenses, whether paid directly by the Member or reimbursed to the Company, shall not be deemed Capital Contributions.

ARTICLE V

ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

5.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes. For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts, the Company’s items of income, gain, loss and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 4.2(b)) shall be allocated among the Members in each taxable year (or portion thereof) as provided herein below.

(a) General. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, all items of income, gain, loss and deduction (including items of gross income, Simulated Gain, Simulated Loss, Simulated Depletion and income and gain exempt from tax) shall be allocated between the Members in a manner such that, after giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 5.1(c), the Capital Account of each Member, immediately after making such allocation, is, as nearly as possible, equal (proportionately) to (i) the distributions that would be made to such Member pursuant to Section 10.2(d) if the Company were dissolved, its affairs wound up and its assets sold for cash equal to their Carrying Value, all Company liabilities were satisfied (limited with respect to each nonrecourse liability to the Carrying Value of the assets securing such liability), and the net assets of the Company were distributed in accordance with Section 10.2(d)(ii) to the Members immediately after making such allocation minus (ii) such Member’s share of Company Minimum Gain and Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain, computed immediately prior to the hypothetical sale of assets.

(b) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 5.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable period in the following order and priority:

(i) Company Minimum Gain Chargeback. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 5.1, if there is a net decrease in Company Minimum Gain during any Fiscal Year, each Member shall be allocated items of Company income and gain for such taxable period (and, if necessary, subsequent taxable periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation sections 1.704-2(f)(6) and (g)(2) and section 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provisions. This Section 5.1(b)(i) is intended to comply with the Company Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

 

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(ii) Chargeback of Minimum Gain Attributable to Member Nonrecourse Debt. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 5.1 (other than Section 5.1(b)(i)), except as provided in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any Fiscal Year, any Member with a share of Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such Fiscal Year shall be allocated items of Company income and gain for such Fiscal Year (and, if necessary, subsequent taxable periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. This Section 5.1(b)(ii) is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(iii) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Member unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4) through (6), items of Company income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Member in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in such Member’s Adjusted Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.1(b)(iii) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit in such Member’s Adjusted Capital Account after all other allocations provided in this Article V have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.1(b)(iii) were not a part of this Agreement. This Section 5.1(b)(iii) is intended to be a “qualified income offset” as that term is used in Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(iv) Stop Loss. No amount of loss or deduction shall be allocated pursuant to Section 5.1(a) to the extent that such allocation would cause any Member to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such Fiscal Year (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account). All loss and deductions in excess of the limitation set forth in the preceding sentence shall be allocated among such other Members, who have positive Adjusted Capital Account balances, in proportion thereto until each Member’s Adjusted Capital Account balance is reduced to zero.

(v) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Member has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Company taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Member is obligated to restore pursuant to any provision of this Agreement and (B) the amount such Member is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulations sections 1.704.2(g) and 1.704(i)(5), such Member shall be specially allocated items of Company gross income and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 5.1(b)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account after all other allocations provided in this Section 5.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 5.1(b)(v) and Section 5.1(b)(iii) were not in the Agreement.

(vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Members in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.

 

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(vii) Member Nonrecourse Deductions. Member Nonrecourse Deductions for any Fiscal Year shall be allocated one hundred percent (100%) to the Member that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to such Member Nonrecourse Debt to which such Member Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation section 1.704-2(i). If more than one Member bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Member Nonrecourse Debt, such Member Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Members in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.

(viii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury Regulation section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Members agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Company in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of Company Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Members in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests.

(ix) Simulated Depletion/Loss. Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss with respect to each oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) will be allocated in proportion to the manner in which the Simulated Basis of such property is allocated among the Members.

(x) Curative Allocation. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 5.1, other than the Required Allocations, the Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of income, gain, loss or deduction allocated to each Member pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Member under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocations not otherwise been provided in this Section 5.1. It is the intention of the Members that allocations pursuant to this Section 5.1(b)(x) be made among the Members in a manner that is likely to minimize economic distortions.

(c) Allocations on Liquidation. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article V, after taking into account the special allocations in Section 5.1(b), in the year in which the Company liquidates pursuant to Article X and all subsequent years (and for any prior years with respect to which the due date (without regard to extensions) for the filing of the Company’s federal income tax return has not passed as of the date of the liquidation), all items of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Company shall be allocated among the Members in a manner reasonably determined by Managing Member as shall cause to the nearest extent possible the Capital Account of each Member to equal the amount to be distributed to such Member pursuant to Section 10.2(d)(ii).

5.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes.

(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Members in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 5.1.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, allocations of depletion with respect to each oil and gas property (as defined in section 614 of the Code) and gain and losses therefrom shall be governed by the following:

(i) For purposes of such computations, the federal income tax basis of each oil and gas property shall be allocated to each Member in accordance with such Member’s respective Percentage Interest as of the time such oil and gas property is acquired by the Company, and shall be reallocated among the Members in accordance with the Members’ respective Percentage Interests as determined immediately following the occurrence of an event giving rise to an adjustment to the Carrying Values of the Company’s oil and gas properties pursuant to the terms of this Agreement (or at the time of any material additions to the federal income tax basis of such oil and gas property). Such allocations are intended to be applied in accordance with the “partners’ interests in partnership capital” under section 613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code; provided, that the Members understand and agree that the Managing Member may authorize special allocations of tax basis, income, gain, deduction or loss, as computed for federal income tax purposes, in order to eliminate differences between Simulated Basis and adjusted federal income tax basis with respect to any oil and gas properties, in such manner as determined consistent with the principles of section 704(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 5.2(c) hereof.

(ii) For purposes of the separate computation of gain or loss by each Member on the taxable sale or other disposition of an oil and gas property, the amount realized from such sale or disposition shall be allocated (i) first, to the Members in an amount equal to the Simulated Basis in such oil and gas property and in the same proportion as their shares thereof were allocated, and (ii) second, consistent with the allocation of Simulated Gains; provided, however, that the Members understand and agree that the Managing Member may authorize special allocations of tax basis, income, gain, deduction or loss, as computed for federal income tax purposes, in order to eliminate differences between Simulated Basis and adjusted federal income tax basis with respect to any oil and gas properties, in such manner as determined consistent with the principles of section 704(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 5.2(c) hereof.

(iii) Each Member shall separately keep records of its share of the adjusted tax basis in each oil and gas property, adjust such share of the adjusted tax basis for any cost or percentage depletion allowable with respect to such property and use such adjusted tax basis in the computation of its cost depletion or in the computation of its gain or loss on the disposition of such property by the Company. Upon the request of the Company, each Member shall advise the Company of its adjusted tax basis in each oil and gas property and any depletion computed with respect thereto, both as computed in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. The Company may rely on such information and, if it is not provided by the Member, may make such reasonable assumptions as it shall determine with respect thereto.

 

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(c) Notwithstanding any provisions contained herein to the contrary, solely for federal (and applicable state and local) income tax purposes, items of income, gain, depreciation, amortization, gain or loss with respect to property for which a Book-Tax Disparity exists, other than oil and gas properties (as defined in section 614 of the Code), shall be allocated so as to take into account the variation between the Company’s tax basis in such property and its Carrying Value consistent with Treasury Regulations sections 1.704-1(b)(4)(i) and 1.704-3. Such allocations shall be made in accordance with such methods provided for in Treasury Regulations section 1.704-3 as reasonably determined by the Managing Member.

(d) For the proper administration of the Company, the Managing Member shall (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including gross income or deductions); and (iii) amend the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under section 704(b) or section 704(c) of the Code. The Managing Member may adopt such conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this Section 5.2(d) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments are consistent with the principles of section 704 of the Code and would not have a material adverse effect on any Member.

(e) All recapture of income tax deductions resulting from the taxable sale or other disposition of Company property shall, to the maximum extent possible, be allocated to the Member to whom the deduction that gave rise to such recapture was allocated hereunder to the extent that such Member is allocated any gain from the disposition of such property.

(f) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Company for federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Members in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to the election under section 754 of the Code that will be made by the Company; provided however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in any manner determined by the Managing Member) as necessary or appropriate to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by sections 734 and 743 of the Code.

5.3 Requirement of Distributions.

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 5.3(b) and Section 10.2(d), distributions of assets and properties of the Company shall be made by the Company at such times as determined by the Managing Member in its sole discretion. Each distribution of cash or other property by the Company shall be made one hundred percent (100%) to the Members pro rata in accordance with each Member’s Percentage Interest. Distributions of cash shall be made to the Members by wire transfer or ACH to the account designated by the relevant Member. For purposes of the foregoing, if payments are made by or on behalf of the Company to a Member or an Affiliate thereof other than in respect of such Member’s Membership Interests (including in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money), then such payments shall not be considered a distribution for purposes of determining the allocation of a distribution pursuant to this Section 5.3(a).

 

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(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Managing Member shall cause Available Cash to be distributed at least five (5) days prior to each of April 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 (or any other successor or substitute estimated tax payment date applicable to corporate taxpayers) (each an “Estimated Tax Payment Date”), with respect to the taxable period related to each Estimated Tax Payment Date (each, an “Estimated Tax Period”), to each Member. Such distributions shall be made pro rata to each Member based on such Member’s pro rata share of the Tax Amount (taking into account such Member’s Percentage Interest as of the date of such applicable distribution pursuant to this Section 5.3(b)); provided, that, a Member’s pro rata share of the Tax Amount will only be distributed to such Member to the extent that the aggregate amount previously distributed to such Member pursuant to Section 5.3(a) hereof or this Section 5.3(b) in such Fiscal Year is less than the amount required to be distributed to such Member on such Estimated Tax Payment Date under this Section 5.3(b); provided, further, that there will be an adjustment following each Fiscal Year (but no later than one (1) day prior to the due date for payment of U.S. federal taxes by a corporation), and the Company shall distribute any additional amounts as necessary to make the amounts previously distributed to a Member pursuant to Section 5.3(a) hereof or this Section 5.3(b) in such Fiscal Year equal such Member’s pro rata share of the Tax Amount (taking into account such Member’s Percentage Interest) attributable to such Fiscal Year. The “Tax Amount” calculated for the period beginning on the start of the Fiscal Year through the end of the applicable Estimated Tax Period is the Class A Member Tax Amount divided by the Percentage Interest attributable to the Class A Member as of the date of such applicable distribution pursuant to this Section 5.3(b). The “Class A Member Tax Amount” is the sum of (x)(i) the U.S. federal, state and local estimated aggregate taxable income of the Company allocated to the Class A Member for such Estimated Tax Period or such Fiscal Year (for the avoidance of doubt, including any adjustments under section 734 or 743 of the Code and any allocations of taxable income under section 704(c) of the Code), multiplied by (ii) the U.S. federal, state and local estimated effective tax rate of the Class A Member for such Fiscal Year and (y) such additional amounts the Managing Member reasonably determines in good faith is necessary to enable VEI to timely meet its payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

5.4 Withholding. To the extent the Company (or any entity in which the Company owns a direct or indirect interest) is required by law to withhold or to make tax payments on behalf of or with respect to any Member (“Tax Advances”), the Company may withhold such amounts and make such tax payments as so required. All Tax Advances made on behalf of a Member shall be repaid by reducing the amount of the current or next succeeding distribution or distributions which would otherwise have been made to such Member or, if such distributions are not sufficient for that purpose, by so reducing the proceeds of liquidation otherwise payable to such Member. If at the time of liquidation of the Company, any such Tax Advances to a Member exceed the proceeds of liquidation to the Member, such Member shall repay such excess to the Company. If a distribution to a Member is actually reduced as a result of a Tax Advance, for all other purposes of this Agreement such Member shall be treated as having received the amount of the distribution that is reduced by the Tax Advance. Each Member hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the other Members from and against any liability from such Member’s failure to repay Tax Advances.

 

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ARTICLE VI

MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY

6.1 Management by Managing Member.

(a) The Company shall be managed by the Managing Member, which shall act as the “manager” of the Company (as such term is used in the Act), according to this Article VI and, except with respect to certain consent requirements required by the Act or provided in this Agreement, no Member, by virtue of having the status of a Member, shall have any management power or control over the business and affairs of the Company or actual or apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of, or to otherwise bind, the Company, and the Members shall not have any control over the day-to-day operation or management of the Company or its Subsidiaries. Except as described in the preceding sentence, (i) the powers of the Company shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed under the direction of, the Managing Member in accordance with this Agreement and (ii) the Managing Member shall exercise such powers in compliance with this Agreement and ensure that all organizational formalities are observed with respect to the Company. Under the direction of the Managing Member, certain activities of the Company may be conducted on the Company’s behalf by the Officers as specified and authorized by the Managing Member, who shall be agents of the Company, and the management and administration of the day-to-day business and affairs of the Company will be provided by the Managing Member. In addition to the powers that now or hereafter can be granted under the Act and to all other powers granted under any other provision of this Agreement, the Managing Member shall have (subject to the Act and all consent rights and other limitations in this Agreement) full power and authority to do all things on such terms as they may deem necessary or appropriate to conduct, or cause to be conducted, the business and affairs of the Company. Any Person dealing with the Company, other than a Member or a Member’s Affiliate, may rely on the authority of the Managing Member or the Officers in taking any action in the name of the Company without inquiry into the provisions of this Agreement or compliance with it, regardless of whether that action actually is taken in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Member hereby (i) specifically delegates to the Managing Member its rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of the Company, and (ii) waives its right to bind the Company, in each case as, and to the extent permitted by, the Act.

6.2 Powers of the Managing Member.

(a) Subject to Section 6.2(b), the Managing Member (and any Officer authorized by the Managing Member) shall have the power, right and authority to take all actions which the Managing Member deems necessary, useful or appropriate for the management and conduct of the Company’s business or to the accomplishment of the purposes of the Company.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, neither the Managing Member nor any Officer authorized by the Managing Member shall have the authority, on behalf of the Company, either directly or indirectly, without the prior written approval of the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units:

(i) voluntarily file in respect of the Company or its Subsidiaries a bankruptcy petition in a court of competent jurisdiction or a petition seeking a liquidation or dissolution; provided, however, that a liquidation or dissolution pursuant to Section 10.1(b) or Section 10.1(c) shall not require consent of the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units;

(ii) to amend or restate the Certificate or this Agreement (except pursuant to the terms of Article XI or amendments or restatements of Exhibit A hereto);

(iii) to take any action that would result in the failure of the Company to be taxable as a partnership for purposes of federal income tax, or take any position inconsistent with treating the Company as a partnership for purposes of federal income tax, except as required by Law; and

(iv) to make any distributions of assets and properties other than cash and cash equivalents.

6.3 Resignation; Removal and Vacancy.

(a) Removal; Resignation; Appointment. The Members may, by a vote of Members holding a majority of the Class A Units, remove, with or without cause, the Managing Member. The Managing Member may withdraw at any time, subject to the prior written consent of the Members holding a majority of the Class A Units. Any vacancy caused by any such resignation or by the removal of the Managing Member or any vacancy for any other reason may be filled by a vote of Members holding a majority of the Class A Units, however any such designation shall be subject to the affirmative written consent of the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units, and any Managing Member so elected to fill any vacancy shall hold office until such Managing Member’s earlier resignation or removal; provided, that such affirmative vote or consent of the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the Class B Units shall not be required to the extent that the successor Managing Member is an Affiliate of VEI.

(b) Duties. The Managing Member shall not have any duty (including fiduciary duty), or any liability for breach of duty (including fiduciary duty) to the Company.

6.4 Officers. Under the direction of the Managing Member and except as provided in Section 6.2, certain administrative activities of the Company shall be conducted on the Company’s behalf by the Officers, who shall be agents of the Company.

(a) The officers of the Company shall be such officers as the Managing Member deems necessary (the “Officers”). The Officers shall be appointed by the Managing Member. The initial Officer appointees are listed on Schedule 6.4. The Officers shall report to the Managing Member as requested from time to time.

 

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(b) The Managing Member may appoint such other Officers and agents as it shall deem necessary who shall hold their offices for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Managing Member.

(c) The authority of any Officers of the Company shall be restricted to those actions specifically authorized by the Managing Member in accordance with this Agreement. On the Effective Date, the Officers shall be authorized to execute this Agreement and any agreement related to the transactions contemplated hereby on behalf of the Company.

(d) Subject to any applicable employment agreement, the Officers and employees of the Company shall be required to devote their full business time, attention, skill, and best efforts to the performance of such Officer’s or employee’s duties and shall not engage in any other business or occupation during such Person’s term of officership or employment.

6.5 Term of Officers.

(a) An Officer shall serve until he resigns, his term expires or he is removed as provided in Section 6.5(b). Subject to any applicable employment agreement, any Officer of the Company may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Managing Member. The resignation of any Officer shall take effect upon receipt of notice or at such later time as shall be specified in such notice; and, unless otherwise specified in such notice, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.

(b) Subject to any applicable employment agreement, an Officer may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause, by the Managing Member. If any vacancy shall occur in any office, for any reason whatsoever, then the Managing Member shall have the right to appoint a new Officer to fill the vacancy.

6.6 Compensation and Reimbursement. The Managing Member and Officers shall not receive from the Company any compensation for managing the affairs of the Company (except as provided in any applicable employment agreement).

6.7 Member Meetings.

(a) Location; Quorum; Voting. To the extent a meeting of the Members is required by Law or this Agreement, Member meetings shall be held at the principal office of the Company or at such other place within or without the State of Delaware specified in the notice or waivers of notice thereof. Except as provided herein or under applicable Law, the presence of Members holding a majority of the Class A Units, present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Members for the transaction of business, and the affirmative vote of the Members holding a majority of the Class A Units shall constitute the act of the Members. Each Class A Member shall be entitled to one (1) vote for each percent of the Percentage Interests held by such Member. A Member may vote at a meeting by a written proxy executed by that Member and delivered to the Managing Member or the Secretary. A proxy shall be revocable unless it is stated to be irrevocable. Except as otherwise set forth herein or as required by applicable Law, the Class A Members shall have the sole right to exercise any such vote required by Law or this Agreement, and the Class B Members shall not have any right to vote in respect of any such matter so submitted.

 

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(b) Waiver of Notice. Attendance of a Member at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such Member attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

(c) Action by Written Consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a particular meeting may be taken without a meeting, without notice and without a vote if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by all of the Members entitled to vote thereon. A copy of such written consent shall be provided within ten (10) Business Days to the Members who did not sign such written consent.

6.8 VCOC Management Rights. The Company and each Member agree that the Company shall enter into a VCOC letter agreement with any Affiliate of Blackstone on request of an Investment Entity in a form reasonably acceptable to the Company and such Investment Entity.

ARTICLE VII

INDEMNIFICATION

7.1 Right to Indemnification. Subject to the limitations and conditions as provided herein and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws, each Person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or investigative (hereinafter a “Proceeding”), or any appeal in such a Proceeding or any inquiry or investigation that could lead to such a Proceeding, by reason of the fact that he or she, or a Person of whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a Member of the Company or Affiliate thereof or any of their respective representatives, an officer or employee of the Company or Affiliate or a director, officer, member or employee of the Managing Member or any Affiliate, a member of a committee of the Company or an officer of the Company, or while such a Person is or was serving at the request of the Managing Member on behalf of the Company as a manager, director, officer, partner, venturer, member, trustee, Partnership Representative (or its designated individual), employee, agent or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic general partnership, corporation, limited partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (each an “Indemnitee”), shall be indemnified by the Company to the extent such Proceeding or other above-described process relates to any such above-described relationships with, status with respect to, or representation of any such Person to the fullest extent permitted by the Act, as the same exists or may hereinafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Company to provide broader indemnification rights than said Laws permitted the Company to provide prior to such amendment), against judgments, penalties (including excise and similar taxes and punitive damages), fines, settlements and reasonable expenses (including attorneys’ and experts’ fees) actually incurred by such Person in connection with such Proceeding, and indemnification under this Article VII shall continue as to a Person who has ceased to serve in the capacity which initially entitled such Person to indemnity hereunder for any and all liabilities and damages related to and arising from such Person’s activities while acting in such capacity; provided however, that no Person shall be entitled to indemnification under this Section 7.1 if there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter for which

 

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such Person is seeking indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.1 such Person’s actions or omissions constituted an intentional breach of this Agreement or gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of such Person or, in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. Any indemnification pursuant to this Article VII shall be made only out of the assets of the Company, it being agreed that the Members shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate such indemnification. The rights granted pursuant to this Article VII shall be deemed contract rights, and no amendment, modification or repeal of this Article VII shall have the effect of limiting or denying any such rights with respect to actions taken or Proceedings arising prior to any such amendment, modification or repeal. An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.1 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement. IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE INDEMNIFICATION PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION 7.1 COULD INVOLVE INDEMNIFICATION FOR NEGLIGENCE OR UNDER THEORIES OF STRICT LIABILITY.

7.2 Indemnification of Officers, Employees (if any) and Agents. The Company may indemnify and advance expenses to Persons who are not entitled to indemnification under Section 7.1, including current and former employees (if any) or agents of the Company, and those Persons who are or were serving at the request of the Company as a manager, director, officer, partner, venturer, member, trustee, employee (if any), agent or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic general partnership, corporation, limited partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such Person and incurred by such Person in such a capacity or arising out of his status as such a Person to the same extent that it may indemnify and advance expenses to a Member under this Article VII.

7.3 Indemnification and Expense Advancement With Respect to Actions Commenced by an Indemnitee. Notwithstanding 7.1, Section 7.2 and Section 7.4, the Company shall be required to indemnify and advance expenses to an Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding commenced by such Indemnitee only if the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding by such Indemnitee was authorized by the Managing Member in its sole discretion.

7.4 Advance Payment. Any right to indemnification conferred in this Article VII shall include a limited right to be paid or reimbursed by the Company for any and all reasonable expenses as they are incurred by a Person entitled or authorized to be indemnified under Sections 7.1 and 7.2 who was, is or is threatened, to be made a named defendant or respondent in a Proceeding in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding and without any determination as to such Person’s ultimate entitlement to indemnification; provided however, that the payment of such expenses incurred by any such Person in advance of final disposition of a Proceeding shall be made only upon delivery to the Company of a written affirmation by such Person of his good faith belief that he has met the requirements necessary for indemnification under this Article VII and a written undertaking by or on behalf of such Person to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such indemnified Person is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article VII or otherwise.

 

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7.5 Appearance as a Witness. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article VII, the Company shall pay or reimburse expenses incurred by any Person entitled to be indemnified pursuant to this Article VII in connection with such Person’s appearance as a witness or other participation in a Proceeding at a time when he is not a named defendant or respondent in the Proceeding.

7.6 Nonexclusivity of Rights. The right to indemnification and the advancement and payment of expenses conferred in this Article VII shall not be exclusive of any other right which a Person indemnified pursuant to Sections 7.1 and 7.2 may have or hereafter acquire under any Laws, this Agreement, or any other agreement, vote of Members or otherwise. The Company may purchase and maintain (or may reimburse an Indemnitee for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of an Indemnitee as the Managing Member shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against, or expense that may be incurred by, such Indemnitee in connection with the Company’s activities or such Indemnitee’s activities on behalf of the Company, regardless of whether the Company would have the power to indemnify such Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.

7.7 No Member Liability for Indemnification Obligations. In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Members to personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement. An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Article VII because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.

7.8 Member Notification. To the extent discretionary to the Company, the Managing Member shall approve or disapprove of indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Article VII. Any indemnification of or advance of expenses to any Person entitled or authorized to be indemnified under this Article VII shall be reported in writing to the Managing Member within the twelve (12) month period immediately following the date the indemnification or advance was made; provided, that no failure to comply with the notification provisions of this Section 7.8 shall operate to deprive a Person of any indemnification or advancement of expenses to which such Person would otherwise be entitled.

7.9 Savings Clause. If this Article VII or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify and hold harmless any Person entitled to be indemnified pursuant to this Article VII as to costs, charges and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement with respect to any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative to the full extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Article VII that shall not have been invalidated and to the fullest extent permitted by Laws.

7.10 Scope of Indemnity. For the purposes of this Article VII, references to the “Company” include all constituent entities, whether corporations or otherwise, absorbed in a consolidation or merger as well as the resulting or surviving entity. Thus, any Person entitled to be indemnified or receive advances under this Article VII shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Article VII with respect to the resulting or surviving entity as he would have if such merger, consolidation, or other reorganization never occurred.

 

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7.11 Other Indemnities.

(a) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the obligation of the Company under this Agreement to indemnify or advance expenses to any Indemnitee for the matters covered thereby shall be the primary source of indemnification and advancement of such Indemnitee in connection therewith and any obligation on the part of any Indemnitee under any Other Indemnification Agreement to indemnify or advance expenses to such Indemnitee shall be secondary to the Company’s obligation and shall be reduced by any amount that the Indemnitee may collect as indemnification or advancement from the Company. If the Company fails to indemnify or advance expenses to an Indemnitee as required or contemplated by this Agreement, and any Person makes any payment to such Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses under any Other Indemnification Agreement on account of such Unpaid Indemnity Amounts, such other Person shall be subrogated to the rights of such Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of such Unpaid Indemnity Amounts.

(b) The Company, as an indemnifying Party from time to time, agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, its obligation to indemnify Indemnitees under this Agreement shall include any amounts expended by any other Person under any Other Indemnification Agreement in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses to any Indemnitee in connection with any Proceedings to the extent such amounts expended by such other Person are on account of any Unpaid Indemnity Amounts.

7.12 Replacement of Fiduciary Duties. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that any provision of this Agreement purports or is interpreted (i) to have the effect of replacing, restricting or eliminating the duties that might otherwise, as a result of Delaware or other applicable law, be owed by the Managing Member or any other Indemnitee to the Company, the Members, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement or (ii) to constitute a waiver or consent by the Company, the Members, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement to any such replacement or restriction, such provision shall be deemed to have been approved by the Company, all of the Members, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest and each other Person who is bound by this Agreement.

7.13 Liability of Indemnitees.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Company, the Members, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission of an Indemnitee unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that, in respect of the matter in question, the Indemnitee acted in bad faith or in the case of a criminal matter, acted with knowledge that the Indemnitee’s conduct was criminal. The Members, any other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, each on their own behalf and on behalf of the Company, waives any and all rights to claim punitive damages or damages based upon the federal or state income taxes paid or payable by any such Member or other Person.

 

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(b) The Managing Member may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agent or agents, and the Managing Member shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the Managing Member in good faith.

(c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Company, the Members, any Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement, any Indemnitee acting in connection with the Company’s business or affairs shall not be liable, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, to the Company, to any Member, to any other Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or to any other Person who is bound by this Agreement for its reliance on the provisions of this Agreement.

(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Agreement or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of the Indemnitees under this Agreement as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.

7.14 Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties.

(a) Whenever the Managing Member makes a determination or takes or declines to take any other action, whether under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby or otherwise, then, unless another express standard is expressly provided for in this Agreement, the Managing Member shall make such determination or take or decline to take such other action in good faith and shall not be subject to any higher standard contemplated hereby or under the Act or any other Law or at equity. A determination, other action or failure to act by the Managing Member or any committee thereof (as the case may be) will be deemed to be in good faith unless the Managing Member believed such determination, other action or failure to act was adverse to the interests of the Company. In any proceeding brought by the Company, any Member or any Person who acquires an interest in a Membership Interest or any other Person who is bound by this Agreement challenging such action, determination or failure to act, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of proving that such determination, action or failure to act was not in good faith.

(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Managing Member or any other Indemnitee shall have no duty or obligation, express or implied, to sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Company or its Subsidiaries.

 

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(c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, a Member owes any duties (including fiduciary duties) to the Company, any other Member or other holder of Membership Interests or any other Person pursuant to applicable Laws or this Agreement such duty is hereby eliminated to the fullest extent permitted pursuant to Law (including Section 17-1101(d) of the Act), it being the intent of the Members that to the extent permitted by Law and except to the extent another express standard is specified elsewhere in this Agreement, no Member shall owe any duties of any nature whatsoever to the Company, the other Members or any other holders of Membership Interests or any other Person, other than the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and each Member may decide or determine any matter in its sole and absolute discretion taking into account solely its interests and those of its Affiliates (excluding the Company and its Subsidiaries) subject to the duty of good faith and fair dealing. Except with respect to the express obligations set forth in this Agreement or any other agreement to which any Member is a party, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable Law (including Section 17-1101(f) of the Act), the Company and each Member hereby waives any claim or cause of action against, and hereby eliminate all liabilities of, each Member, solely in its capacity as a Member, for any breach of any duty (including fiduciary duties) to the Company, the other Members or any other holders of Membership Interests or any other Person. Nothing herein is intended to create a partnership, joint venture, agency or other relationship creating fiduciary or quasi-fiduciary duties or similar duties or obligations, or otherwise subject the Members to joint and several liability or vicarious liability or to impose any duty, obligation or liability that would arise therefrom with respect to any or all of the Members or the Company.

ARTICLE VIII

TAXES

8.1 Tax Returns. The Company shall timely cause to be prepared and filed all necessary U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax returns for the Company, including making the elections described in Section 8.2. Upon written request by the Company, each Member shall furnish to the Company all pertinent information in its possession relating to Company operations that is necessary to enable the Company’s tax returns to be prepared and filed.

8.2 Tax Elections(a) . The Company and any eligible Subsidiary shall make an election (or continue a previously made election) pursuant to section 754 of the Code for the taxable year of the Company that includes the closing date of the initial public offering of VEI and shall not thereafter revoke such election. In addition, the Company shall make the following elections on the appropriate tax returns:

(a) to adopt the accrual method of accounting;

(b) to use the calendar year as the taxable year;

(c) to elect to deduct and/or amortize the organizational expenses of the Company as permitted by section 709(b) of the Code;

(d) to elect to deduct and/or amortize the start-up expenditures of the Company as permitted by section 195(b) of the Code; and

(e) any other election approved by the Partnership Representative.

 

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It is the intention of the Members that the Company be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and neither the Company nor any Member may make any election to the contrary, including an election pursuant to Treasury Regulation section 301.7701-3(c) or any similar provisions of applicable state law, and no provision of this Agreement shall be construed to sanction or approve such an election.

8.3 Tax Matters Partner. The Managing Member is hereby designated the “Tax Matters Partner” (as defined in section 6231(a)(7) of the Code as in effect prior to the amendment of such section under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, to the extent applicable for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018, or any corresponding state or local tax provision) and as the “Partnership Representative” of the Company for purposes of the Partnership Tax Audit Rules. In addition, (i) the Managing Member is hereby authorized to (A) designate any other Person as the Partnership Representative or its “designated individual” for purposes of the Partnership Tax Audit Rules, and (B) take, or cause the Company to take, such actions as may be necessary or advisable pursuant to Treasury Regulations or other guidance to ratify the designation, pursuant to this Section 8.3, of the Managing Member or any Person selected by the Managing Member as the Partnership Representative or its designated individual; and (ii) each Member agrees to take, such actions as may be requested by the Managing Member to ratify or confirm any such designation pursuant to this Section 8.3. The Partnership Representative or its designated individual is authorized, in its sole discretion, to make any available election related to sections 6221 through 6241 of the Code and take any action it deems necessary or appropriate to comply with the requirements of the Code and conduct the Company’s affairs under sections 6221 through 6241 of the Code.

ARTICLE IX

BOOKS, RECORDS, REPORTS, AND BANK ACCOUNTS

9.1 Maintenance of Books. The Company shall keep books and records of accounts (including a list of the names, addresses, Capital Contributions and Membership Interests of all Members) and shall keep minutes of the proceedings of any meeting of the Managing Member. The books of account for the Company shall be maintained on an accrual basis in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and GAAP, except that the Capital Accounts of the Members shall be maintained in accordance with Section 4.2. The accounting year of the Company shall be the Fiscal Year. Section 18-305(a) of the Act (entitled “Access to and Confidentiality of Information; Records”) shall not apply or be incorporated into this Agreement and the Members hereby waive any rights under such sections of the Act.

9.2 Financial Statements and Reports. The Company shall provide the Members, as applicable, with the following information:

(a) The Company shall provide the Members any reports or financial statements regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries as requested by the Managing Member.

 

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(b) The Company shall deliver to each of its Members the following schedules and tax returns: (i) within sixty (60) days after the Company’s year-end, an estimated Schedule K-1 for the immediately preceding taxable year based on best-available information to date, and (ii) not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the due date, including extensions, for the filing of the Company’s federal information return for the immediately preceding taxable year, a final Schedule K-1, along with copies of all other federal, state and local income tax returns or reports filed by the Company for the previous year, as may be required as a result of the operations of the Company, and a schedule of Company book tax differences for the immediately preceding tax year.

9.3 Accounts. The Officers or designated Members of the Company shall establish and maintain one or more separate bank and investment accounts and arrangements for Company funds in the Company’s name with financial institutions and firms that the Managing Member may determine. The Company may not commingle the Company’s funds with the funds of any other Person. The Company shall keep all funds contributed by the Members in a segregated bank account and shall not commingle such funds with other funds of the Company. All such accounts shall be and remain the property of the Company and all funds shall be received, held and disbursed for the purposes specified in this Agreement. The Officers or designated Members of the Company may invest the Company funds only in (a) readily marketable securities issued by the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States maturing within three months or less from the date of acquisition, (b) readily marketable securities issued by any state or municipality within the United States of America or any political subdivision, agency or instrumentality thereof, maturing within three months or less from the date of acquisition and rated “A” or better by any recognized rating agency, (c) readily marketable commercial paper rated “Prime 1” by Moody’s or “A1” by S & P (or comparably rated by such organizations or any successors thereto if the rating system is changed or there are such successors) and maturing in not more than three months after the date of acquisition or (d) certificates of deposit or time deposits issued by any incorporated bank organized and doing business under the Laws of the United States of America which is rated at least “A” or “A2” by S & P or Moody’s, which is not in excess of federally insured amounts, and which matures within three months or less from the date of acquisition.

ARTICLE X

DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION, AND TERMINATION

10.1 Dissolution. Subject to the provisions of Section 10.2 and any applicable Laws, the Company shall wind up its affairs and dissolve only on the first to occur of the following (each a “Dissolution Event”):

(a) approval of dissolution by (x) the Managing Member and (y) the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units;

(b) the consummation of a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or

(c) entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company in accordance with the Act.

 

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Dissolution of the Company shall be effective on the day on which the event occurs giving rise to the dissolution, but the Company will not terminate until the assets of the Company have been liquidated and the assets distributed as provided in Section 10.2 and the Certificate has been canceled.

10.2 Liquidation and Termination. In connection with the winding up and dissolution of the Company, the Managing Member shall act as a liquidator (“Liquidator”), unless the Managing Member otherwise determines. The Liquidator shall proceed diligently to wind up the affairs of the Company in an orderly manner and make final distributions as provided herein and in the Act. The Liquidator shall use commercially reasonable efforts to complete the liquidation of the Company within two (2) years after an applicable Dissolution Event; provided, that such period may be extended for up to two (2) additional one-year periods by the Managing Member. The costs of liquidation shall be borne as a Company expense (including the costs and expenses of the Liquidator, in its capacity as such). Until final distribution, the Liquidator shall continue to operate the Company properties for a reasonable period of time to allow for the sale of all or a part of the assets thereof with all of the power and authority of the Members. The steps to be accomplished by the Liquidator are as follows:

(a) as promptly as possible after approval of the winding up and dissolution of the Company and again after final liquidation, the Liquidator shall cause a proper accounting to be made of the Company’s assets, liabilities, and operations through the last day of the calendar month in which the winding up and dissolution is approved or the final liquidation is completed, as applicable;

(b) the Liquidator shall cause any notices required by applicable Law to be sent to each known creditor of and claimant against the Company in the manner described by applicable Law;

(c) upon approval of the winding up and dissolution of the Company, the Liquidator shall, unless the Managing Member otherwise determines, be prohibited from distributing assets in kind and shall instead sell for cash the equity of the Company or the assets of the Company at the best price available. The property of the Company shall be liquidated as promptly as is consistent with obtaining the fair value thereof. The Liquidator may sell all of the Company property, including to one or more of the Members. If any assets are sold or otherwise liquidated for value, the Liquidator shall proceed as promptly as practicable in a commercially reasonable manner to implement the procedures of this Section 10.2(c); and

(d) subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and any applicable Law (including the Act), the Liquidator shall distribute the assets of the Company in the following order of priority:

(i) First, the Liquidator shall pay, satisfy or discharge from Company assets all of the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Company, or otherwise make adequate provision for payment, satisfaction and discharge thereof; provided however, that such payments shall not include any Capital Contributions described in Article IV or any other obligations of the Members created by this Agreement; and

 

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(ii) Second, all remaining assets of the Company shall be distributed to the Members in accordance with Section 5.3.

(e) All distributions to the Members pursuant to Section 10.2(d)(ii) above shall be in the form of cash, unless the Managing Member otherwise determines (and is further approved by the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units pursuant to Section 6.2(b)).

(f) When the Liquidator has complied with the foregoing liquidation plan, the Liquidator (or the Managing Member), on behalf of all Members, shall execute, acknowledge and cause to be filed a Certificate of Cancellation.

10.3 Provision for Contingent Claims.

(a) The Liquidator shall make a reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations, including all contingent, conditional or unmatured claims and obligations, actually known to the Company but for which the identity of the claimant is unknown; and

(b) If there are insufficient assets to both pay the creditors pursuant to Section 10.2 and to establish the provision contemplated by Section 10.3(a), subject to applicable Law, the claims shall be paid as provided for in accordance to their priority, and, among claims of equal priority, ratably to the extent of assets therefor.

10.4 Deficit Capital Accounts. No Member shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Company.

10.5 Deemed Contribution and Distribution. In the event the Company is “liquidated” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) but no Dissolution Event has occurred, the Company’s property shall not be liquidated, the Company’s liabilities shall not be paid or discharged, and the Company’s affairs shall not be wound up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the Company shall be deemed to have contributed all Company property and liabilities to a new limited liability company in exchange for an interest in such new limited liability company and, immediately thereafter, the Company will be deemed to liquidate by distributing interests in the new limited liability company to the Members.

ARTICLE XI

AMENDMENT OF THE AGREEMENT

11.1 Amendments to be Adopted by the Company. Each Member agrees that the Managing Member or Officer of the Company, in accordance with and subject to the limitations contained in Article VI, may execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required to reflect:

(a) a change in the name of the Company in accordance with this Agreement, the location of the principal place of business of the Company or the registered agent or office of the Company which has been approved by the Managing Member;

 

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(b) admission or substitution of Members whose admission or substitution has been made in accordance with this Agreement;

(c) a change that the Managing Member believes is reasonable and necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue the qualification of the Company as a limited liability company under the Laws of any state or that is necessary or advisable in the opinion of the Managing Member to ensure that the Company will not be taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes; and

(d) an amendment that is necessary, in the opinion of counsel, to prevent the Company or its officers from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, whether or not substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor.

11.2 Amendment Procedures. Except as provided in Section 11.1, all amendments to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by the Managing Member; provided, that no amendment to this Agreement may:

(a) modify the limited liability of any Member, or increase the liabilities or obligations of any Member, in each case, without the consent of each such affected Member; or

(b) materially alter or change any right, preferences or privileges of any Membership Interests in a manner that is different or prejudicial relative to any other Membership Interests, without the approval of a majority in interest of the Members holding the Membership Interests affected in such a different or prejudicial manner.

ARTICLE XII

MEMBERSHIP INTERESTS

12.1 Certificates. Membership Interests will not be certificated unless otherwise approved by, and subject to the provisions set by, the Managing Member.

12.2 Registered Holders. The Company shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a Person registered on its books and records as the owner of the indicated Membership Interest and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Membership Interest on the part of any Person other than such registered owner, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by Law.

12.3 Security. For purposes of providing for Transfer of, perfecting a Security Interest in, and other relevant matters related to, a Membership Interest, the Membership Interest will be deemed to be a “security” subject to the provisions of Articles 8 and 9 of the Delaware Uniform Commercial Code and any similar Uniform Commercial Code provision adopted by the States of New York, Louisiana, Texas or any other relevant jurisdiction.

 

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ARTICLE XIII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

13.1 Offset. Whenever the Company is to pay any sum to any Member or any Member is to pay or contribute any sum to the Company, any amounts that a Member or the Company owes the other for which it is due or past due may be deducted from that sum before payment.

13.2 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the Exchange Agreement and the Master Reorganization Agreement (along with any exhibits or schedules to such documents and any agreement specifically referenced herein) constitute the entire agreement and supersedes (a) all prior oral or written proposals, term sheets or agreements, (b) all contemporaneous oral proposals or agreements and (c) all previous negotiations and all other communications or understandings between the Members with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company may enter into “side letter” agreements with Members which modify, alter or amend the terms and conditions of this Agreement otherwise attributable to such Member.

13.3 Waivers. Neither action taken (including any investigation by or on behalf of any Party) nor inaction pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of compliance with any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement contained herein by the Party not committing such action or inaction. A waiver by any Member of a particular right, including breach of any provision of this Agreement, shall not operate or be construed as a subsequent waiver of that same right or a waiver of any other right.

13.4 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Members and their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and permitted assigns.

13.5 Governing Law; Severability.

(a) THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN EXECUTED AND DELIVERED AND SHALL BE CONSTRUED, INTERPRETED AND GOVERNED PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO ANY CONFLICT OF LAWS PRINCIPLES WHICH, IF APPLIED, MIGHT PERMIT OR REQUIRE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION.

(b) In the event of a direct conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and any mandatory provision of the Act or other Laws, the applicable provision of the Act or such other Laws, as the case may be, shall control. If any provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance, is held invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement and the application of that provision to other Persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and that provision shall be enforced to the greatest extent permitted by the Act or other Laws, as the case may be.

 

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13.6 Further Assurances. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, each of the Parties agrees to use all reasonable efforts to take, or to cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or to cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable under applicable Laws to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. In case, at any time after the execution of this Agreement, any further action is necessary or desirable to carry out its purposes, the proper officers or directors of the Parties shall take or cause to be taken all such necessary action.

13.7 Exercise of Certain Rights. Except for rights in this Agreement, no Member may maintain any action for partition of the property of the Company. The Members agree not to maintain any action for dissolution and liquidation of the Company pursuant to Section 18-802 of the Act or any similar applicable statutory or common law dissolution right without the consent of (x) the Managing Member and (y) the Members holding at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 23%) of the issued and outstanding Class B Units.

13.8 Notice to Members of Provisions of this Agreement. By executing this Agreement, each Member acknowledges that it has actual notice of all of the provisions of this Agreement. Each Member hereby agrees that this Agreement constitutes adequate notice of all such provisions.

13.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts and delivered by facsimile or portable document format, each of which, when executed, shall be deemed an original, and all of which shall constitute but one and the same instrument.

13.10 Books and Records. The Officers of the Company shall keep correct and complete books and records of account, including the names and addresses of all Members and the number and class of the interest held by each at its registered office or principal place of business, or at the office of its transfer agent or registrar.

13.11 Information.

(a) Each Member agrees that all non-public information received from or otherwise relating to the Company or any third party who has entrusted the Company with confidential information with the expectation that such information will be kept confidential (“Confidential Information”), is confidential and will not be (i) disclosed or otherwise released to any other Person (other than another party hereto for a valid business purpose) or (ii) used for anything other than as necessary and appropriate in carrying out the business of the Company. The restrictions set forth herein do not apply to any disclosures required by applicable Law, so long as (x) the Person subject to such disclosure obligations provides prior written notice (to the extent reasonably practicable) to the Company and any affected Person stating the basis upon which the disclosure is asserted to be required, and (y) the Person subject to such disclosure obligations takes, at the Company’s request and expense, all reasonable steps to oppose or mitigate any such disclosure. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Blackstone and its Affiliates may make disclosures to their direct and indirect equityholders and members such information (including Confidential Information) as is customarily provided to current or prospective limited partners in private equity funds sponsored or managed by Affiliates of Blackstone.

(b) The Members acknowledge that, from time to time, the Company may need information from any or all of such Members for various reasons, including for complying with various federal and state Laws. Each Member shall provide to the Company all information

 

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reasonably requested by the Company for purposes of complying with federal or state Laws within a reasonable amount of time from the date such Member receives such request; provided however, that, except as required by applicable Law, no Member shall be obligated to provide such information to the Company to the extent such disclosure (i) could reasonably be expected to result in the breach or violation of any contractual obligation (if a waiver of such restriction cannot reasonably be obtained) or Law or (ii) involves secret, confidential or proprietary information of such Member or its Affiliates.

13.12 Liability to Third Parties. Except as required by applicable Law or as otherwise expressly provided herein, no Member shall be liable to any Person (including any Third Party, the Company or to another Member) (a) as the result of any act or omission of another Member or (b) for Company losses, liabilities or obligations (except as otherwise expressly agreed to in writing by such Member or as a result of such Member having made available to the Company, for its proportionate share equal to its Membership Interest, such Member’s insurance program (commercial, self-funded, self-insured or other similar programs)).

13.13 No Third Party Beneficiaries. Except as set forth in Section 7.1 (with respect to Indemnitees) and Section 13.17, the provisions of this Agreement are for the exclusive benefit of the Members and the Company and their respective successors and permitted assigns and, solely with respect to Article VII, the indemnified Persons described therein. Except for the foregoing, this Agreement is not intended to benefit or create rights in any other Person or Governmental Authority, including (a) any Person or Governmental Authority to whom any debts, liabilities or obligations are owed by the Company or any Member, or (b) any liquidator, trustee or creditor acting on behalf of the Company, and no such creditor or any other Person or Governmental Authority shall have any rights under this Agreement, including rights with respect to enforcing the payment of Capital Contributions.

13.14 Notices. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement to the contrary, any notice or communication required or permitted to be given under this Agreement shall be in writing and sent to the address of the Party set forth below, or to such other more recent address of which the sending Party actually has received written notice:

(a) if to the Company:

Vine Energy Holdings LLC

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention:     Eric D. Marsh, President and Chief Executive Officer

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

Email:          eric.marsh@vineoil.com

and with copies to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

 

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Attention:     Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

Email:          acconcia@blackstone.com

and

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention:     Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

      William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email:          matt.pacey@kirkland.com

      wbenitez@kirkland.com

(b) if to the Members, to each of the Members listed on Exhibit A at the address set forth therein.

Each such notice or other communication shall be sent by personal delivery, by registered or certified mail (return receipt requested), by national, reputable courier service (such as Federal Express or United Parcel Service) or by facsimile or electronic mail.

13.15 Remedies. Except as provided herein, the rights, obligations and remedies created by this Agreement are cumulative and in addition to any other rights, obligations or remedies otherwise available at Law or in equity. In addition, any successful Party is entitled to costs related to enforcing this Agreement, including without limitation, reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees and court costs. THE PARTIES WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHTS, CLAIMS OR CAUSES OF ACTION AGAINST ONE ANOTHER ARISING UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, REMOTE OR SPECULATIVE DAMAGES; PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT A PARTY MAY RECOVER FROM ANY OTHER PARTY ALL COSTS, EXPENSES OR DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, REMOTE OR SPECULATIVE DAMAGES PAID OR OWED TO ANY THIRD PERSON FOR WHICH SUCH PARTY HAS A RIGHT TO RECOVER FROM SUCH OTHER PARTY UNDER THE TERMS HEREOF.

13.16 Disputes.

(a) Consent to Jurisdiction and Service of Process; Appointment of Agent for Service of Process. EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY CONSENTS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF ANY UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT LOCATED IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE OR DELAWARE CHANCERY COURT LOCATED IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE AND IRREVOCABLY AGREES THAT ALL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER SUCH ACTIONS OR

 

45


PROCEEDINGS ARE BASED IN STATUTE, TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE), SHALL BE LITIGATED IN SUCH COURTS. EACH PARTY (i) CONSENTS TO SUBMIT ITSELF TO THE PERSONAL JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS FOR SUCH ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS, (ii) AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT ATTEMPT TO DENY OR DEFEAT SUCH PERSONAL JURISDICTION BY MOTION OR OTHER REQUEST FOR LEAVE FROM ANY SUCH COURT, AND (iii) AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT BRING ANY SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY COURT OTHER THAN SUCH COURTS. EACH PARTY ACCEPTS FOR ITSELF AND IN CONNECTION WITH ITS PROPERTIES, GENERALLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY, THE EXCLUSIVE AND IRREVOCABLE JURISDICTION AND VENUE OF THE AFORESAID COURTS AND WAIVES ANY DEFENSE OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS, AND IRREVOCABLY AGREES TO BE BOUND BY ANY NON-APPEALABLE JUDGMENT RENDERED THEREBY IN CONNECTION WITH SUCH ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS. A COPY OF ANY SERVICE OF PROCESS SERVED UPON THE PARTIES SHALL BE MAILED BY REGISTERED MAIL TO THE RESPECTIVE PARTY EXCEPT THAT, UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY FAILURE TO MAIL SUCH COPY SHALL NOT AFFECT THE VALIDITY OF SERVICE OF PROCESS. IF ANY AGENT APPOINTED BY A PARTY REFUSES TO ACCEPT SERVICE, EACH PARTY AGREES THAT SERVICE UPON THE APPROPRIATE PARTY BY REGISTERED MAIL SHALL CONSTITUTE SUFFICIENT SERVICE. NOTHING HEREIN SHALL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF A PARTY TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY LAW.

(b) Waiver of Jury Trial. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH OF THE PARTIES TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY WAIVES ITS RESPECTIVE RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION BASED UPON OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY DEALINGS BETWEEN THEM RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RELATIONSHIP THAT IS BEING ESTABLISHED. EACH PARTY ALSO WAIVES ANY BOND OR SURETY OR SECURITY UPON SUCH BOND WHICH MIGHT, BUT FOR THIS WAIVER, BE REQUIRED OF ANY OF THE OTHER PARTIES. THE SCOPE OF THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT MAY BE FILED IN ANY COURT AND THAT RELATE TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT CLAIMS, BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS, AND ALL OTHER COMMON LAW AND STATUTORY CLAIMS. EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THIS WAIVER IS A MATERIAL INDUCEMENT TO ENTER INTO A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP, THAT EACH HAS ALREADY RELIED ON THE WAIVER IN ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THAT EACH WILL CONTINUE TO RELY ON THE WAIVER IN THEIR RELATED FUTURE DEALINGS. EACH PARTY FURTHER WARRANTS AND REPRESENTS THAT IT HAS REVIEWED THIS WAIVER WITH ITS LEGAL COUNSEL, AND THAT EACH KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES ITS JURY TRIAL RIGHTS FOLLOWING CONSULTATION WITH LEGAL COUNSEL. THIS WAIVER IS IRREVOCABLE, MEANING THAT IT MAY NOT BE MODIFIED EITHER ORALLY OR IN WRITING, AND THE WAIVER SHALL APPLY TO ANY SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS, RENEWALS, SUPPLEMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT OR TO ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS OR AGREEMENTS RELATING TO THE TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY. IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, THIS AGREEMENT MAYBE FILED AS A WRITTEN CONSENT TO A TRIAL BY THE COURT.

 

 

46


13.17 No Recourse. Notwithstanding anything that may be expressed or implied in this Agreement or any document, agreement, or instrument delivered contemporaneously herewith, and notwithstanding the fact that any Member may be a partnership or limited liability company, each Member hereto, by its acceptance of the benefits of this Agreement, covenants, agrees and acknowledges that no Persons other than the Members shall have any obligation hereunder and that it has no rights of recovery hereunder against, and no recourse hereunder or under any documents, agreements, or instruments delivered contemporaneously herewith or in respect of any oral representations made or alleged to be made in connection herewith or therewith shall be had against, any former, current or future director, officer, agent, Affiliate, manager, assignee, incorporator, controlling Person, fiduciary, representative or employee of any Member (or any of their successor or permitted assignees), against any former, current, or future general or limited partner, manager, stockholder or member of any Member (or any of their successors or permitted assignees) or any Affiliate thereof or against any former, current or future director, officer, agent, employee, Affiliate, manager, assignee, incorporator, controlling Person, fiduciary, representative, general or limited partner, stockholder, manager or member of any of the foregoing, but in each case not including the Members (each, but excluding for the avoidance of doubt, the Members, a “Member Affiliate”), whether by or through attempted piercing of the corporate veil, by or through a claim (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) by or on behalf of such party against the Member Affiliates, by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding, or by virtue of any statute, regulation or other applicable law, or otherwise; it being expressly agreed and acknowledged that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, be imposed on, or otherwise be incurred by any Member Affiliate, as such, for any obligations of the applicable party under this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, under any documents or instruments delivered contemporaneously herewith, in respect of any oral representations made or alleged to be made in connection herewith or therewith, or for any claim (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in, and subject in all cases to the terms and conditions of and limitations herein, this Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claim or cause of action of any kind based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement, may only be brought against the entities that are expressly named as parties hereto and then only with respect to the specific obligations set forth herein with respect to such party. Each Member Affiliate is expressly intended as a third-party beneficiary of this Section 13.17.

[THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

47


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the date first set forth in this Agreement.

 

THE COMPANY:

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC

By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


CLASS A MEMBERS:

VINE ENERGY INC.

By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


BLACKSTONE VINE-892/US T-E FEEDER FUND VI/BEP L.P.

By: Blackstone Management Associates VI L.L.C.

Its: General Partner

By: BMA VI L.L.C.

Its: Sole Member

By:

 

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia

Title: Senior Managing Director

BLACKSTONE HARVEST-R/892 FEEDER FUND BEP II/II.F L.P.

By:

 

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia

Title: Senior Managing Director

BLACKSTONE BRIX-WI/892 FEEDER FUND BEP II/II.F L.P.

By:

 

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia

Title: Senior Managing Director

BLACKSTONE HARVEST-R/892 FEEDER FUND VI L.P.

By:

 

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia

Title: Senior Managing Director

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


BLACKSTONE BRIX-WI/892 FEEDER FUND VI L.P.

By:

 

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia

Title: Senior Managing Director

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


CLASS B MEMBERS:

VINE INVESTMENT LLC

By:

 

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh

Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

BRIX INVESTMENT LLC

By:

 

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh

Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

HARVEST INVESTMENT LLC

By:

 

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh

Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


EXHIBIT A

Ownership Information

(as of the Effective Date)

 

Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Vine Energy Inc.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     21,642,857        0        30.0452

Blackstone Vine-892/US T-E Feeder Fund VI/BEP L.P.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

     9,504,061        0        13.1938

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

        

Exhibit A to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

        

Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     55,747        0        0.0774

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Blackstone BRIX-WI/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     2,636,165        0        3.6596

Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     82,161        0        0.1141

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Blackstone BRIX-WI/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     3,885,395        0        5.3938

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Vine Investment LLC

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     0        17,387,013        24.1371

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Brix Investment LLC

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com,

wbenitez@kirkland.com

     0        16,639,516        23.0994

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement

 

58


Name of Member

   Class A Units      Class B Units      Percentage Interest  

Harvest Investment LLC

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric D. Marsh

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

 

with a copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 43rd Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

and with a copy to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.,

William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile: (713) 835-3601

Email: matt.pacey@kirkland.com, wbenitez@kirkland.com

     0        201,341        0.2795

Total

     37,806,386        34,227,870        100

Signature page to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement


SCHEDULE 6.4

Initial Officer Appointees

 

Name

  

Title

Eric Marsh    President and Chief Executive Officer
David Elkin    Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Wayne Stoltenberg    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Jonathan Curth    Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Schedule 6.4 to Vine Energy Holdings

Amended and Restated LLC Agreement

Exhibit 10.2

FORM OF

TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT

between

VINE ENERGY INC.

and

THE PERSONS NAMED HEREIN

Dated as of March 17, 2021


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS

     2  

Section 1.1

  Definitions      2  

ARTICLE II DETERMINATION OF REALIZED TAX BENEFIT

     11  

Section 2.1

  Attribute Schedule      11  

Section 2.2

  Tax Benefit Schedule      11  

Section 2.3

  Procedures, Amendments      12  

ARTICLE III TAX BENEFIT PAYMENTS

     13  

Section 3.1

  Payments      13  

Section 3.2

  No Duplicative Payments      14  

Section 3.3

  Pro Rata Payments      14  

ARTICLE IV TERMINATION

     15  

Section 4.1

  Early Termination of Agreement; Breach of Agreement      15  

Section 4.2

  Early Termination Notice      16  

Section 4.3

  Payment upon Early Termination      16  

ARTICLE V SUBORDINATION AND LATE PAYMENTS

     17  

Section 5.1

  Subordination      17  

Section 5.2

  Late Payments by the Corporate Taxpayer      17  

ARTICLE VI NO DISPUTES; CONSISTENCY; COOPERATION

     17  

Section 6.1

  Participation in the Corporate Taxpayer’s and OpCo’s Tax Matters      17  

Section 6.2

  Consistency      18  

Section 6.3

  Cooperation      18  

ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS

     18  

Section 7.1

  Notices      18  

Section 7.2

  Counterparts      20  

Section 7.3

  Entire Agreement; No Third Party Beneficiaries      20  

Section 7.4

  Governing Law      20  

Section 7.5

  Severability      20  

Section 7.6

  Successors; Assignment; Amendments; Waivers      20  

Section 7.7

  Titles and Subtitles      21  

Section 7.8

  Resolution of Disputes      21  

Section 7.9

  Reconciliation      22  

Section 7.10

  Withholding      23  

Section 7.11

  Admission of the Corporate Taxpayer into a Consolidated Group; Transfers of Corporate Assets      23  

Section 7.12

  Confidentiality      24  

Section 7.13

  Change in Law      24  

Section 7.14

  Tax Characterization and Elections      25  

Section 7.15

  TRA Party Representative      25  

 

i


TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT’D)

ANNEXES AND EXHIBITS

 

Annex A    —      Blocker Entities
Annex B    —      Reorganization TRA Parties
Annex C    —      Exchange TRA Parties
Exhibit A    —      Form of Joinder Agreement

 

ii


TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT

This TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), is dated as of March 17, 2021, and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (including any successor corporation, the “Corporate Taxpayer”) and each of the TRA Parties that are from time to time a party hereto.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, the Reorganization TRA Parties or their respective transferors or successors were previously owners of the Blocker Entities, and as a result of their previous ownership of the Blocker Entities, the Reorganization TRA Parties previously indirectly held equity interests (the “Units”) in Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“OpCo”), through the Blocker Entities;

WHEREAS, the Exchange TRA Parties directly hold Units in OpCo;

WHEREAS, OpCo is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the Corporate Taxpayer and each of the Blocker Entities is or was (at all relevant times) classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

WHEREAS, as a result of certain reorganization transactions undertaken in connection with the IPO as more fully described in the Master Reorganization Agreement, all of the shares of the Blocker Entities were contributed directly or indirectly to the Corporate Taxpayer by the Reorganization TRA Parties or their respective transferors or successors (the “Reorganization”);

WHEREAS, as a result of the Reorganization, the Corporate Taxpayer may be entitled to utilize (or otherwise be entitled to the benefits arising out of) the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets;

WHEREAS, the Units held by the Exchange TRA Parties may be exchanged for Class A common stock (the “Class A Shares”) of the Corporate Taxpayer or cash consideration, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the LLC Agreement and Exchange Agreement (each, an “Exchange”);

WHEREAS, as a result any such Exchanges, the Corporate Taxpayer may be entitled to utilize (or otherwise be entitled to the benefits arising out of) the Exchange Covered Tax Assets; and

WHEREAS, the income, gain, loss, expense, deduction and other Tax items of the Corporate Taxpayer may be affected by the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets, and the parties to this Agreement desire to make certain arrangements with respect to the effects of the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective covenants and agreements set forth herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:


ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1 Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the terms set forth in this Article I shall have the following meanings (such meanings to be equally applicable to both the singular and plural forms of the terms defined).

Actual Tax Liability” means, with respect to any Taxable Year, the actual liability for U.S. federal, state and local income Taxes of (a) the Corporate Taxpayer and (b) without duplication, OpCo and its Subsidiaries, but in the case of this clause (b) only with respect to U.S. federal, state and local income Taxes imposed on OpCo and its Subsidiaries and allocable to the Corporate Taxpayer; provided that the actual liability for Taxes described in clauses (a) and (b) shall be calculated by assuming (i) that any Subsequently Acquired TRA Attributes do not exist, (ii) solely for purposes of calculating the state and local Actual Tax Liability of the Corporate Taxpayer, that the applicable tax rate is the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and (iii) solely for purposes of calculating the Corporate Taxpayer’s U.S. federal Actual Tax Liability, in order to prevent double counting, that state and local income and franchise Taxes are not deductible by the Corporate Taxpayer for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, Controls, is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such first Person.

Agreed Rate” means a per annum rate of LIBOR plus 100 basis points.

Agreement” is defined in the Preamble to this Agreement.

Amended Schedule” is defined in Section 2.3(b) of this Agreement.

Assumed State and Local Tax Rate” means the tax rate equal to the sum of the product of (a) the Corporate Taxpayer’s income and franchise tax apportionment rate(s) for each state and local jurisdiction in which the Corporate Taxpayer or OpCo (or any of their Subsidiaries that are treated as partnerships or disregarded entities for U.S. federal or applicable state and local tax purposes) files income or franchise Tax Returns for the relevant Taxable Year and (b) the highest corporate income and franchise tax rate(s) for each such state and local jurisdiction in which the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo or their applicable Subsidiaries file income or franchise Tax Returns for each such relevant Taxable Year; provided that, solely in respect of the Corporate Taxpayer, to the extent, for any Taxable Year, that state and local income and franchise Taxes are deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes by members forming part of the Corporate Taxpayer that are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate calculated pursuant to the foregoing shall be reduced by the assumed federal income Tax benefit received by the Corporate Taxpayer with respect to state and local jurisdiction income and franchise Taxes (with such benefit calculated as the product of (i) the Corporate Taxpayer’s marginal U.S. federal income tax rate for the relevant Taxable Year and (ii) the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate without regard to this proviso).

Attributable” is defined in Section 3.1(b) of this Agreement.

 

2


Attribute Schedule” is defined in Section 2.1 of this Agreement.

Basis Adjustment” means the adjustment to the tax basis of, or the Corporate Taxpayer’s share of the tax basis of, a Reference Asset (a) under Sections 732, 734(b), 707(a), 737 and 1012 of the Code and any comparable sections of U.S. state and local tax law (in situations where, as a result of one or more Exchanges, OpCo becomes an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or (b) under Sections 734(b), 743(b) and 754 of the Code and any comparable sections of U.S. state and local tax law (in situations where, following an Exchange, OpCo remains in existence as an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes), in each case, as a result of any Exchange and any payments made pursuant to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the amount of any Basis Adjustment resulting from an Exchange of one or more Units (i) shall be determined without regard to any Pre-Exchange Transfer of such Units and as if any such Pre-Exchange Transfer had not occurred and (ii) shall not include the portion of any Tax Benefit Payment representing Imputed Interest.

Beneficial Owner” means, with respect to any security, a Person who directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares: (a) voting power, which includes the power to vote, or to direct the voting of, such security; and/or (b) investment power, which includes the power to dispose of, or to direct the disposition of, such security. The terms “Beneficially Own” and “Beneficial Ownership” shall have correlative meanings.

Blocker Entities” means the entities listed on Annex A.

Board” means the Board of Directors of the Corporate Taxpayer.

Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks are authorized or required by applicable law to be closed in New York, New York.

Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events or series of events after the IPO Date: (a) any Person (other than a Permitted Investor) or any group of Persons acting together that would constitute a “group” for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, or any successor provisions thereto (excluding (i) a corporation or other entity owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Corporate Taxpayer in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Corporate Taxpayer or (ii) a group of Persons in which one or more Permitted Investors or Affiliates of Permitted Investors directly or indirectly hold Beneficial Ownership of securities representing more than 50% of the total voting power held by such group) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporate Taxpayer representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Corporate Taxpayer’s then outstanding voting securities; (b) the following individuals cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the number of directors of the Corporate Taxpayer then serving: individuals who, on the IPO Date, constitute the Board and any new director whose appointment or election by the Board or nomination for election by the Corporate Taxpayer’s shareholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors on the IPO Date or whose appointment, election or nomination for election was

 

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previously so approved or recommended by the directors referred to in this clause (b); (c) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Corporate Taxpayer with any other corporation or other entity, and, immediately after the consummation of such merger or consolidation, either (i) the members of the Board immediately prior to the merger or consolidation do not constitute at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the company surviving the merger or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof, or (ii) the voting securities of the Corporate Taxpayer immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not continue to represent or are not converted into more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger or consolidation or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof; or (d) the shareholders of the Corporate Taxpayer approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Corporate Taxpayer or there is consummated an agreement or series of related agreements for the sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, by the Corporate Taxpayer of all or substantially all of the Corporate Taxpayer’s assets, other than such sale or other disposition by the Corporate Taxpayer of all or substantially all of the Corporate Taxpayer’s assets to an entity at least 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by shareholders of the Corporate Taxpayer in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Corporate Taxpayer immediately prior to such sale.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, except with respect to clause (b) and clause (c)(i) above, a “Change of Control” shall not be deemed to have occurred by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which the record holders of the shares of the Corporate Taxpayer immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in, and own substantially all of the shares of, an entity which owns, either directly or through a Subsidiary, all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporate Taxpayer immediately following such transaction or series of transactions.

Class A Shares” is defined in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

Corporate Taxpayer” is defined in the Preamble to this Agreement; provided that the term “Corporate Taxpayer” shall include any other member of the U.S. federal income tax consolidated group including the Corporate Taxpayer.

Corporate Taxpayer Return” means the U.S. federal and/or state and/or local Tax Return, as applicable, of the Corporate Taxpayer filed with respect to Taxes of any Taxable Year.

Covered Person” is defined in Section 7.15 of this Agreement.

 

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Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit” for a Taxable Year means the cumulative amount of Realized Tax Benefits for all Taxable Years of the Corporate Taxpayer ending after December 31, 2025, up to and including such Taxable Year, net of the cumulative amount of Realized Tax Detriments for the same period; provided that, if the Corporate Taxpayer chooses to exercise its right of early termination under Section 4.1(a) or the Corporate Taxpayer’s obligations under this Agreement are accelerated under Section 4.1(b) or Section 4.1(c), such period used for purposes of determining the Early Termination Payment shall include any Taxable Year of the Corporate Taxpayer ending on or after the Early Termination Date without regard to whether such relevant Taxable Year ends on or before December 31, 2023. The Realized Tax Benefit and Realized Tax Detriment for each Taxable Year shall be determined based on the most recent Tax Benefit Schedules or Amended Schedules, if any, in existence at the time of such determination.

Default Rate” means a per annum rate of LIBOR plus 500 basis points.

Determination” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 1313(a) of the Code or similar provision of U.S. state or local tax law, as applicable, or any other event (including the execution of IRS Form 870-AD) that finally and conclusively establishes the amount of any liability for Tax.

Dispute” is defined in Section 7.8(a) of this Agreement.

Early Termination Date” means the date of an Early Termination Notice for purposes of determining the Early Termination Payment.

Early Termination Effective Date” means the date on which an Early Termination Schedule becomes binding pursuant to Section 4.2.

Early Termination Notice” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.

Early Termination Payment” is defined in Section 4.3(b) of this Agreement.

Early Termination Rate” means a per annum rate of LIBOR plus 100 basis points.

Early Termination Schedule” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.

Exchange” is defined in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Exchange Agreement” means the Exchange Agreement, dated on or about the date hereof, between the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo and the holders of Units from time to time party thereto, as such agreement may be further amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time.

Exchange Covered Tax Assets” means, with respect to an Exchange TRA Party, (a) Basis Adjustments and (b) Imputed Interest. For the avoidance of doubt, Exchange Covered Tax Assets shall include any carryforwards or similar attributes that are attributable to the Tax items described in clauses (a) and (b).

Exchange Date” means the date of any Exchange.

Exchange TRA Parties” means the Persons listed on Annex C.

 

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Expert” is defined in Section 7.9 of this Agreement.

Hypothetical Tax Liability” means, with respect to any Taxable Year, the liability for U.S. federal, state and local income Taxes of (a) the Corporate Taxpayer and (b) without duplication, OpCo and its Subsidiaries, but in the case of this clause (b) only with respect to U.S. federal, state and local income Taxes imposed on OpCo and its Subsidiaries and allocable to the Corporate Taxpayer, in each case, using the same methods, elections, conventions, and practices used on the relevant Corporate Taxpayer Return but calculated (i) without taking into account the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any carryforward or carryback of any tax item attributable to the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets) and (ii) by assuming (A) that any Subsequently Acquired TRA Attributes do not exist, (B) solely for purposes of calculating the state and local Hypothetical Tax Liability of the Corporate Taxpayer, that the applicable tax rate is the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and (C) solely for purposes of calculating the Corporate Taxpayer’s U.S. federal Hypothetical Tax Liability, in order to prevent double counting, that state and local income and franchise Taxes are not deductible by the Corporate Taxpayer for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Imputed Interest” in respect of a TRA Party means any interest imputed under Section 1272, 1274 or 483 or other provision of the Code with respect to the Corporate Taxpayer’s payment obligations in respect of such TRA Party under this Agreement.

Interest Amount” is defined in Section 3.1(b) of this Agreement.

IPO” means the initial public offering of Class A Shares by the Corporate Taxpayer.

IPO Date” means the closing date of the IPO.

IRS” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

LIBOR” means during any period, the rate which appears on the Bloomberg Page BBAM1 (or on such other substitute Bloomberg page that displays rates at which U.S. dollar deposits are offered by leading banks in the London interbank deposit market or such other commercially available source providing quotations of such rates as may be designated by Corporate Taxpayer from time to time), or the rate which is quoted by another source selected by the Corporate Taxpayer as an authorized information vendor for the purpose of displaying rates at which U.S. dollar deposits are offered by leading banks in the London interbank deposit market (an “Alternate Source”), at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, two (2) Business Days prior to the first day of such period as the London interbank offered rate for U.S. dollars having a borrowing date and a maturity comparable to such period (or if there shall at any time, for any reason, no longer exist a Bloomberg Page BBAM1 (or any substitute page) or any LIBOR Alternate Source, a comparable replacement rate determined by the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative at such time, which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error); provided that at no time shall LIBOR be less than 0%. If the Corporate Taxpayer has made the determination (such determination to be conclusive absent manifest error) that (i) LIBOR is no longer a widely recognized benchmark rate for newly originated loans in the U.S. loan market in U.S. dollars or (ii) the applicable supervisor or administrator (if any) of LIBOR

 

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has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which LIBOR shall no longer be used for determining interest rates for loans in the U.S. loan market in U.S. dollars, then the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative shall (as determined by the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative to be consistent with market practice generally), establish a replacement interest rate (the “Replacement Rate”), in which case, the Replacement Rate shall, subject to the next two sentences, replace LIBOR for all purposes under this Agreement. In connection with the establishment and application of the Replacement Rate, this Agreement shall be amended solely with the consent of the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative, as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable judgment of the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative, to effect the provisions of this section. The Replacement Rate shall be applied in a manner consistent with market practice; provided that in each case, to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Corporate Taxpayer, such Replacement Rate shall be applied as otherwise reasonably determined by the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative.

LLC Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of OpCo, dated on or about the date hereof, as such agreement may be further amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time.

Market Value” shall mean the closing price of the Class A Shares on the applicable Exchange Date on the national securities exchange or interdealer quotation system on which such Class A Shares are then traded or listed, as reported by the Wall Street Journal; provided that if the closing price is not reported by the Wall Street Journal for the applicable Exchange Date, then the Market Value shall mean the closing price of the Class A Shares on the Business Day immediately preceding such Exchange Date on the national securities exchange or interdealer quotation system on which such Class A Shares are then traded or listed, as reported by the Wall Street Journal; provided, further, that if the Class A Shares are not then listed on a national securities exchange or interdealer quotation system, “Market Value” shall mean the cash consideration paid for Class A Shares, or the fair market value of the other property delivered for Class A Shares, as determined by the Board in good faith. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the above sentence, to the extent property is exchanged for cash in a transaction, the Market Value shall be determined by reference to the amount of cash transferred in such transaction.

Master Reorganization Agreement” means the Master Reorganization Agreement, dated on or about the date hereof, by and among the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo and certain other parties thereto.

Net Tax Benefit” is defined in Section 3.1(b) of this Agreement.

Objection Notice” is defined in Section 2.3(a) of this Agreement.

OpCo” is defined in the Recitals to this Agreement.

Permitted Investors” means, individually or collectively, any investment fund, co-investment vehicles and/or other similar vehicles or accounts, in each case managed by an Affiliate of The Blackstone Group L.P., or any of their respective successors.

 

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Person” means any individual, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, estate, trust, business association, organization, governmental entity or other entity.

Pre-Exchange Transfer” means any transfer (including upon the death of a member) or distribution in respect of one or more Units (a) that occurs prior to an Exchange of such Units, and (b) to which Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code applies.

Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets” means, with respect to a Reorganization TRA Party, (a) any net operating loss carryforwards, disallowed interest expense carryforwards under Section 163(j) of the Code, or tax credit carryforwards, in each case relating to taxable periods ending on or prior to the IPO Date, attributable to the Blocker Entity previously owned by such Reorganization TRA Party that are available to offset income or gain of the Corporate Taxpayer in periods (or portions thereof) beginning after the IPO Date and (b) Imputed Interest. For the avoidance of doubt, Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets shall include any carryforwards, carrybacks or similar attributes that are attributable to the Tax items described in clause (b).

Realized Tax Benefit” means, for a Taxable Year, the excess, if any, of the Hypothetical Tax Liability over the Actual Tax Liability. If all or a portion of the actual liability for such Taxes for the Taxable Year arises as a result of an audit by a Taxing Authority of any Taxable Year, such liability shall not be included in determining the Realized Tax Benefit unless and until there has been a Determination.

Realized Tax Detriment” means, for a Taxable Year, the excess, if any, of the Actual Tax Liability over the Hypothetical Tax Liability. If all or a portion of the actual liability for such Taxes for the Taxable Year arises as a result of an audit by a Taxing Authority of any Taxable Year, such liability shall not be included in determining the Realized Tax Detriment unless and until there has been a Determination.

Reconciliation Dispute” is defined in Section 7.9 of this Agreement.

Reconciliation Procedures” is defined in Section 2.3(a) of this Agreement.

Reference Asset” means any tangible or intangible asset that is held by OpCo or any of its successors or assigns, and any asset held by any entities in which OpCo owns a direct or indirect equity interest that are treated as a partnership or disregarded entity (but only to the extent such entities are held through other entities that are treated as partnerships or disregarded entities) for purposes of the applicable Tax, as of the relevant date. A Reference Asset also includes any asset that is “substituted basis property” under Section 7701(a)(42) of the Code with respect to a Reference Asset.

Reorganization” is defined in the Recitals to this Agreement.

Reorganization TRA Parties” means the persons listed on Annex B.

Schedule” means any of the following: (a) an Attribute Schedule; (b) a Tax Benefit Schedule; or (c) the Early Termination Schedule.

 

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Senior Obligations” is defined in Section 5.1 of this Agreement.

Subsequently Acquired TRA Attributes” means, except as otherwise determined by the Board (with the approval of the TRA Party Representative), any net operating losses, tax basis or other tax attributes to which any of the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo or any entity in which they hold a direct or indirect equity interest become entitled as a result of a transaction (other than any Exchanges undertaken by an Exchange TRA Party) after the IPO Date, to the extent such net operating losses, tax basis and other tax attributes are subject to a tax receivable agreement (or comparable agreement) entered into after the date hereof by the Corporate Taxpayer or any of its Controlled Affiliates pursuant to which any member forming part of the Corporate Taxpayer is obligated to pay over amounts with respect to tax benefits resulting from such net operating losses, tax basis or other tax attributes.

Subsidiaries” means, with respect to any Person, as of any date of determination, any other Person as to which such Person, owns, directly or indirectly, or otherwise controls more than 50% of the voting power or other similar interests or the sole general partner interest or managing member or similar interest of such Person.

Tax Benefit Payment” is defined in Section 3.1(b) of this Agreement.

Tax Benefit Schedule” is defined in Section 2.2(a) of this Agreement.

Tax Return” means any return, declaration, report or similar statement required to be filed with respect to Taxes (including any attached schedules), including, without limitation, any information return, claim for refund, amended return and declaration of estimated Tax.

Taxable Year” means a taxable year of the Corporate Taxpayer as defined in Section 441(b) of the Code or comparable sections of U.S. state or local tax law, as applicable (and, therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, may include a period of less than twelve (12) months for which a Tax Return is made), ending on or after the IPO Date.

Taxes” means any and all U.S. federal, state or local taxes, assessments or similar charges that are based on or measured with respect to net income or profits (including alternative minimum taxes and any franchise taxes imposed in lieu of an income tax), and any interest related to such Tax.

Taxing Authority” shall mean any domestic, federal, national, state, county or municipal or other local government, any subdivision, agency, commission or authority thereof, or any quasi-governmental body exercising any taxing authority or any other authority exercising Tax regulatory authority.

TRA Parties” means the Exchange TRA Parties and the Reorganization TRA Parties.

TRA Party Representative” means, initially, Vine Investment LLC, and thereafter, that TRA Party or committee of TRA Parties determined from time to time by a plurality vote of the TRA Parties ratably in accordance with their right to receive Early Termination Payments hereunder.

 

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Treasury Regulations” means the final, temporary and (to the extent they can be relied upon) proposed regulations under the Code promulgated from time to time (including corresponding provisions and succeeding provisions) as in effect for the relevant taxable period.

Units” is defined in the Recitals of this Agreement.

Valuation Assumptions” shall mean, as of an Early Termination Date, the assumptions that (a) in each Taxable Year ending on or after such Early Termination Date, the Corporate Taxpayer will have taxable income sufficient to fully use the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets (other than any such Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets or Exchange Covered Tax Assets that constitute or have resulted in net operating losses, disallowed interest expense carryforwards, or credit carryforwards or carryovers (determined as of the Early Termination Date), which shall be governed by clause (d) below) during such Taxable Year or future Taxable Years in which such deductions or other attributes would become available; (b) the U.S. federal income tax rates that will be in effect for each such Taxable Year will be those specified for each such Taxable Year by the Code and other law as in effect on the Early Termination Date, except to the extent any change to such tax rates for such Taxable Year have already been enacted into law; (c) the tax rate for U.S. state and local income taxes shall be the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate as in effect for the Taxable Year of the Early Termination Date; (d) any net operating loss, disallowed interest expense, or credit carryovers or carrybacks (or similar items with respect to carryovers or carrybacks) that constitute or that were generated by any Pre-IPO Covered Tax Asset or Exchange Covered Tax Asset and available as of the Early Termination Date will be used by the Corporate Taxpayer ratably over a period beginning on the Early Termination Date and ending on the earlier of (i) five years following the Early Termination Date or (ii) the scheduled expiration date, if any, under applicable Tax law of such net operating losses, disallowed interest expense, or credit carryovers or carrybacks (or similar items with respect to carryovers or carrybacks); provided that if the Corporate Taxpayer is prevented from fully using any net operating loss, disallowed interest expense, or credit carryover pursuant to Section 382 or Section 383 of the Code, the amount used for purposes of this provision shall not exceed the amount that would otherwise be utilized under Section 382 or Section 383 of the Code and the five year period described clause (d)(i) shall be proportionately increased to reflect such limit; (e) any non-amortizable Reference Assets (other than equity interests in Subsidiaries that are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) will be disposed of in a fully taxable transaction on the fifteenth anniversary of the applicable Exchange (in the case of Exchange Covered Tax Assets) or the IPO Date (in the case of Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets) and any cash equivalents will be disposed of twelve (12) months following the Early Termination Date; provided that, in the event of a Change of Control that includes a taxable sale of such Reference Asset (or the sale of all of the equity interests in a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes that directly or indirectly owns such Reference Asset), such non-amortizable Reference Asset shall be deemed disposed of at the time of the direct or indirect sale of the relevant Reference Asset in such Change of Control (if earlier than such fifteenth anniversary) for the applicable purchase price; (f) if, on the Early Termination Date, any Exchange TRA Party has Units that have not been Exchanged, then such Units shall be deemed to be Exchanged for the Market Value that would be received by such Exchange TRA Party if such Units had been Exchanged on the Early Termination Date, and such Exchange TRA Party shall be deemed to receive the amount of cash such Exchange TRA Party would have been entitled to pursuant to Section 4.3(a) had such Units actually been Exchanged on the Early

 

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Termination Date; (g) any payment obligations pursuant to this Agreement will be satisfied on the date that any Tax Return to which such payment obligation relates is required to be filed excluding any extensions; and (h) for purposes of calculating depletion deductions and resulting reductions in adjusted tax basis with respect to depletable properties held by OpCo and its Subsidiaries that are treated as disregarded entities or partnerships for U.S. federal tax purposes, (i) the remaining recoverable reserves with respect to each such property are equal to the recoverable reserves estimated in the most recent reserve report relating to such property (or, if there is no reserve report with respect to such property, the most recent estimate of recoverable reserves with respect to such property which is reflected in the financial records of OpCo) and (ii) OpCo (or such Subsidiaries) will recover the remaining recoverable reserves with respect to each such depletable property within the time estimated and at the rate reflected in the most recent reserve reports relating to such property (or, if there is no reserve report with respect to such property, the most recent estimate of the rate of recovery of recoverable reserves with respect to such property which is reflected in the financial records of OpCo).

ARTICLE II

DETERMINATION OF REALIZED TAX BENEFIT

Section 2.1 Attribute Schedule. Within ninety (90) calendar days after the filing of the IRS Form 1120 (or any successor form) of the Corporate Taxpayer for each relevant Taxable Year, the Corporate Taxpayer shall deliver to the TRA Party Representative a schedule (the “Attribute Schedule”) that shows, in reasonable detail necessary to perform the calculations required by this Agreement (a) the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets that are available for use by the Corporate Taxpayer with respect to each Reorganization TRA Party with respect to such Taxable Year and the portion of the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets that are available for use by the Corporate Taxpayer in future Taxable Years with respect to each Reorganization TRA Party and (b) the Exchange Covered Tax Assets that are available for use by the Corporate Taxpayer with respect to such Taxable Year with respect to each Exchange TRA Party that has effected an Exchange (including the Basis Adjustments with respect to the Reference Assets resulting from Exchanges effected in such Taxable Year and the periods over which such Basis Adjustments are amortizable or depreciable) and the portion of the Exchange Covered Tax Assets that are available for use by the Corporate Taxpayer in future Taxable Years with respect to each Exchange TRA Party that has effected an Exchange. The Attribute Schedule shall also list any limitations on the ability of the Corporate Taxpayer to utilize any Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets or Exchange Covered Tax Assets under applicable law (including as a result of the operation of Section 382 of the Code or Section 383 of the Code).

Section 2.2 Tax Benefit Schedule.

(a) Tax Benefit Schedule. Within ninety (90) calendar days after the filing of the IRS Form 1120 (or any successor form) of the Corporate Taxpayer for any relevant Taxable Year, the Corporate Taxpayer shall provide to the TRA Party Representative a schedule showing, in reasonable detail, the calculation of the Tax Benefit Payment in respect of each TRA Party for such Taxable Year and the calculation of the Realized Tax Benefit or a Realized Tax Detriment and the components thereof for such Taxable Year (a “Tax Benefit Schedule”). Each Tax Benefit Schedule will become final as provided in Section 2.3(a) and may be amended as provided in Section 2.3(b) (subject to the procedures set forth in Section 2.3(b)).

 

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(b) Applicable Principles. For purposes of calculating the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for any period, carryovers or carrybacks of any Tax item attributable to the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets shall be considered to be subject to the rules of the Code and the Treasury Regulations or the appropriate provisions of U.S. state and local income and franchise tax law, as applicable, governing the use, limitation and expiration of carryovers or carrybacks of the relevant type. If a carryover or carryback of any Tax item includes a portion that is attributable to a Pre-IPO Covered Tax Asset or an Exchange Covered Tax Asset and another portion that is not, such portions shall be considered to be used in accordance with a “with and without” methodology.

Section 2.3 Procedures, Amendments.

(a) Procedure. Every time the Corporate Taxpayer delivers to the TRA Party Representative an applicable Schedule under this Agreement, including any Amended Schedule delivered pursuant to Section 2.3(b) and any Early Termination Schedule or amended Early Termination Schedule, the Corporate Taxpayer shall also (i) deliver to the TRA Party Representative supporting schedules, valuation reports (if any), and work papers, as determined by the Corporate Taxpayer or as reasonably requested by the TRA Party Representative, providing reasonable detail regarding data and calculations that were relevant for purposes of preparing the Schedule and (ii) allow the TRA Party Representative reasonable access at no cost to the appropriate representatives at the Corporate Taxpayer, as determined by the Corporate Taxpayer or as reasonably requested by the TRA Party Representative, in connection with a review of such Schedule. Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, the Corporate Taxpayer shall ensure that any Tax Benefit Schedule that is delivered to the TRA Party Representative, along with any supporting schedules and work papers, provides a reasonably detailed presentation of the calculation of the Actual Tax Liability and the Hypothetical Tax Liability and identifies any material assumptions or operating procedures or principles that were used for purposes of such calculations. An applicable Schedule or amendment thereto shall become final and binding on all parties thirty (30) calendar days from the first date on which the TRA Party Representative received the applicable Schedule or amendment thereto under Section 7.1 unless the TRA Party Representative (i) within thirty (30) calendar days from such date provides the Corporate Taxpayer with notice of objection to such Schedule (“Objection Notice”) made in good faith or (ii) provides a written waiver of such right of any Objection Notice within the period described in clause (i) above, in which case such Schedule or amendment thereto becomes binding on the date the waiver is received by the Corporate Taxpayer. If the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative, for any reason, are unable to successfully resolve the issues raised in the Objection Notice within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt by the Corporate Taxpayer of an Objection Notice, the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative shall employ the reconciliation procedures as described in Section 7.9 of this Agreement (the “Reconciliation Procedures”).

(b) Amended Schedule. The applicable Schedule for any Taxable Year may be amended from time to time by the Corporate Taxpayer (i) in connection with a Determination affecting such Schedule, (ii) to correct inaccuracies in the Schedule identified as a result of the receipt of additional factual information relating to a Taxable Year after the date the Schedule was provided to the TRA Party Representative, (iii) to comply with the Expert’s determination under the Reconciliation Procedures, (iv) to reflect a change in the Realized Tax Benefit or

 

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Realized Tax Detriment for such Taxable Year attributable to a carryback or carryforward of a loss or other tax item to such Taxable Year, or (v) to reflect a change in the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for such Taxable Year attributable to an amended Tax Return filed for such Taxable Year (any such Schedule, an “Amended Schedule”). The Corporate Taxpayer shall provide an Amended Schedule to the TRA Party Representative within sixty (60) calendar days of the occurrence of an event referenced in clauses (i) through (v) of the preceding sentence.

ARTICLE III

TAX BENEFIT PAYMENTS

Section 3.1 Payments.

(a) Payments. Within five (5) calendar days after a Tax Benefit Schedule delivered to the TRA Party Representative becomes final in accordance with Section 2.3(a) and Section 7.9, if applicable, the Corporate Taxpayer shall pay or cause to be paid each TRA Party the Tax Benefit Payment determined pursuant to Section 3.1(b) that is Attributable to such relevant TRA Party. Each such Tax Benefit Payment shall be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the bank account previously designated by such TRA Party to the Corporate Taxpayer or as otherwise agreed by the Corporate Taxpayer and such TRA Party. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) no Tax Benefit Payment shall be made in respect of estimated tax payments, including, without limitation, U.S. federal estimated income tax payments, and (ii) the payments provided for pursuant to the above sentence shall be computed separately for each TRA Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, with respect to each Exchange by or with respect to any Exchange TRA Party, if such Exchange TRA Party notifies the Corporate Taxpayer in writing of a stated maximum selling price (within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 15A.453-1(c)(2)), then the amount of the consideration received in connection with such Exchange and the aggregate Tax Benefit Payments to such Exchange TRA Party in respect of such Exchange (other than amounts accounted for as interest under the Code) shall not exceed such stated maximum selling price.

(b) A “Tax Benefit Payment” in respect of a TRA Party for a Taxable Year means an amount, not less than zero, equal to the sum of the portion of the Net Tax Benefit that is Attributable to such TRA Party and the Interest Amount with respect thereto. A Net Tax Benefit is “Attributable” to a Reorganization TRA Party to the extent that it is derived from a Pre-IPO Covered Tax Asset with respect to the Blocker Entity that was previously owned by such Reorganization TRA Party or its respective transferor or successor. A Net Tax Benefit is “Attributable” to an Exchange TRA Party to the extent that is derived from an Exchange Covered Tax Asset with respect to Units that were Exchanged by such Exchange TRA Party. For the avoidance of doubt, for Tax purposes, the Interest Amount shall not be treated as interest but instead shall be treated as additional consideration for the acquisition of Units in Exchanges, unless otherwise required by law. Subject to Section 3.3(a), the “Net Tax Benefit” for a Taxable Year shall be an amount equal to the excess, if any, of 85% of the Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit as of the end of such Taxable Year, over the total amount of payments previously made under the first sentence of Section 3.1(a) (excluding payments attributable to Interest Amounts); provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, no such recipient shall be required to return any portion of any previously made Tax Benefit Payment. The “Interest Amount” in respect of a

 

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TRA Party shall equal the interest on the Net Tax Benefit calculated at the Agreed Rate from the due date (without extensions) for filing the IRS Form 1120 (or any successor form) of the Corporate Taxpayer with respect to Taxes for such Taxable Year until the payment date under Section 3.1(a).

Section 3.2 No Duplicative Payments. It is intended that the provisions of this Agreement will not result in duplicative payment of any amount (including interest) required under this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed in the appropriate manner to ensure such intentions are realized.

Section 3.3 Pro Rata Payments.

(a) Notwithstanding anything in Section 3.1 to the contrary, to the extent that the aggregate Tax benefit of the Corporate Taxpayer from the reduction in actual Tax liability as a result of the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets is limited in a particular Taxable Year because the Corporate Taxpayer does not have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize available deductions and other attributes, the Net Tax Benefit for the Corporate Taxpayer shall be allocated among the TRA Parties in proportion to the respective amounts of Tax Benefit Payments that would have been paid to each TRA Party under this Agreement if the Corporate Taxpayer had sufficient taxable income so that there were no such limitation; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of allocating among the TRA Parties the aggregate Tax Benefit Payments payable under this Agreement with respect to any Taxable Year, the operation of this Section 3.3(a) with respect to any prior Taxable Years shall be taken into account. Consistent with the foregoing, the Attribute Schedule for a given Taxable Year shall reflect the operation of this Section 3.3(a) in respect of previous Taxable Years, with the Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets described in such Attribute Schedule that are attributable to a TRA Party being adjusted to reflect payments received in respect of such Pre-IPO Covered Tax Assets and Exchange Covered Tax Assets (the intention of the parties being to avoid duplicative payments and maintain records sufficient to allow the Corporate Taxpayer to allocate Tax Benefit Payments consistent with the terms of this Section 3.3(a)).

(b) After taking into account Section 3.3(a), if for any reason the Corporate Taxpayer does not fully satisfy its payment obligations to make all Tax Benefit Payments due under this Agreement in respect of a particular Taxable Year (for example, as a result of having insufficient cash to make the Tax Benefit Payments due hereunder), then the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Parties agree that (i) the Corporate Taxpayer shall make payments due hereunder to the TRA Parties in respect of a Taxable Year in the same proportion as such payments would have been made if the relevant payment had been made in full by the Corporate Taxpayer and (ii) no Tax Benefit Payment shall be made in respect of any Taxable Year until all Tax Benefit Payments in respect of prior Taxable Years have been made in full.

 

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ARTICLE IV

TERMINATION

Section 4.1 Early Termination of Agreement; Breach of Agreement.

(a) The Corporate Taxpayer may terminate this Agreement with respect to all amounts payable to the TRA Parties and with respect to all of the Units held by the TRA Parties at any time by paying to each TRA Party the Early Termination Payment in respect of such TRA Party; provided, however, that this Agreement shall only terminate upon the full payment of the Early Termination Payment to all TRA Parties as set forth in Section 4.3(a); provided, further, that the Corporate Taxpayer may withdraw any notice to execute its termination rights under this Section 4.1(a) prior to the time at which any Early Termination Payment has been paid. Upon full payment of the Early Termination Payment by the Corporate Taxpayer to all TRA Parties, none of the TRA Parties or the Corporate Taxpayer shall have any further payment rights or obligations under this Agreement. If an Exchange occurs after the Corporate Taxpayer makes all of the required Early Termination Payments, the Corporate Taxpayer shall have no obligations under this Agreement with respect to such Exchange.

(b) In the event that the Corporate Taxpayer (i) breaches any of its material obligations under this Agreement, whether as a result of failure to make any payment within three (3) months of the date when due, failure to honor any other material obligation required hereunder or by operation of law as a result of the rejection of this Agreement in a case commenced under the Bankruptcy Code or otherwise or (ii) (A) shall commence any case, proceeding or other action (1) under any existing or future law of any jurisdiction, domestic or foreign, relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or relief of debtors, seeking to have an order for relief entered with respect to it, or seeking to adjudicate it a bankrupt or insolvent, or seeking reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, winding-up, liquidation, dissolution, composition or other relief with respect to it or its debts or (2) seeking an appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator or other similar official for it or for all or any substantial part of its assets, or it shall make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (B) there shall be commenced against Corporate Taxpayer any case, proceeding or other action of the nature referred to in clause (A) above that remains undismissed or undischarged for a period of sixty (60) calendar days, all obligations hereunder shall be automatically accelerated and shall be immediately due and payable, and such obligations shall be calculated as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the date of such breach. Procedures similar to the procedures of Section 4.2 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, with respect to the determination of the amount payable by the Corporate Taxpayer pursuant to this Section 4.1(b). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Corporate Taxpayer breaches this Agreement, the TRA Party Representative shall be entitled to elect jointly on behalf of all TRA Parties for such TRA Parties to receive the amounts referred to in this Section 4.1(b) or to seek specific performance of the terms under this Agreement. The parties agree that the failure to make any payment due pursuant to this Agreement within three (3) months of the date such payment is due shall be deemed to be a breach of a material obligation under this Agreement for all purposes of this Agreement, and that it will not be considered to be a breach of a material obligation under this Agreement to make a payment due pursuant to this Agreement within three (3) months of the date such payment is due. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, it shall not be a breach of a material obligation under this Agreement if the Corporate Taxpayer fails to make any Tax Benefit Payment when due to the extent that the Corporate Taxpayer has insufficient funds to make such payment despite using commercially reasonable efforts to obtain funds to make such payment; provided that (i) the interest provisions of Section 5.2 shall apply to such late payment and (ii) solely with respect to a Tax Benefit Payment, if the Corporate Taxpayer does not have sufficient cash to make such payment as a result of limitations imposed by any credit agreements to which OpCo or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, Section 5.2 shall apply, but the Default Rate shall be replaced by the Agreed Rate.

 

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(c) In the event of a Change of Control, all obligations hereunder shall be accelerated and such obligations shall be calculated as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the date of such Change of Control. Procedures similar to the procedures of Section 4.2 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, with respect to the determination of the amount payable by the Corporate Taxpayer pursuant to this Section 4.1(c).

Section 4.2 Early Termination Notice. If the Corporate Taxpayer chooses to exercise its right of early termination under Section 4.1(a) above, the Corporate Taxpayer shall deliver to the TRA Party Representative notice of such intention to exercise such right (“Early Termination Notice”). In addition, if the Corporate Taxpayer chooses to exercise its right of early termination under Section 4.1(a) above, or the obligations under this Agreement are accelerated under Section 4.1(b) or Section 4.1(c) above, the Corporate Taxpayer shall deliver to the TRA Party Representative a schedule (the “Early Termination Schedule”) showing in reasonable detail the calculation of the Early Termination Payment due to each TRA Party. Such Early Termination Schedule shall become final and binding on all parties consistent with the procedures described in Section 2.3(a).

Section 4.3 Payment upon Early Termination.

(a) Subject to its right to withdraw any notice of Early Termination pursuant to Section 4.1(a), within three (3) calendar days after an Early Termination Effective Date, the Corporate Taxpayer shall pay to each TRA Party an amount equal to the Early Termination Payment in respect of such TRA Party. Such payment shall be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the bank account previously designated by the TRA Party or as otherwise agreed by the Corporate Taxpayer and such TRA Party.

(b) The “Early Termination Payment” in respect of a TRA Party shall equal, without duplication, (i) the present value, discounted at the Early Termination Rate as of the applicable Early Termination Effective Date, of all Tax Benefit Payments in respect of such TRA Party that would be required to be paid by the Corporate Taxpayer beginning from the Early Termination Date and assuming that the Valuation Assumptions in respect of such TRA Party are applied, plus (ii) any Tax Benefit Payment due and payable with respect to such TRA Party that is unpaid as of the date of the Early Termination Notice, plus (iii) any Tax Benefit Payment not yet due and payable with respect to such TRA Party for a Taxable Year ending prior to the date of the Early Termination Notice, plus (iv) any interest accruing on the amounts described in clauses (i) through (iii) (which shall include interest accruing on the amount described in clause (i) from the date of the Early Termination Notice). For the avoidance of doubt, no TRA Party shall be required to return any portion of any previously received Early Termination Payment in the event of a later determination occurring after the date on which such Early Termination Payment was made.

 

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ARTICLE V

SUBORDINATION AND LATE PAYMENTS

Section 5.1 Subordination. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment required to be made by the Corporate Taxpayer to the TRA Parties under this Agreement shall rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to any principal, interest or other amounts due and payable in respect of any obligations in respect of indebtedness for borrowed money of the Corporate Taxpayer and its Subsidiaries (“Senior Obligations”) and shall rank pari passu in right of payment with all current or future unsecured obligations of the Corporate Taxpayer that are not Senior Obligations. To the extent that any payment under this Agreement is not permitted to be made at the time payment is due as a result of this Section 5.1 and the terms of agreements governing Senior Obligations, such payment obligation nevertheless shall accrue for the benefit of TRA Parties and the Corporate Taxpayer shall make such payments at the first opportunity that such payments are permitted to be made in accordance with the terms of the Senior Obligations. Payments under any tax receivable agreement (or similar agreement) entered into by the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo or their Subsidiaries after the date hereof shall be subordinate to all payments owed pursuant to this Agreement, and no such payments shall be made for so long as the Corporate Taxpayer has any unpaid obligation pursuant this Agreement.

Section 5.2 Late Payments by the Corporate Taxpayer. The amount of all or any portion of any Tax Benefit Payment, Early Termination Payment or other payment not made to the TRA Parties when due under the terms of this Agreement, whether as a result of Section 5.1 or otherwise, shall be payable together with any interest thereon, computed at the Default Rate (or, if so provided in Section 4.1(b), at the Agreed Rate) and commencing from the date on which such Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment was first due and payable to the date of actual payment.

ARTICLE VI

NO DISPUTES; CONSISTENCY; COOPERATION

Section 6.1 Participation in the Corporate Taxpayer’s and OpCo’s Tax Matters. Except as otherwise provided herein and the LLC Agreement, the Corporate Taxpayer shall have full responsibility for, and sole discretion over, all Tax matters concerning the Corporate Taxpayer and OpCo, including without limitation the preparation, filing or amending of any Tax Return and defending, contesting or settling any issue pertaining to Taxes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporate Taxpayer shall notify the TRA Party Representative of, and keep the TRA Party Representative reasonably informed with respect to, the portion of any audit of the Corporate Taxpayer and OpCo by a Taxing Authority the outcome of which is reasonably expected to materially affect the rights and obligations of a TRA Party under this Agreement, and shall provide to the TRA Party Representative reasonable opportunity to provide information and other input to the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo and their respective advisors concerning the conduct of any such portion of such audit, which information and other input the Corporate Taxpayer and OpCo, as applicable, shall consider in good faith.

 

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Section 6.2 Consistency. The Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Parties agree to report and cause to be reported for all purposes, including U.S. federal, state and local tax purposes and financial reporting purposes, all Tax-related items (including, without limitation, the Basis Adjustments and each Tax Benefit Payment) in a manner consistent with that contemplated by this Agreement or specified by the Corporate Taxpayer in any Schedule required to be provided by or on behalf of the Corporate Taxpayer under this Agreement unless otherwise required by law. The Corporate Taxpayer shall (and shall cause OpCo and its other Subsidiaries to) use reasonable efforts (for the avoidance of doubt, taking into account the interests and entitlements of all TRA Parties under this Agreement) to defend the Tax treatment contemplated by this Agreement and any Schedule in any audit, contest or similar proceeding with any Taxing Authority.

Section 6.3 Cooperation. Each of the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo and the TRA Parties shall (a) furnish to the other parties in a timely manner such information, documents and other materials as the other party may reasonably request for purposes of making any determination or computation necessary or appropriate under this Agreement, preparing any Tax Return or defending any audit, examination or controversy with any Taxing Authority, (b) make itself reasonably available to the other parties and their respective representatives to provide explanations of documents and material and such other information as the other party or its representatives may reasonably request in connection with any of the matters described in clause (a) above, and (c) reasonably cooperate in connection with any such matter, and the Corporate Taxpayer shall reimburse each TRA Party for any reasonable third-party costs and expenses incurred by such TRA Party pursuant to this Section 6.3 at the request of the Corporate Taxpayer or OpCo.

ARTICLE VII

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 7.1 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given and received (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally, or by fax or email with confirmation of transmission by the transmitting equipment or (b) on the first Business Day following the date of dispatch if delivered by a recognized next-day courier service. All notices hereunder shall be delivered as set forth below, or pursuant to such other instructions as may be designated in writing by the party to receive such notice:

If to the Corporate Taxpayer, to:

Vine Energy Inc.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric Marsh, Chief Executive Officer

Fax:        (877) 992-0118

Email:     eric.marsh@vineoil.com

With a required copy to:

The Blackstone Group L.P.

345 Park Avenue, Suite 3300

 

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New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Fax:         (212) 201-2874

Email:     acconcia@blackstone.com

and

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey

Michael W. Rigdon

Fax:        (713) 835-3601

Email:     matt.pacey@kirkland.com

                michael.rigdon@kirkland.com

If to the TRA Party Representative:

Vine Investment LLC

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric Marsh, CEO

Facsimile: (877) 992-0118

Email: eric.marsh@vineoil.com

With a required copy to:

Blackstone Management Partners L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile:  (212) 201-2874

Email:        acconcia@blackstone.com

and

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

 William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile:   (713) 835-3601

Email:       matt.pacey@kirkland.com

 wbenitez@kirkland.com

 

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Any party may change its address, fax number or email by giving the other party written notice of its new address, fax number or email in the manner set forth above.

Section 7.2 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each of the parties and delivered to the other parties, it being understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually signed counterpart of this Agreement.

Section 7.3 Entire Agreement; No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each party hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, and nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

Section 7.4 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York.

Section 7.5 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any law or public policy, all other terms and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the greatest extent possible.

Section 7.6 Successors; Assignment; Amendments; Waivers.

(a) Each TRA Party may assign any of its rights under this Agreement to any Person as long as such transferee has executed and delivered, or, in connection with such transfer, executes and delivers, a joinder to this Agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, agreeing to become a TRA Party for all purposes of this Agreement, except as otherwise provided in such joinder.

(b) No provision of this Agreement may be amended unless such amendment is approved in writing by each of the Corporate Taxpayer and by the TRA Parties who would be entitled to receive at least two-thirds of the total amount of the Early Termination Payments payable to all TRA Parties hereunder if the Corporate Taxpayer had exercised its right of early termination on the date of the most recent Exchange prior to such amendment (excluding, for purposes of this sentence, all payments made to any TRA Party pursuant to this Agreement since the date of such most recent Exchange); provided that no such amendment shall be effective if such amendment will have a disproportionate effect on the payments one or more TRA Parties

 

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receive under this Agreement unless such amendment is consented in writing by such TRA Parties disproportionately affected who would be entitled to receive at least two-thirds of the total amount of the Early Termination Payments payable to all TRA Parties disproportionately affected hereunder if the Corporate Taxpayer had exercised its right of early termination on the date of the most recent Exchange prior to such amendment (excluding, for purposes of this sentence, all payments made to any TRA Party pursuant to this Agreement since the date of such most recent Exchange). No provision of this Agreement may be waived unless such waiver is in writing and signed by the party against whom the waiver is to be effective.

(c) All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Corporate Taxpayer shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Corporate Taxpayer, by written agreement, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Corporate Taxpayer would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

Section 7.7 Titles and Subtitles. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement.

Section 7.8 Resolution of Disputes.

(a) Any and all disputes which are not governed by Section 7.9 and cannot be settled amicably, including any ancillary claims of any party, arising out of, relating to or in connection with the validity, negotiation, execution, interpretation, performance or non-performance of this Agreement (including the validity, scope and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (each a “Dispute”) shall be finally settled by arbitration conducted by a single arbitrator in New York in accordance with the then-existing Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. If the parties to the Dispute fail to agree on the selection of an arbitrator within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt of the request for arbitration, the International Chamber of Commerce shall make the appointment. The arbitrator shall be a lawyer admitted to the practice of law in the State of New York and shall conduct the proceedings in the English language. Performance under this Agreement shall continue if reasonably possible during any arbitration proceedings.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this Section 7.8, the Corporate Taxpayer may bring an action or special proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of compelling a party to arbitrate, seeking temporary or preliminary relief in aid of an arbitration hereunder, and/or enforcing an arbitration award and, for the purposes of this paragraph (b), each TRA Party (i) expressly consents to the application of paragraph (c) of this Section 7.8 to any such action or proceeding, (ii) agrees that proof shall not be required that monetary damages for breach of the provisions of this Agreement would be difficult to calculate and that remedies at law would be inadequate, and (iii) irrevocably appoints the Corporate Taxpayer as agent of such TRA Party for service of process in connection with any such action or proceeding and agrees that service of process upon such agent, who shall promptly advise the TRA Party of any such service of process, shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the TRA Party in any such action or proceeding.

 

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(c) EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF COURTS LOCATED IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING BROUGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION 7.8, OR ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING ANCILLARY TO AN ARBITRATION OR CONTEMPLATED ARBITRATION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO OR CONCERNING THIS AGREEMENT. Such ancillary judicial proceedings include any suit, action or proceeding to compel arbitration, to obtain temporary or preliminary judicial relief in aid of arbitration, or to confirm an arbitration award. The parties acknowledge that the fora designated by this paragraph (c) have a reasonable relation to this Agreement, and to the parties’ relationship with one another. The parties hereby waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which they now or hereafter may have to personal jurisdiction or to the laying of venue of any such ancillary suit, action or proceeding brought in any court referred to in the preceding paragraph of this Section 7.8 and such parties agree not to plead or claim the same.

Section 7.9 Reconciliation. In the event that the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative are unable to resolve a disagreement with respect to a Schedule (“Reconciliation Dispute”), the Reconciliation Dispute shall be submitted for determination to a nationally recognized expert (the “Expert”) in the particular area of disagreement mutually acceptable to both parties. The Expert shall be a partner, principal or senior employee in a nationally recognized accounting or law firm, and unless the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative agree otherwise, the Expert shall not, and the firm that employs the Expert shall not, have any material relationship with the Corporate Taxpayer or the TRA Party Representative or other actual or potential conflict of interest. If the Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative are unable to agree on an Expert within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt by the respondent(s) of written notice of a Reconciliation Dispute, the Expert shall be appointed by the International Chamber of Commerce Centre for Expertise. The Expert shall resolve any matter relating to a Schedule or an amendment thereto within (15) calendar days or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, in each case, after the matter has been submitted to the Expert for resolution. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, if the matter is not resolved before any payment that is the subject of a disagreement would be due (in the absence of such disagreement) or any Tax Return reflecting the subject of a disagreement is due, the undisputed amount shall be paid on the date prescribed by this Agreement and such Tax Return may be filed as prepared by the Corporate Taxpayer, subject to adjustment or amendment upon resolution. The costs and expenses relating to the engagement of such Expert or amending any Tax Return shall be borne by the Corporate Taxpayer except as provided in the next sentence. The Corporate Taxpayer and the TRA Party Representative shall bear their own costs and expenses of such proceeding, unless (a) the Expert adopts the TRA Party Representative’s position, in which case the Corporate Taxpayer shall reimburse the TRA Party Representative for any reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses in such proceeding, or (b) the Expert adopts the Corporate Taxpayer’s position, in which case the TRA Party Representative shall reimburse the Corporate Taxpayer for any reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses in such proceeding. The Expert shall finally determine any Reconciliation Dispute and the determinations of the Expert pursuant to this Section 7.9 shall be binding on the Corporate Taxpayer and each of the TRA Parties and may be entered and enforced in any court having jurisdiction.

 

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Section 7.10 Withholding. The Corporate Taxpayer shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any payment payable pursuant to this Agreement such amounts as the Corporate Taxpayer is required to deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment under the Code or any provision of U.S. state, local or foreign tax law. To the extent that amounts are so deducted or withheld and paid over to the appropriate Taxing Authority by the Corporate Taxpayer, such deducted or withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the Person in respect of whom such deduction or withholding was made. Each TRA Party shall promptly provide the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo or other applicable withholding agent with any applicable Tax forms and certifications (including IRS Form W-9 or the applicable version of IRS Form W-8) reasonably requested in connection with determining whether any such deductions and withholdings are required under the Code or any provision of U.S. state, local or foreign tax law. The Corporate Taxpayer will consider in good faith any applicable certificates, forms or documentation provided by a TRA Party that in such TRA Party’s reasonable determination reduce or eliminate any such withholding.

Section 7.11 Admission of the Corporate Taxpayer into a Consolidated Group; Transfers of Corporate Assets.

(a) If the Corporate Taxpayer is or becomes a member of an affiliated or consolidated group of corporations that files a consolidated income tax return pursuant to Sections 1501 et seq. of the Code or any corresponding provisions of state or local law, then: (i) the provisions of this Agreement shall be applied with respect to the group as a whole; and (ii) Tax Benefit Payments, Early Termination Payments and other applicable items hereunder shall be computed with reference to the consolidated taxable income of the group as a whole.

(b) If the Corporate Taxpayer or any member of a group described in Section 7.11(a) transfers one or more Reference Assets to a corporation (or a Person classified as a corporation for U.S. income tax purposes) other than a member of a group described in Section 7.11(a) (or if any entity that holds Reference Assets transfers any Reference Asset to a corporation (or a Person classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) other than a member of a group described in Section 7.11(a)), such entity, for purposes of calculating the amount of any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment due hereunder, shall be treated as having disposed of such Reference Asset in a fully taxable transaction on the date of such transfer. The consideration deemed to be received by such entity shall be equal to the fair market value of the transferred Reference Assets plus the amount of any debt to which such Reference Assets is subject. For purposes of this Section 7.11(b), a transfer of a partnership interest shall be treated as a transfer of the transferring partner’s share of each of the assets and liabilities of that partnership. If any member of a group described in Section 7.11(a) that directly or indirectly owns any equity interests in OpCo ceases to be a member of such group (or the Corporate Taxpayer deconsolidates for U.S. federal income tax purposes from that group), then, except as otherwise agreed by the TRA Party Representative, such deconsolidated members of the group shall be treated prior to deconsolidation as having disposed of their directly or indirectly held equity of OpCo in a fully taxable transaction for consideration calculated in a manner consistent with the provisions of the preceding sentences. Notwithstanding anything to

 

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the contrary set forth herein, if the Corporate Taxpayer, its successor in interest or any member of a group described in Section 7.11(a) transfers its assets pursuant to a transaction described in Section 351 of the Code, pursuant to a transaction that qualifies as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code or pursuant to any other transaction to which Section 381(a) of the Code applies, the transfer will not cause such entity to be treated as having transferred any assets to a corporation (or a Person classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) pursuant to this Section 7.11(b) so long as the relevant successor is bound by the provisions of this Agreement.

Section 7.12 Confidentiality.

(a) Each TRA Party and each of their assignees acknowledge and agree that the information of the Corporate Taxpayer is confidential and, except in the course of performing any duties as necessary for the Corporate Taxpayer and its Affiliates, as required by law or legal process or to enforce the terms of this Agreement, such person shall keep and retain in the strictest confidence and not disclose to any Person any confidential matters, acquired pursuant to this Agreement, of the Corporate Taxpayer and its Affiliates and successors, concerning OpCo and its Affiliates and successors or the members, learned by the TRA Party heretofore or hereafter. This Section 7.12 shall not apply to (i) any information that has been made publicly available by the Corporate Taxpayer or any of its Affiliates (including as a result of public reporting obligations), becomes public knowledge (except as a result of an act of the TRA Party in violation of this Agreement) or is generally known to the business community and (ii) the disclosure of information to the extent necessary for the TRA Party to prepare and file its Tax Returns, to respond to any inquiries regarding the same from any Taxing Authority or to prosecute or defend any action, proceeding or audit by any Taxing Authority with respect to such returns. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, each TRA Party and each of their assignees (and each employee, representative or other agent of the TRA Party or its assignees, as applicable) may disclose to any and all Persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the Corporate Taxpayer, OpCo and their Affiliates, and any of their transactions, and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to the TRA Party relating to such tax treatment and tax structure.

(b) If a TRA Party or an assignee commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach, of any of the provisions of this Section 7.12, the Corporate Taxpayer shall have the right and remedy to have the provisions of this Section 7.12 specifically enforced by injunctive relief or otherwise by any court of competent jurisdiction without the need to post any bond or other security, it being acknowledged and agreed that any such breach or threatened breach shall cause irreparable injury to the Corporate Taxpayer or any of its Subsidiaries or the TRA Parties and the accounts and funds managed by the Corporate Taxpayer and that money damages alone shall not provide an adequate remedy to such Persons. Such rights and remedies shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available at law or in equity.

Section 7.13 Change in Law. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if, in connection with an actual or proposed change in law, an Exchange TRA Party reasonably believes that the existence of this Agreement could have material adverse tax consequences to such Exchange TRA Party or any direct or indirect owner of such Exchange TRA Party, then at the written election of such Exchange TRA Party at its sole discretion and to the extent specified

 

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therein by such Exchange TRA Party, this Agreement (a) shall cease to have further effect with respect to such Exchange TRA Party, (b) shall not apply to an Exchange by such Exchange TRA Party occurring after a date specified by such Exchange TRA Party, or (c) shall otherwise be amended in a manner determined by such Exchange TRA Party; provided that such amendment shall not result in an increase in or acceleration of payments under this Agreement at any time as compared to the amounts and times of payments that would have been due in the absence of such amendment.

Section 7.14 Tax Characterization and Elections. The parties intend that (a) each Exchange shall give rise to Basis Adjustments, (b) payments pursuant to this Agreement with respect to an Exchange (except with respect to amounts that constitute Imputed Interest) shall be treated as consideration in respect of such Exchange that give rise to additional Basis Adjustments, and (c) the rights received pursuant to this Agreement by the Reorganization TRA Parties and (without duplication) Tax Benefit Payments (excluding any amount that constitutes Imputed Interest thereon) made in respect of a Pre-IPO Covered Tax Asset will be treated as other property or money described in Section 351(b) of the Code received in the Reorganization, and the parties will not take any position on a tax return, audit, examination or other proceeding inconsistent with any of the intended tax treatment described in this Section 7.14 except upon an applicable contrary final Determination. The Corporate Taxpayer will ensure that, on and after the date hereof and continuing through the term of this Agreement, OpCo and each of its direct and indirect subsidiaries that it controls and that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes will have in effect an election under Section 754 of the Code.

Section 7.15 TRA Party Representative. By executing this Agreement, each of the TRA Parties shall be deemed to have irrevocably constituted the TRA Party Representative as his, her or its agent and attorney in fact with full power of substitution to act from and after the date hereof and to do any and all things and execute any and all documents on behalf of such TRA Parties which may be necessary, convenient or appropriate to facilitate any matters under this Agreement, including but not limited to: (a) execution of the documents and certificates required pursuant to this Agreement; (b) except to the extent specifically provided in this Agreement, receipt and forwarding of notices and communications pursuant to this Agreement; (c) administration of the provisions of this Agreement; (d) any and all consents, waivers, amendments or modifications deemed by the TRA Party Representative, in its sole and absolute discretion, to be necessary or appropriate under this Agreement and the execution or delivery of any documents that may be necessary or appropriate in connection therewith; (e) amending this Agreement or any of the instruments to be delivered to the Corporate Taxpayer pursuant to this Agreement; (f) taking actions the TRA Party Representative is expressly authorized to take pursuant to the other provisions of this Agreement; (g) negotiating and compromising, on behalf of such TRA Parties, any dispute that may arise under, and exercising or refraining from exercising any remedies available under, this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby and executing, on behalf of such TRA Parties, any settlement agreement, release or other document with respect to such dispute or remedy; and (h) engaging attorneys, accountants, agents or consultants on behalf of such TRA Parties in connection with this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby and paying any fees related thereto. The TRA Party Representative may resign upon thirty (30) calendar days’ written notice to the Corporate Taxpayer. All reasonable, documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the TRA Party Representative in its capacity as such shall be promptly reimbursed by the Corporate

 

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Taxpayer upon invoice and reasonable support therefor by the TRA Party Representative. To the fullest extent permitted by law, none of the TRA Party Representative, any of its Affiliates, or any of the TRA Party Representative’s or Affiliate’s directors, officers, employees or other agents (each a “Covered Person”) shall be liable, responsible or accountable in damages or otherwise to any TRA Party, OpCo or the Corporate Taxpayer for damages arising from any action taken or omitted to be taken by the TRA Party Representative or any other Person with respect to OpCo or the Corporate Taxpayer, except in the case of any action or omission which constitutes, with respect to such Person, willful misconduct or fraud. Each of the Covered Persons may consult with legal counsel, accountants, and other experts selected by it, and any act or omission suffered or taken by it on behalf of the TRA Parties or in furtherance of the interests of the TRA Parties in good faith in reliance upon and in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants, or other experts shall create a rebuttable presumption of the good faith and due care of such Covered Person with respect to such act or omission; provided that such counsel, accountants, or other experts were selected with reasonable care. Each of the Covered Persons may rely in good faith upon, and shall have no liability to OpCo, the Corporate Taxpayer or the TRA Parties for acting or refraining from acting upon, any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture, or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

[The remainder of this page is intentionally blank]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporate Taxpayer and each TRA Party have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

CORPORATE TAXPAYER:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
TRA PARTIES:
VINE INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
HARVEST INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement


HARVEST INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

  Name: Eric D. Marsh
  Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement


Annex A

Blocker Entities

Blackstone Vine - 892/US T-E Feeder Fund VI/BEP L.P.

Blackstone Brix-WI/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P.

Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund VI L.P.

Blackstone Brix-WI/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P.

Blackstone Harvest-R/892 Feeder Fund BEP II/II.F L.P.


Annex B

Reorganization TRA Parties

Vine Investment II LLC

Brix Investment II LLC

Harvest Investment II LLC


Annex C

Exchange TRA Parties

Vine Investment LLC

Brix Investment LLC

Harvest Investment LLC


Exhibit A

Form of Joinder Agreement

This JOINDER (this “Joinder”) to the Tax Receivable Agreement (as defined below), is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (including any successor corporation, the “Corporate Taxpayer”),                          (“Transferor”) and                          (“Permitted Transferee”).

WHEREAS, on                         , Permitted Transferee shall acquire                          percent of the Transferor’s right to receive payments that may become due and payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement (as defined below) (the “Acquired Interests”) from Transferor (the “Acquisition”); and

WHEREAS, Transferor, in connection with the Acquisition, has required Permitted Transferee to execute and deliver this Joinder pursuant to Section 7.6(a) of the Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, between the Corporate Taxpayer and each of the TRA Parties that are from time to time a party thereto (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”).

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective covenants and agreements set forth herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:

Section 1.1 Definitions. To the extent capitalized words used in this Joinder are not defined in this Joinder, such words shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Section 1.2 Acquisition. For good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged by Transferor and Permitted Transferee, Transferor hereby transfers and assigns absolutely to Permitted Transferee all of the Acquired Interests.

Section 1.3 Joinder. Permitted Transferee hereby acknowledges and agrees (i) that it has received and read the Tax Receivable Agreement, (ii) that Permitted Transferee is acquiring the Acquired Interests in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Tax Receivable Agreement and (iii) to become a “TRA Party” (as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement) for all purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Section 1.4 Notice. Any notice, request, consent, claim, demand, approval, waiver or other communication hereunder to Permitted Transferee shall be delivered or sent to Permitted Transferee at the address set forth on the signature page hereto in accordance with Section 7.1 of the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Section 1.5 Governing Law. This Joinder shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the State of New York.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporate Taxpayer, Transferor and Permitted Transferee have duly executed this Joinder as of the date first written above.

 

CORPORATE TAXPAYER:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

                          

  Name:
  Title:
TRANSFEROR:
TRANSFEROR
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

PERMITTED TRANSFEREE:

 

PERMITTED TRANSFEREE

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

                                                                                                            Address for Notice to Permitted Transferee:

Exhibit 10.3

EXCHANGE AGREEMENT

THIS EXCHANGE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of March 17, 2021 (and effective as set forth in Section 3.16 of this Agreement), by and among Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Issuer”), Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Holdings”), Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment”), Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment”) and Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment”).

WHEREAS, the Parties desire to provide for the exchange of certain Class B Units of Vine Holdings and Class B Common Stock of the Issuer for shares of Class A Common Stock of the Issuer or, at the Issuer’s election, cash equal to the Cash Election Amount (as defined below), on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and undertakings contained herein and for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 Definitions.

The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.

Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

Brix Investment” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, federal or New York or Texas State holiday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City or Houston, Texas are authorized or required by law to close.

Cash Election” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(b) of this Agreement.

Cash Election Amount” means with respect to a particular Exchange, an amount of cash equal to the value of the shares of Class A Common Stock that would have been received in such Exchange absent any Cash Election as of the date of Vine Holdings’ delivery of such cash pursuant to Section 2.2 (the “Valuation Date”), decreased by any distributions received by the Investment Entity participating in the Exchange, with respect to the Class B Units that are the subject of the Exchange following the date of receipt by Vine Holdings of the surrendered Class B Units and where the record date for such distribution was after the date of receipt of such surrendered Class B Units. For this purpose, the value of a share of Class A Common Stock shall equal (i) the volume weighted average price of a share of Class A Common Stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the Valuation Date or (ii) in the event the share of Class A Common Stock is not then publicly traded, the value, as reasonably determined by the Issuer in good faith, that would be obtained in an arm’s length transaction for cash between an informed and willing buyer and an informed and willing seller, neither of whom is under any compulsion to purchase or sell, respectively, and without regard to the particular circumstances of the buyer or seller.


Cash Election Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(b) of this Agreement.

Class A Common Stock” means the Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Issuer.

Class B Common Stock” means the Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Issuer.

Class B Unit” means one (1) limited liability company unit representing a membership interest in Vine Holdings, designated as a Class B Unit in and issued pursuant to the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement.

Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Exchange” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(a) of this Agreement.

Exchange Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(b) of this Agreement.

Exchange Rate” means the number of shares of Class A Common Stock for which a Class B Unit (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock) is entitled to be exchanged. On the date of this Agreement, the Exchange Rate shall be one (1) for one (1), which Exchange Rate shall be subject to modification as provided in Section 2.4.

Harvest Investment” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

Investment Entity” means each of Brix Investment, Harvest Investment and Vine Investment, collectively, the “Investment Entities.”

IPO” means the initial public offering and sale of shares of Class A Common Stock, as contemplated by Vine Energy Inc.’s Registration Statement on Form S-1.

IRS” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Issuer” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

Parties” means the Issuer, Vine Holdings and the Investment Entities.

Registrable Securities” shall have the meaning set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Registration Rights Agreement” means the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021, by and among the Issuer, the Investment Entities and the other holders, as amended.

 

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Valuation Date” has the meaning set forth in the definition of Cash Election Amount in Article I of this Agreement.

Vine Holdings” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

Vine Holdings LLC Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Energy Holdings LLC, dated as of March 17, 2021, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.

Vine Investment” has the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

ARTICLE II

EXCHANGE OF CLASS B UNITS

2.1 Exchange of Class B Units.

(a) Subject to the provisions in this Article II and the provisions of the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement, each Investment Entity shall be entitled to exchange Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock) held by such Investment Entity at any time and from time to time. Each Investment Entity may surrender Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock) to Vine Holdings in exchange for either (i) the delivery by Vine Holdings of a number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the product of (A) such number of Class B Units surrendered multiplied by (B) the Exchange Rate or (ii), at the Issuer’s election, the delivery by Vine Holdings of cash equal to the Cash Election Amount calculated with respect to such Exchange (each, an “Exchange”). For the avoidance of doubt, if at any time an Investment Entity surrenders all of its Class B Units to Vine Holdings, it must concurrently surrender all shares of Class B Common Stock then held by it to Vine Holdings.

(b) On the date the Class B Units are surrendered pursuant to an Exchange (the “Exchange Date”), the Issuer shall be entitled to elect (a “Cash Election”) to settle the Exchange by the delivery to the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange (in the manner provided for in Section 2.2(a)), in lieu of the applicable number of shares of Class A Common Stock that would be received in such Exchange, an amount of cash equal to the Cash Election Amount for such Exchange. In order to make a Cash Election with respect to an Exchange, the Issuer must provide written notice (a “Cash Election Notice”) of such election to the Investment Entity participating in the Exchange prior to 1:00 pm, Houston time, on the Business Day after the date on which such Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock) shall have been received by Vine Holdings. If the Issuer fails to provide such written notice prior to such time, it shall not be entitled to make a Cash Election with respect to such Exchange.

 

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(c) Following settlement of the Exchange, whether by delivery of Class A Common Stock or exercise of a Cash Election, (i) all rights of the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange as holder of such exchanged Class B Units and shares of such exchanged Class B Common Stock shall cease and Vine Holdings shall deliver such exchanged Class B Units and such exchanged shares of Class B Common Stock to the Issuer for no additional consideration, and (ii) in the event the Issuer does not exercise a valid Cash Election, the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange shall be treated for all purposes as having become the record holder of such shares of Class A Common Stock received in such Exchange.

(d) In the event the Issuer elects to make a Cash Election with respect to an Investment Entity, it must simultaneously make the same Cash Election with respect to each Investment Entity that is participating in concurrently occurring Exchanges.

2.2 Exchange Procedures.

(a) If the Issuer makes a valid Cash Election with respect to an Exchange, then in accordance with and subject to the terms set forth in the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement the Issuer shall deliver to Vine Holdings, and Vine Holdings shall deliver to the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange, in each case, as directed by the recipient Party by wire transfer or ACH, the Cash Election Amount payable upon the Exchange.

(b) If the Issuer does not make a valid Cash Election with respect to an Exchange, then in accordance with and subject to the terms set forth in the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement Issuer shall issue and contribute to Vine Holdings, and Vine Holdings shall deliver to the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon the Exchange.

(c) Subject to the terms set forth in the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement, the Issuer may adopt reasonable procedures for the implementation of the exchange provisions set forth in this Article II, including, without limitation, procedures for the giving of notice of exchange and the surrender of Class B Units and shares of Class B Common Stock in the event that the Class B Units or shares of Class B Common Stock are uncertificated.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, in accordance with Section 3.6(b) of the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement, the Issuer may in its sole discretion elect to settle any Exchange hereunder by delivering shares of Class A Common Stock or the applicable Cash Election Amount directly to an exchanging Investment Entity in exchange for such Investment Entity’s delivery to the Issuer of the corresponding Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock). Any such transaction shall otherwise be effected on the terms and in the manner provided herein and shall constitute an “Exchange” for all purposes of this Agreement. In the event the Issuer makes an election pursuant to this Section 2.2(d) with respect to any specific Investment Entity, it shall make the same election with respect to all other Investment Entities who are participating in concurrently occurring Exchanges.

2.3 Exchange Restrictions.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, no Investment Entity shall be entitled to exchange Class B Units and shares of Class B Common Stock, and the Issuer and Vine Holdings shall have the right to refuse to honor any request for an Exchange, if such Exchange would be prohibited under applicable law or regulation.

 

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(b) To the extent the Issuer or Vine Holdings determines that the Class B Units do not meet the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.7704-1(h), the Issuer or Vine Holdings may impose such restrictions on any Exchange as the Issuer or Vine Holdings may reasonably determine to be necessary or advisable so that Vine Holdings is not treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the Code; provided, that each Investment Entity shall be entitled at any time to exchange Class B Units (together with the same number of shares of Class B Common Stock) for Class A Common Stock, provided that the number of Class B Units surrendered by such Investment Entity (and any related person within the meaning of Section 267(b) or Section 707(b)(1) of the Code) in such Exchanges during any thirty (30) calendar day period represent, in the aggregate, greater than 2% of the total interests in partnership capital or profits within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.7704-1(k) (provided that such Exchange constitutes part of a “block transfer” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.7704-1(e)(2)). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Exchange shall be permitted (and, if attempted, shall be void ab initio) if, in the good faith determination of the Issuer or Vine Holdings, such an Exchange would pose a material risk that Vine Holdings would be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” under Section 7704 of the Code.

2.4 Splits, Distributions and Reclassifications. The Exchange Rate and Cash Election Amount shall be adjusted accordingly and equitably if there is: (1) any subdivision (by split, distribution, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse split, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) of the Class B Units and Class B Common Stock that is not accompanied by an identical subdivision or combination of the shares of Class A Common Stock or (2) any subdivision (by split, distribution, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse split, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) of the shares of Class A Common Stock that is not accompanied by an identical subdivision or combination of the Class B Units and Class B Common Stock. In the event of a reclassification or other similar transaction as a result of which the shares of Class A Common Stock are converted into another security, then each Investment Entity shall be entitled to receive upon exchange the amount of such security that such Investment Entity would have received if such exchange had occurred immediately prior to the effective date of such reclassification or other similar transaction. Except as may be required in the immediately preceding sentence, no adjustments in respect of distributions shall be made upon the exchange of any Class B Unit and share of Class B Common Stock.

2.5 Taxes. The delivery of shares of Class A Common Stock upon an Exchange shall be made without charge to the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange for any stamp or other similar tax in respect of such issuance unless otherwise required by law.

2.6 Common Stock Issued. For the avoidance of doubt, the shares of Class A Common Stock issued in exchange for Class B Units and shares of Class B Common Stock will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, but will be Registrable Securities and subject to the provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

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2.7 Reserves. At all times, Issuer shall maintain a minimum number of unencumbered shares of Class A Common Stock reserved for issuance equal to the product of (A) the aggregate number of Class B Units held by the Investment Entities multiplied by (B) the Exchange Rate.

ARTICLE III

GENERAL PROVISIONS

3.1 Representations and Warranties of Issuer, Vine Holdings and the Investment Entities. Each of Issuer, Vine Holdings and the Investment Entities hereby represents and warrants to the respective other Parties as follows:

(a) it has all requisite power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by it and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of it, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law; and

(b) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by it will not result in any material breach or violation of or default or right of termination or acceleration under any statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, permit, concession, grant, franchise, license or other authorization or approval of any governmental authority, judgment, order or decree or any mortgage, agreement, deed of trust, indenture or any other instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties or assets are bound or which is otherwise applicable to it.

3.2 Representations and Warranties of Issuer and Vine Holdings. Each of Issuer and Vine Holdings hereby represents and warrants to each of the Investment Entities that, upon the valid surrender of Class B Units and shares of Class B Common Stock pursuant to an Exchange pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the Class A Common Stock delivered to an Investment Entity pursuant to such Exchange shall be duly and validly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable, and shall be issued in the name of the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange, or such other party as such Investment Entity may designate in writing, without charge for any stamp or other similar tax in respect of such issuance, and will pass to the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange or their designee, free and clear of any liens, security interests and other encumbrances other than any such liens, security interests or other encumbrances imposed by the Investment Entity participating in such Exchange.

3.3 Amendment. The provisions of this Agreement may be amended by the affirmative vote or written consent of each of (i) the Issuer, (ii) Vine Holdings and (iii) the holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding Class B Units (excluding Class B Units held by the Issuer), provided that, for so long as the Investment Entities (or other affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P.) hold at least 5% of the outstanding Class B Units, the prior written consent of such Investment Entities (or other affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P.) will be required for any amendment, supplement, waiver or modification of this Agreement.

 

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3.4 Addresses and Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given (and shall be deemed to have been duly given upon receipt) by delivery in person, by courier service, by fax, by electronic mail (delivery receipt requested) or by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the respective parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a party as shall be as specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 3.4):

(a) If to the Issuer or Vine Holdings, to:

Vine Energy Inc.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention:       Eric D. Marsh, President and Chief Executive Officer

Facsimile:       (877) 992-0118

With required copies to:

Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

and

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention:       Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

                      William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile:     (713) 835-3601

Email:           matt.pacey@kirkland.com

                       wbenitez@kirkland.com

(b) If to Vine Investment, to:

Vine Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

 

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With required copies to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention:           Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

                           William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile:         (713) 835-3601

Email:               matt.pacey@kirkland.com

                           wbenitez@kirkland.com

(c) If to Brix Investment, to:

Brix Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

With required copies to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention:       Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

                      William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile:     (713) 835-3601

Email:           matt.pacey@kirkland.com

                       wbenitez@kirkland.com

(d) If to Harvest Investment, to:

Harvest Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo Acconcia

Facsimile: (212) 201-2874

With required copies to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention:       Matthew R. Pacey, P.C.

                      William J. Benitez, P.C.

Facsimile:     (713) 835-3601

Email:           matt.pacey@kirkland.com

                       wbenitez@kirkland.com

 

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3.5 Further Action. The Parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.

3.6 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors, assigns and transferees of each of the parties hereto including, without limitation and without the need for an express assignment, subsequent holders of Class B Units and Class B Common Stock; provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to permit any assignment, transfer or other disposition of Class B Units and Class B Common Stock in violation of the terms of the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement or applicable law. Any Class B Units or shares of Class B Common Stock acquired from an Investment Entity (or a permitted assignee thereof) shall be entitled to all of the rights and be held subject to all of the obligations of this Agreement, and by taking and holding such Class B Units or shares of Class B Common Stock, such assignee shall be conclusively deemed to have agreed to be bound by and to perform all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement.

3.7 Third Party Beneficiary. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon anyone other than the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.

3.8 Section Headings. Headings contained in this Agreement are inserted only as a matter of convenience and in no way define, limit or extend the scope or intent of this Agreement or any provisions thereof.

3.9 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law, or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon a determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

3.10 Integration. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the Parties pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.

3.11 Waiver. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.

 

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3.12 Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial.

(a) Any and all disputes which cannot be settled amicably, including any ancillary claims of any party, arising out of, relating to or in connection with the validity, negotiation, execution, interpretation, performance or non-performance of this Agreement (including the validity, scope and enforceability of this arbitration provision) shall be finally settled by arbitration conducted by a single arbitrator in Delaware in accordance with the then-existing Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. If the parties to the dispute fail to agree on the selection of an arbitrator within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the request for arbitration, the International Chamber of Commerce shall make the appointment. The arbitrator shall be a lawyer and shall conduct the proceedings in the English language. Performance under this Agreement shall continue if reasonably possible during any arbitration proceedings.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), in the case of matters relating to an Exchange, the Issuer may bring, on behalf of the Issuer or Vine Holdings or on behalf of an Investment Entity, an action or special proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of compelling a party to arbitrate, seeking temporary or preliminary relief in aid of an arbitration hereunder, and/or enforcing an arbitration award and, for the purposes of this paragraph (b), Vine Holdings and each Investment Entity (i) expressly consent to the application of paragraph (c) of this Section 3.12 to any such action or proceeding, (ii) agree that proof shall not be required that monetary damages for breach of the provisions of this Agreement would be difficult to calculate and that remedies at law would be inadequate, and (iii) irrevocably appoint the Issuer, as their agent for service of process in connection with any such action or proceeding and agree that service of process upon such agent, who shall promptly advise Vine Holdings or the Investment Entities, as applicable, of any such service of process, shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon Vine Holdings or the Investment Entities, as applicable, in any such action or proceeding.

(c) THE PARTIES HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF COURTS LOCATED IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING BROUGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION 3.12, OR ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING ANCILLARY TO AN ARBITRATION OR CONTEMPLATED ARBITRATION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO OR CONCERNING THIS AGREEMENT. Such ancillary judicial proceedings include any suit, action or proceeding to compel arbitration, to obtain temporary or preliminary judicial relief in aid of arbitration, or to confirm an arbitration award. The Parties’ acknowledge that the fora designated by this paragraph (c) have a reasonable relation to this Agreement, and to the Parties’ relationship with one another. The Parties hereby waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which they now or hereafter may have to personal jurisdiction or to the laying of venue of any such ancillary suit, action or proceeding brought in any court referred to in the preceding paragraph of this Section 3.12 and such parties agree not to plead or claim the same.

 

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(d) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 3.12 shall be construed to the maximum extent possible to comply with the laws of the State of Delaware, including the Delaware Uniform Arbitration Act (10 Del. C. § 5701 et seq.) (the “Delaware Arbitration Act”). If, nevertheless, it shall be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that any provision or wording of this Section 3.12, including any rules of the International Chamber of Commerce, shall be invalid or unenforceable under the Delaware Arbitration Act, or other applicable law, such invalidity shall not invalidate all of this Section 3.12. In that case, this Section 3.12 shall be construed so as to limit any term or provision so as to make it valid or enforceable within the requirements of the Delaware Arbitration Act or other applicable law, and, in the event such term or provision cannot be so limited, this Section 3.12 shall be construed to omit such invalid or unenforceable provision.

3.13 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed and delivered (including by facsimile transmission) in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Copies of executed counterparts transmitted by telecopy or other electronic transmission service shall be considered original executed counterparts for purposes of this Section 3.13.

3.14 Tax Treatment; Withholding.

(a) To the extent this Agreement imposes obligations upon Vine Holdings, this Agreement shall be treated as part of the Vine Holdings LLC Agreement as described in Section 761(c) of the Code and Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(h) and 1.761-1(c) of the Treasury Regulations.

(b) Each of the Issuer, Vine Holdings and their agents and affiliates shall have the right to deduct and withhold from any consideration payable or otherwise deliverable upon an Exchange such amounts as may be required to be deducted or withheld therefrom under the Code or any provision of applicable law, and to the extent deduction and withholding is required, such deduction and withholding may be taken in Class A Common Stock; provided that the Issuer may allow an exchanging Investment Entity to pay such taxes owed on an Exchange in cash in lieu of the Issuer withholding or deducting such Class A Common Stock. Prior to making such deduction or withholding, the Issuer, Vine Holdings or the applicable agent or affiliate shall give written notice to the Investment Entity effecting such Exchange and reasonably cooperate with such Investment Entity to reduce or avoid any such deduction or withholding. To the extent such amounts are so deducted or withheld and paid over to the relevant governmental authority, such amounts shall be treated for all purposes under this Agreement as having been paid to the applicable Investment Entity, and, if withholding is taken in Class A Common Stock, the relevant withholding party shall be treated as having sold such Class A Common Stock on behalf of such Investment Entity for an amount of cash equal to the fair market value thereof at the time of such deemed sale and paid such cash proceeds to the relevant governmental authority.

3.15 Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

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3.16 Effective Date. This Agreement shall become effective upon the closing of the IPO and shall be of no force and effect (i) prior to the closing of the IPO and (ii) if the closing of the IPO has not been consummated within ten (10) Business Days from the date of this Agreement.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered, all as of the date first set forth above.

 

VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Exchange Agreement


HARVEST INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Exchange Agreement

Exhibit 10.4

Execution Version

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

This Registration Rights Agreement (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”) is dated as of March 22, 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment”), Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment”), Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment”, together with Vine Investment and Brix Investment, the “Vine Energy Investment Entities”), and Vine Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment II”), Brix Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment II”), and Harvest Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment II”, together with Vine Investment II and Brix Investment II, the “Vine Energy Investment II Entities,” and together with the Vine Energy Investment Entities, the “Investment Entities”) and certain holders which hold Registrable Securities (as defined below) that join this Agreement pursuant to the provisions herein. Such holders of Registrable Securities party hereto are collectively referred to herein as the “Securityholders.

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

In this Agreement:

Affiliate” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the date hereof.

Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Blackstone” means the entities comprising the Blackstone Holders, their respective Affiliates and the successors and permitted assigns of the entities and their respective Affiliates.

Blackstone Holders” means, upon joining this Agreement, the Affiliates, and their successors or assigns, of The Blackstone Group L.P. who, at the time of this Agreement, held limited liability company interests in any of the Investment Entities.

Business Day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks are authorized or required by applicable law to be closed in New York, New York or Houston, Texas.

Class A Common Stock” means the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, and any other capital stock of the Company into which such common stock is reclassified or reconstituted.

Class B Common Stock” means the shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, and any other capital stock of the Company into which such common stock is reclassified or reconstituted.

Company” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

 


Control” (including its correlative meanings, “Controlled by” and “under common Control with”) means possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of securities or partnership or other ownership interests, by contract or otherwise) of a Person.

Demand Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(a) hereof.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as the same may be amended from time to time.

Exchange Agreement” means the Exchange Agreement, dated as of or about the date hereof, among the Company, VEH LLC and holders of LLC Units from time to time party thereto, as amended from time to time.

FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

Investment Entities” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

LLC Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Vine Energy Holdings LLC, dated as of March 17, 2021, as amended, restated, supplemented or modified, from time to time.

LLC Units” means the units representing membership interests in VEH LLC and any other class of units or interests that is established in VEH LLC.

Person” means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, a cooperative, an unincorporated organization, or other form of business organization, whether or not regarded as a legal entity under applicable law, or any governmental authority or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.

Recognized Exchange” means The New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Registrable Securities” means shares of Class A Common Stock that may be delivered in exchange for LLC Units and other shares of Class A Common Stock otherwise held by Securityholders from time to time. For purposes of this Agreement, Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when (i) a registration statement covering resales of such Registrable Securities has been declared effective under the Securities Act by the SEC and such Registrable Securities have been disposed of pursuant to such effective registration statement, (ii) such Registrable Securities are eligible to be sold by Securityholders owning such Registrable Securities (including Registrable Securities deliverable to a Securityholder under an effective Exchange Registration) pursuant to Rule 144 or 145 (or any similar provision then in effect) under the Securities Act, without limitation thereunder on volume or manner of sale, unless such Registrable Securities are held by a Securityholder that beneficially owns Shares representing 5% or more of the aggregate voting power of shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock eligible to vote in the election of directors of the Company or (iii) such Registrable Securities cease to be outstanding (or issuable upon exchange).

 

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Registration Expenses” means any and all expenses incurred in connection with the performance of or compliance with this Agreement, including:

(a) all SEC, stock exchange, or FINRA registration and filing fees (including, if applicable, the fees and expenses of any “qualified independent underwriter,” as such term is defined in Rule 5121 of FINRA, and of its counsel);

(b) all fees and expenses of complying with securities or blue sky laws (including fees and disbursements of counsel for the underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of the Registrable Securities);

(c) all printing, messenger and delivery expenses;

(d) all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Registrable Securities on any securities exchange or FINRA and all rating agency fees;

(e) the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and of its independent public accountants, including the expenses of any special audits and/or comfort letters required by or incident to such performance and compliance;

(f) any fees and disbursements of underwriters customarily paid by the issuers or sellers of Securities, including liability insurance if the Company so desires or if the underwriters so require, and the reasonable fees and expenses of any special experts retained in connection with the requested registration, but excluding underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer taxes, if any;

(g) the reasonable fees and out-of-pocket expenses of not more than one law firm (as selected by Blackstone, if it is participating in such registration, and otherwise, by Securityholders of a majority of the Registrable Securities included in such registration) incurred by all the Securityholders in connection with the registration;

(h) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to analyst and investor presentations or any “road show” undertaken in connection with the registration and/or marketing of the Registrable Securities (including the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of the Securityholders); and

(i) any other fees and disbursements customarily paid by the issuers of Securities.

SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor agency.

Shares” means shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company. Shares held by or on behalf of a Securityholder the certificate for which does not bear a Securities Act restrictive legend, which Shares may be resold freely without registration under the Securities Act, will not be considered Shares for purposes of the demand and piggyback provisions of this Agreement.

 

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Securities” means capital stock, limited partnership interests, limited liability company interests, beneficial interests, warrants, options, notes, bonds, debentures, and other securities, equity interests, ownership interests and similar obligations of every kind and nature of any Person.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as the same may be amended from time to time.

Securityholders” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity of which: (i) if a corporation, a majority of the total voting power of shares of stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, representatives or trustees thereof is at the time owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof; or (ii) if a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity, a majority of the total voting power of stock (or equivalent ownership interest) of the limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity is at the time owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, by any Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof. For purposes hereof, a Person or Persons shall be deemed to have a majority ownership interest in a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity if such Person or Persons shall be allocated a majority of limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity gains or losses or shall be or Control the managing director or general partner of such limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity.

VEH LLC” means Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

WKSI” means a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

ARTICLE II

DEMAND AND PIGGYBACK RIGHTS

2.1 Right to Demand a Non-Shelf Registered Offering.

(a) Upon the written demand of any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone made at any time and from time to time (a “Demand Notice”), the Company will facilitate in the manner described in this Agreement a non-shelf registered offering of the Registrable Securities requested by Blackstone, or any of the Investment Entities to be included in such offering.

(b) Any demanded non-shelf registered offering may, at the Company’s option, include Shares to be sold by the Company for its own account and will also include Registrable Securities to be sold by Securityholders that exercise their related piggyback rights pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof and any other Registrable Securities to be sold by the holders of registration rights granted other than pursuant to this Agreement exercising such rights, in each case, to the extent exercising such rights on a timely basis. In order to be valid, the Demand Notice must provide the information described in Section 3.1 hereof (if applicable) and Section 4.5 hereof or be followed by such information, when requested as contemplated by Section 4.5 hereof.

 

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(c) Without limiting any other obligations of the Company hereunder, as soon as reasonably practicable, but in no event later than 60 days after receiving a valid Demand Notice satisfying the criteria set forth in Section 2.1 hereof, the Company shall file with the SEC a registration statement covering all of the Registrable Securities covered by such Demand Notice as well as any other Registrable Securities as to which registration is properly requested in accordance with Section 2.2 hereof (which other Registrable Securities may be included by means of a pre-effective amendment) and any other registrable securities properly requested in accordance with other registration rights agreements with the Company, but subject in each case to any cutbacks imposed in accordance with Section 3.5 hereof and the limitations set forth in Section 2.5 hereof.

2.2 Right to Piggyback on a Non-Shelf Registered Offering. In connection with any registered offering of Shares covered by a non-shelf registration statement (whether pursuant to the exercise of demand rights or at the initiative of the Company), the Securityholders may exercise piggyback rights to have included in such offering Registrable Securities held by them, subject in each case to any cutbacks imposed in accordance with Section 3.5 hereof and the limitations set forth in Section 2.5 hereof. The Company will facilitate in the manner described in this Agreement any such non-shelf registered offering.

2.3 Right to Demand and be Included in a Shelf Registration. Upon the demand of any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone, made at any time and from time to time when the Company is eligible to utilize Form S-3 or a successor form to sell Shares in a secondary offering on a delayed or continuous basis in accordance with Rule 415 under the Securities Act, the Company will facilitate in the manner described in this Agreement a shelf registration of Registrable Securities held by the Securityholders. Any shelf registration filed pursuant to this Section 2.3 by the Company covering Shares (whether pursuant to a demand by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone or at the initiative of the Company) will cover Registrable Securities held by each of the Securityholders (regardless of whether they demanded the filing of such shelf or not) equal to the percentage of their original respective holdings as is requested by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone with respect to the Registrable Securities of any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone to be included in such shelf. If at the time of such request the Company is eligible for WKSI status, such shelf registration shall, upon the approval of the board of directors of the Company, cover an unspecified number of Registrable Securities to be sold by the Company and its Securityholders.

2.4 Demand and Piggyback Rights for Shelf Takedowns. Upon the demand of any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone, made at any time and from time to time, the Company will facilitate in the manner described in this Agreement a “takedown” of Registrable Securities off of an effective shelf registration statement. In connection with any underwritten shelf takedown (whether pursuant to the exercise of such demand rights by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone or at the initiative of the Company), the Securityholders may exercise piggyback rights to have included in such takedown Registrable Securities held by them that are registered on such shelf.

 

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2.5 Limitations on Demand and Piggyback Rights.

(a) Any demand for the filing of a registration statement or for a registered offering or takedown, and the exercise of any piggyback registration rights, will be subject to the constraints of any applicable lockup arrangements, and any such demand must be deferred until such lockup arrangements no longer apply. If a demand has been made for a non-shelf registered offering or for an underwritten takedown, no further demands may be made so long as the related offering is still being pursued. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Securityholders will not have piggyback or other registration rights with respect to the following registered primary offerings by the Company: (i) a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans; (ii) a registration on Form S-4 or S-8 (or other similar successor forms then in effect under the Securities Act); (iii) a registration pursuant to which the Company is offering to exchange its own Securities for other Securities; (iv) a registration statement relating solely to dividend reinvestment or similar plans; (v) a shelf registration statement pursuant to which only the initial purchasers and subsequent transferees of debt securities of the Company or any Subsidiary that are convertible for common equity and that are initially issued pursuant to Rule 144A and/or Regulation S of the Securities Act may resell such notes and sell the common equity into which such notes may be converted; (vi) a registration where the Registrable Securities are not being sold for cash or (vii) an exchange registration.

(b) The Company may postpone the filing of a demanded registration statement or suspend the effectiveness of any shelf registration statement for a reasonable “blackout period” not in excess of 90 days if the board of directors of the Company determines in good faith that such registration or offering could materially interfere with a bona fide business, acquisition or divestiture or financing transaction of the Company or is reasonably likely to require premature disclosure of information, the premature disclosure of which could materially and adversely affect the Company; provided that the Company shall not delay the filing of any demanded registration statement more than once in any 12-month period. The blackout period will end upon the earlier to occur of, (i) in the case of a bona fide business, acquisition or divestiture or financing transaction, a date not later than 90 days from the date such deferral commenced, and (ii) in the case of disclosure of non-public information, the earlier to occur of (x) the filing by the Company of its next succeeding Form 10-K or Form 10-Q, or (y) the date upon which such information is otherwise disclosed.

ARTICLE III

NOTICES, CUTBACKS AND OTHER MATTERS

3.1 Notifications Regarding Registration Statements. In order for any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone to exercise their right to demand that a registration statement be filed, they must include in their Demand Notice the number of Registrable Securities sought to be registered and the proposed plan of distribution. In the event that the Company is required to cutback or adjust the amount of the Registrable Securities to be included in a registration statement or offering, the Company shall adjust the Registrable Securities included by each of the Investment Entities on a pro rata basis amongst such entities.

 

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3.2 Notifications Regarding Registration Piggyback Rights.

(a) In the event that the Company receives (i) any demand from any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof, or (ii) if the Company files a registration statement with respect to a non-shelf registered offering, the Company will promptly give to each of the Securityholders a written notice thereof no later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth Business Day following receipt by the Company of such demand or the filing of such registration statement, as applicable. Any Securityholder wishing to exercise its piggyback rights with respect to any such non-shelf registration statement must notify the Company and the other Securityholders of the number of Registrable Securities it seeks to have included in such registration statement in a written notice. Such notice must be given as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the second Business Day prior to (i) if applicable, the date on which the preliminary prospectus intended to be used in connection with pre-effective marketing efforts for the relevant offering is expected to be finalized, and (ii) in any case, the date on which the pricing of the relevant offering is expected to occur. No such notice is required in connection with a shelf registration statement, as Registrable Securities held by all Securityholders will be included up to the applicable percentage.

(b) Pending any required public disclosure and subject to applicable legal requirements, the parties will maintain appropriate confidentiality of their discussions regarding a prospective non-shelf registration.

3.3 Notifications Regarding Demanded Underwritten Takedowns.

(a) The Company will keep the Securityholders reasonably apprised of all pertinent aspects of any underwritten shelf takedown demanded by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone in order that Securityholders may have a reasonable opportunity to exercise their related piggyback rights. Without limiting the Company’s obligation as described in the preceding sentence, having a reasonable opportunity requires that the Securityholders be notified by the Company of an anticipated underwritten takedown (whether pursuant to a demand made by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone or made at the Company’s own initiative) no later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on (i) if applicable, the second Business Day prior to the date on which the preliminary prospectus or prospectus supplement intended to be used in connection with pre-pricing marketing efforts for such takedown is finalized, and (ii) in all cases, the second Business Day prior to the date on which the pricing of the relevant takedown occurs.

(b) Any Securityholder wishing to exercise its piggyback rights with respect to an underwritten shelf takedown must notify the Company and the other Securityholders of the number of Registrable Securities it seeks to have included in such takedown. Such notice must be given as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on (i) if applicable, the Business Day prior to the date on which the preliminary prospectus or prospectus supplement intended to be used in connection with marketing efforts for the relevant offering is expected to be finalized, and (ii) in all cases, the Business Day prior to the date on which the pricing of the relevant takedown occurs.

(c) Pending any required public disclosure and subject to applicable legal requirements, the parties will maintain appropriate confidentiality of their discussions regarding a prospective underwritten takedown.

 

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3.4 Plan of Distribution, Underwriters, Advisors and Counsel. If a majority of the Registrable Securities proposed to be sold in an underwritten offering through a non-shelf registration statement or through a shelf takedown is being sold by the Company for its own account, the Company will be entitled to determine the plan of distribution and select the managing underwriters and any provider of advisory services, which may include Affiliates of Blackstone, for such offering. Otherwise, Securityholders holding a majority of the Shares requested to be included will be entitled to determine the plan of distribution and select the managing underwriters and any provider of advisory services, which may include Affiliates of Blackstone; provided that such investment banker or bankers, managers and providers of advisory services shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, and will also be entitled to select counsel for the selling Securityholders (which may be the same as counsel for the Company).

3.5 Cutbacks. If the managing underwriters advise the Company and the selling Securityholders that, in their opinion, the number of Registrable Securities requested to be included in an underwritten offering exceeds the amount that can be sold in such offering without adversely affecting the distribution of the Registrable Securities being offered, the price that will be paid in such offering or the marketability thereof, such offering will include only the number of Registrable Securities that the underwriters advise can be sold in such offering. If the Company is selling Registrable Securities for its own account in such offering and the offering is not being made on account of a demand made by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof, the Company will have first priority. To the extent of any remaining capacity, and in all other cases, the selling Securityholders (and any other Persons having registration rights pari passu with the Securityholders and participating in such offering) and the Company will be subject to cutback pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities initially requested by them to be included in such offering, without distinguishing between Securityholders (or other Persons exercising pari passu registration rights) based on who made the demand for such offering or otherwise.

3.6 Withdrawals. Even if Registrable Securities held by a Securityholder have been part of a registered underwritten offering, such Securityholder may, no later than the time at which the public offering price and underwriters’ discount are determined with the managing underwriter, decline to sell all or any portion of the Registrable Securities being offered for its account.

3.7 Lockups. In connection with any underwritten offering of Shares, the Company and each Securityholder participating in such offering will agree (in the case of Securityholders, with respect to Registrable Securities respectively held by them) to be bound by the underwriting agreement’s lockup restrictions (which must apply in like manner to all of them) that are agreed to by the Company. In addition, the Securityholders shall be bound by their obligations with respect to any lockup arrangements or other restrictions on transfer of Registrable Securities set forth in the LLC Agreement.

ARTICLE IV

FACILITATING REGISTRATIONS AND OFFERINGS

4.1 General. If the Company becomes obligated under this Agreement to facilitate a registration and offering of Registrable Securities on behalf of Securityholders, the Company will do so with the same degree of care and dispatch as would reasonably be expected in the case of a registration and offering by the Company of Registrable Securities for its own account. Without limiting this general obligation, the Company will fulfill its specific obligations as described in this Article IV.

 

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4.2 Registration Statements. In connection with each registration statement that is demanded by Securityholders in accordance with this Agreement or as to which piggyback rights otherwise apply, the Company will:

(a) (1) prepare and file with the SEC a registration statement on an appropriate form covering the applicable Registrable Securities, (2) file amendments thereto as warranted, (3) seek the effectiveness thereof, and (4) file with the SEC prospectuses and prospectus supplements as may be required, all in consultation with Blackstone and as reasonably necessary in order to permit the offer and sale of the such Registrable Securities in accordance with the applicable plan of distribution;

(b) (1) within a reasonable time prior to the filing of any registration statement, any prospectus, any amendment to a registration statement, amendment or supplement to a prospectus or any free writing prospectus (in each case including all exhibits filed therewith), provide copies of such documents to the selling Securityholders and to the underwriter or underwriters of an underwritten offering, if applicable, and to their respective counsel; fairly consider such reasonable changes in any such documents prior to or after the filing thereof as the counsel to the Securityholders or the underwriter or the underwriters may request; and make such of the representatives of the Company as shall be reasonably requested by the selling Securityholders or any underwriter available for discussion of such documents; and (2) within a reasonable time prior to the filing of any document which is to be incorporated by reference into a registration statement or a prospectus, provide copies of such document to counsel for the Securityholders and underwriters; fairly consider such reasonable changes in such document prior to or after the filing thereof as counsel for such Securityholders or such underwriter shall request; and make such of the representatives of the Company as shall be reasonably requested by such counsel available for discussion of such document;

(c) use all reasonable efforts to cause each registration statement and the related prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of the effective date of such registration statement, amendment or supplement and during the distribution of the registered Registrable Securities (x) to comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) and (y) not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;

(d) notify each Securityholder promptly, and, if requested by such Securityholder, confirm such advice in writing, (i) when a registration statement has become effective and when any post-effective amendments and supplements thereto become effective if such registration statement or post-effective amendment is not automatically effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act, (ii) of the issuance by the SEC or any state securities authority of any stop order, injunction or other order or requirement suspending the effectiveness of a registration statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose, (iii) if, between the effective date of a registration statement and the closing of any sale of securities covered thereby pursuant to any agreement to which the Company is a party, the representations and warranties of

 

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the Company contained in such agreement cease to be true and correct in all material respects or if the Company receives any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation of any proceeding for such purpose, and (iv) of the happening of any event during the period a registration statement is effective as a result of which such registration statement or the related prospectus contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;

(e) furnish counsel for each underwriter, if any, and for the Securityholders copies of any correspondence with the SEC or any state securities authority relating to the registration statement or prospectus;

(f) otherwise use all reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, including making available to its security holders an earnings statement covering at least 12 months which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any similar provision then in force); and

(g) use all reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of a registration statement at the earliest possible time.

4.3 Non-Shelf Registered Offerings and Shelf Takedowns. In connection with any non-shelf registered offering or shelf takedown that is demanded by Securityholders or as to which piggyback rights otherwise apply, the Company will:

(a) cooperate with the selling Securityholders and the sole underwriter or managing underwriter of an underwritten offering, if any, to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing the Registrable Securities to be sold and not bearing any restrictive legends; and enable such Registrable Securities to be in such denominations (consistent with the provisions of the governing documents thereof) and registered in such names as the selling Securityholders or the sole underwriter or managing underwriter of an underwritten offering of Registrable Securities, if any, may reasonably request at least five days prior to any sale of such Registrable Securities;

(b) furnish to each Securityholder and to each underwriter, if any, participating in the relevant offering, without charge, as many copies of the applicable prospectus, including each preliminary prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto and such other documents as such Securityholder or underwriter may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities; the Company hereby consents to the use of the prospectus, including each preliminary prospectus, by each such Securityholder and underwriter in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by the prospectus or the preliminary prospectus;

(c) (1) use all reasonable efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities being offered and sold, no later than the time the applicable registration statement becomes effective, under all applicable state securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as each underwriter, if any, or any Securityholder holding Registrable Securities covered by a registration statement, shall reasonably request; (2) use all reasonable efforts to keep each such registration or

 

10


qualification effective during the period such registration statement is required to be kept effective; and (3) do any and all other acts and things which may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable each such underwriter, if any, and Securityholder to consummate the disposition in each such jurisdiction of such Registrable Securities owned by such Securityholder; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to consent to be subject to general service of process (other than service of process in connection with such registration or qualification or any sale of Registrable Securities in connection therewith) in any such jurisdiction;

(d) cause all Registrable Securities being sold to be qualified for inclusion in or listed on any Recognized Exchange on which Registrable Securities issued by the Company are then so qualified or listed if so requested by the Securityholders, or if so requested by the underwriter or underwriters of an underwritten offering of Registrable Securities, if any;

(e) cooperate and assist in any filings required to be made with FINRA and in the performance of any due diligence investigation by any underwriter in an underwritten offering;

(f) use all reasonable efforts to facilitate the distribution and sale of any Registrable Securities to be offered pursuant to this Agreement, including without limitation by making “road show” presentations, holding meetings with and making calls to potential investors and taking such other actions as shall be requested by the Securityholders or the lead managing underwriter of an underwritten offering;

(g) in the case of an offering that includes a provider of advisory services, enter into and perform its obligations under customary agreements (including an advisory services agreement and an indemnification agreement in customary form); and

(h) enter into customary agreements (including, in the case of an underwritten offering, underwriting agreements in customary form, and including provisions with respect to indemnification and contribution in customary form and consistent with the provisions relating to indemnification and contribution contained herein) and take all other customary and appropriate actions in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities and in connection therewith:

(1) make such representations and warranties to the selling Securityholders and the underwriters, if any, in form, substance and scope as are customarily made by issuers to underwriters in similar underwritten offerings;

(2) obtain opinions of counsel to the Company and updates thereof (which counsel and opinions (in form, scope and substance) shall be reasonably satisfactory to the lead managing underwriter, if any) addressed to each selling Securityholder and the underwriters, if any, covering the matters customarily covered in opinions requested in sales of securities or underwritten offerings and such other matters as may be reasonably requested by such Securityholders and underwriters;

 

11


(3) obtain “cold comfort” letters and updates thereof from the Company’s independent certified public accountants addressed to the selling Securityholders, if permissible, and the underwriters, if any, which letters shall be customary in form and shall cover matters of the type customarily covered in “cold comfort” letters to underwriters in connection with primary underwritten offerings; and

(4) to the extent requested and customary for the relevant transaction, enter into a Securities sales agreement with the Securityholders providing for, among other things, the appointment of such representative as agent for the selling Securityholders for the purpose of soliciting purchases of Registrable Securities, which agreement shall be customary in form, substance and scope and shall contain customary representations, warranties and covenants.

The above shall be done at such times as customarily occur in similar registered offerings or shelf takedowns.

4.4 Due Diligence. In connection with each registration and offering of Registrable Securities to be sold by Securityholders, the Company will, in accordance with customary practice, make available for inspection by underwriters and any counsel or accountant retained by such underwriters all relevant financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company and cause appropriate officers, managers, employees, outside counsel and accountants of the Company to supply all information reasonably requested by any such underwriter, counsel or accountant in connection with their due diligence exercise, including through in-person meetings, but subject to customary privilege constraints.

4.5 Information from Securityholders. Each Securityholder that holds Registrable Securities covered by any registration statement will furnish to the Company such information regarding itself as is required to be included in the registration statement or is otherwise required by FINRA or the SEC in connection with such registration statement, the ownership of Registrable Securities by such Securityholder and the proposed distribution by such Securityholder of such Registrable Securities as the Company may from time to time reasonably request in writing.

4.6 Expenses. All Registration Expenses incurred in connection with any registration statement or registered offering covering Registrable Securities held by the Securityholders will be borne by the Company. However, underwriters’, brokers’ and dealers’ discounts and commissions applicable to Registrable Securities sold for the account of a Securityholder will be borne by such Securityholder.

ARTICLE V

INDEMNIFICATION

5.1 Indemnification by the Company. In the event of any registration under the Securities Act by any registration statement pursuant to rights granted in this Agreement of Registrable Securities held by Securityholders, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless Securityholders, their officers, directors and affiliates, and each underwriter of such securities and each other Person, if any, who Controls any Securityholder or such underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (including legal fees and costs of court), joint or several, to which Securityholders or such underwriter or controlling Person

 

12


may become subject under the Securities Act or otherwise, including any amount paid in settlement of any litigation commenced or threatened, and shall promptly reimburse such Persons, as and when incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating any claims and defending any actions, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (or any actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, any blue sky laws, securities laws or other applicable laws of any state or country in which such Shares are offered and relating to action taken or action or inaction required of the Company in connection with such offering, or arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact (i) contained, on its effective date, in any registration statement under which such securities were registered under the Securities Act or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing, or which arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) contained in any preliminary prospectus, if used prior to the effective date of such registration statement, or in the final prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have filed with the SEC any amendment or supplement to the final prospectus), or which arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated in such prospectus or necessary to make the statements in such prospectus not misleading; and will reimburse Securityholders and each such underwriter and each such controlling Person for any legal or any other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, or liability; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable to any Securityholder or its underwriters or controlling Persons in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such registration statement or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company through a written instrument duly executed by Securityholders or such underwriter specifically for use in the preparation thereof.

5.2 Indemnification by Securityholders. Each Securityholder as a condition to including Registrable Securities in such registration statement will indemnify and hold harmless (in the same manner and to the same extent as set forth in Section 5.1 hereof) the Company, each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who shall sign the registration statement, and any Person who Controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, (i) with respect to any statement or omission from such registration statement, or any amendment or supplement to it, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company through a written instrument duly executed by such Securityholder specifically regarding such Securityholder for use in the preparation of such registration statement or amendment or supplement, and (ii) with respect to compliance by such Securityholder with applicable laws in effecting the sale or other disposition of the securities covered by such registration statement.

5.3 Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party of notice of the commencement of any action involving a claim referred to in Section 5.1 and Section 5.2 hereof, the indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made or may be made against an indemnifying party, give written notice to such indemnifying party of the commencement of the action. The failure of any indemnified party to give notice shall not relieve the indemnifying party of its obligations in this Article V, except to the extent that the

 

13


indemnifying party is actually prejudiced by the failure to give notice. If any such action is brought against an indemnified party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and to assume the defense of the action with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election to assume defense of the action, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party for any legal or other expenses incurred by the latter in connection with the action’s defense other than reasonable costs of investigation. An indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any action or proceeding and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at such indemnified party’s expense unless (i) the employment of such counsel has been specifically authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, which authorization shall not be unreasonably withheld, (ii) the indemnifying party has not assumed the defense and employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party within thirty (30) days after notice of any such action or proceeding, or (iii) the named parties to any such action or proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have been advised by such counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to the indemnified party that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such action or proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party), it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not, in connection with any one such action or separate but substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys (in addition to all local counsel which is necessary, in the good faith opinion of both counsel for the indemnifying party and counsel for the indemnified party in order to adequately represent the indemnified parties) for the indemnified party and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred upon written request and presentation of invoices. Whether or not a defense is assumed by the indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will not be subject to any liability for any settlement made without its consent (not to be unreasonably withheld). No indemnifying party will consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which (i) does not include as an unconditional term the giving by the claimant or plaintiff, to the indemnified party, of a release from all liability in respect of such claim or litigation or (ii) involves the imposition of equitable remedies or the imposition of any non-financial obligations on the indemnified party.

5.4 Contribution. If the indemnification required by this Article V from the indemnifying party is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any indemnifiable losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses, then the indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefit of the indemnifying and indemnified parties and (ii) if the allocation in clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefit referred to in clause (i) and also the relative fault of the indemnified and indemnifying parties, in connection with the actions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by a party shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it bear to the total amounts (including, in the case of any underwriter, any underwriting commissions and discounts) received by each other party. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall

 

14


be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact, has been made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or parties, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information, and opportunity to correct or prevent such action. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damage, liabilities, and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The Company and Securityholders agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5.4 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the prior provisions of this Section 5.4.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.4, no indemnifying party shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the securities were offered to the public by such indemnifying party exceeds the amount of any damages which such indemnifying party has otherwise been required to pay by reason of an untrue statement or omission. No Person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such a fraudulent misrepresentation.

ARTICLE VI

OTHER AGREEMENTS

6.1 Assignment. Neither the Company nor any Securityholder shall assign all or any part of this Agreement without the prior written consent of the Company and Blackstone; provided, however, that without the prior written consent of the Company and Blackstone, Blackstone, any of the Investment Entities may assign their rights and obligations under this Agreement in whole or in part to (x) any of their Affiliates and/or (y) any Person who becomes a holder of Registrable Securities upon a distribution by any of the Investment Entities or Blackstone of shares of Class A Common Stock or LLC Units to their members, limited partners or stockholders that becomes a party hereto by executing and delivering an assignment and joinder agreement to the Company, substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement; provided, that unless otherwise agreed to in advance by the Company and Blackstone in writing, in no event shall any Securityholder (other than Blackstone and its Affiliates) be entitled to any “demand rights” under this Agreement pursuant to an assignment under this Section 6.1. Except as otherwise provided herein, this Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding on the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns.

6.2 Merger or Consolidation. In the event the Company engages in a merger or consolidation in which the Registrable Securities are converted into securities of another company, appropriate arrangements will be made so that the registration rights provided under this Agreement continue to be provided to Securityholders by the issuer of such securities. To the extent such new issuer, or any other company acquired by the Company in a merger or consolidation, was bound by registration rights obligations that would conflict with the provisions of this Agreement, the Company will, unless Securityholders then holding at least 90% of the Registrable Securities otherwise agree, use its commercially reasonable efforts to modify any such “inherited” registration rights obligations so as not to interfere in any material respects with the rights provided under this Agreement. To the extent any such modification of “inherited” registration rights disproportionately and adversely impacts any Securityholder hereunder, such modification shall not be effective as to such Securityholder without the consent of such Securityholder.

 

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6.3 Limited Liability. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, neither the members, general partners, limited partners or managing directors, or any directors or officers of any members, general or limited partner, advisory director, nor any future members, general partners, limited partners, advisory directors, or managing directors, if any, of any Securityholder shall have any personal liability for performance of any obligation of such Securityholder under this Agreement in excess of the respective capital contributions of such members, general partners, limited partners, advisory directors or managing directors to such Securityholder.

6.4 Rule 144. If the Company is subject to the requirements of Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company covenants that it will file any reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (or, if the Company is subject to the requirements of Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act but is not required to file such reports, it will, upon the request of any Securityholder, make publicly available such information) and it will take such further action as any Securityholder may reasonably request, so as to enable such Securityholder to sell Registrable Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by (a) Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended from time to time, or (b) any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the SEC. Upon the request of any Securityholder, the Company will deliver to such Securityholder a written statement as to whether it has complied with such requirements. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 6.4 shall not in any way limit or otherwise modify any applicable restrictions on transfer set forth in the LLC Agreement.

6.5 In-Kind Distributions. If any Securityholder seeks to effectuate an in-kind distribution of all or part of its Registrable Securities to its direct or indirect equityholders, the Company will, subject to applicable lockups, work with such Securityholder and the Company’s transfer agent to facilitate such in-kind distribution in the manner reasonably requested by such Securityholder.

ARTICLE VII

MISCELLANEOUS

7.1 Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be made in writing by hand-delivery, registered first-class mail, telex, fax or air courier guaranteeing delivery to the Persons at the respective addresses set forth below or pursuant to such other instructions as may be designated in writing by the party to receive such notice.

 

  (a)

If to the Company, to:

Vine Energy Inc.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric Marsh, Chief Executive Officer

Fax: (877) 992-0118

 

 

16


with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and Michael W. Rigdon

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (b)

If to the Blackstone Holders, to:

The Blackstone Group L.P.

345 Park Avenue, Suite 3300

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (c)

If to either of Vine Investment or Vine Investment II, to:

Vine Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (d)

If to either of Brix Investment or Brix Investment II, to:

Brix Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

 

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New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (e)

If to either of Harvest Investment or Harvest Investment II, to:

Harvest Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

Any such notice, request, demand or other communication shall be deemed to have been duly given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally or by facsimile or electronic transmission, (b) on the first Business Day after being sent if delivered by nationally recognized overnight delivery service and (c) upon the earlier of actual receipt thereof or five Business Days after the date of deposit in the United States mail if delivered by mail.

7.2 Section Headings. The article and section headings in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. References in this Agreement to a designated “Article” or “Section” refer to an Article or Section of this Agreement unless otherwise specifically indicated.

7.3 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware.

7.4 Consent to Jurisdiction and Service of Process; Waiver of Jury Trial.

(a) The parties to this Agreement hereby agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware, the courts of the United States of America for the District of Delaware, and appellate courts from any thereof in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

 

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(b) EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

7.5 Amendments.

(a) This Agreement may be amended only by an instrument in writing executed by the Company and Securityholders holding at least a majority of the Registrable Securities collectively held by them; provided that any amendment that would adversely impact the rights hereunder of Blackstone shall require the prior written consent of Blackstone; provided, further, that any amendment that would disproportionately and adversely impact (i) the rights hereunder of the Securityholders party hereto other than Blackstone without similarly affecting the rights hereunder of Blackstone (other than the granting of demand rights to any new party to become a Securityholder hereunder and rights incidental thereto) shall require the prior approval of a such Securityholders other than Blackstone holding a majority of the Registrable Securities held by such Securities, (ii) the rights hereunder of any Securityholder other than Blackstone without similarly affecting the rights hereunder of all other Securityholders other than Blackstone shall require the prior written consent of such Securityholder. This Agreement will terminate as to any Securityholder when it no longer holds any Registrable Securities.

(b) Notwithstanding anything in Section 7.5(a) hereof to the contrary, if the Company at any time after the date of this Agreement grants to any other holders of its securities (other than any new Blackstone Holders becoming party hereto after the date hereof) any rights to request or cause the Company to effect the registration under the Securities Act or offering or sale of any such securities on any terms materially more favorable to such holders than the terms set forth in this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall, upon the request of Blackstone, be deemed amended or supplemented to the extent necessary to provide Blackstone such more favorable rights and benefits, and, at the election and sole discretion of Blackstone (as evidenced by a written notice to the Company), shall be deemed amended or supplemented to the extent necessary to provide to the Securityholders party hereto other than Blackstone those more favorable rights and benefits as selected by Blackstone to be provided to such other Securityholders and set forth in such written notice.

7.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. The registration rights granted under this Agreement supersede any registration, qualification or similar rights with respect to any of the Registrable Securities granted under any other agreement, and any of such preexisting registration rights are hereby terminated.

7.7 Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any specific provision of this Agreement shall not invalidate or render unenforceable any of its other provisions. Any provision of this Agreement held invalid or unenforceable shall be deemed reformed, if practicable, to the extent necessary to render it valid and enforceable and to the extent permitted by law and consistent with the intent of the parties to this Agreement.

 

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7.8 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, including by means of facsimile, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute the same instrument.

7.9 Additional Holders. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company may from time to time add additional holders of Registrable Securities of the Company as parties to this Agreement with the consent of Blackstone and without the consent or additional signatures of any other holders of Registrable Securities hereunder. In order to become a party to this Agreement, such additional party must execute a signature page evidencing such party’s agreement to be bound hereby as a Securityholder (but not Blackstone, unless Blackstone consents in writing thereto), and upon the Company’s receipt of any such additional holder’s executed signature page hereto, such additional holder shall be deemed to be a party hereto and such additional signature pages shall be a part of this Agreement.

7.10 Equitable Remedies. The parties hereto agree that irreparable harm would occur in the event that any of the agreements and provisions of this Agreement were not performed fully by the parties hereto in accordance with their specific terms or conditions or were otherwise breached, and that money damages are an inadequate remedy for breach of this Agreement because of the difficulty of ascertaining and quantifying the amount of damage that will be suffered by the parties hereto in the event that this Agreement is not performed in accordance with its terms or conditions or is otherwise breached. It is accordingly hereby agreed that the parties hereto shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to restrain, enjoin and prevent breaches of this Agreement by the other parties and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof in any court of the United States or any state having jurisdiction, such remedy being in addition to and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies to which the other parties are entitled to at law or in equity.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

COMPANY:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
HARVEST INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Registration Rights Agreement


VINE INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
HARVEST INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Registration Rights Agreement


Exhibit A

FORM OF ASSIGNMENT AND JOINDER

[        ], 2021

Reference is made to the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of [        ] 2021, by and among Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Vine Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Brix Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Harvest Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and certain holders which hold Registrable Securities (as defined below) that become party thereto (the “Registration Rights Agreement”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Registration Rights Agreement.

Pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Registration Rights Agreement, [            ] (the “Assignor”) hereby assigns [in part][or: in full] its rights and obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement to each of [            ], [            ] and [            ] (each, an “Assignee” and collectively, the “Assignees”). [For the avoidance of doubt, the Assignor will remain a party to the Registration Rights Agreement following the assignment in part of its rights and obligations thereunder to the undersigned Assignees.]

Each undersigned Assignee hereby agrees to and does become party to the Registration Rights Agreement. This assignment and joinder shall serve as a counterpart signature page to the Registration Rights Agreement and by executing below each undersigned Assignee is deemed to have executed the Registration Rights Agreement with the same force and effect as if originally named a party thereto and each Assignee’s shares of Class A Common Stock shall be included as Registrable Securities under the Registration Rights Agreement.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have duly executed this assignment and joinder as of date first set forth above.

 

ASSIGNOR:
[____________]
By:  

             

Name:  
Title:  
ASSIGNEE(S):
[____________]
By:  

             

Name:  
Title:  

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Registration Rights Agreement

Exhibit 10.5

Execution Version

STOCKHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT

DATED AS OF MARCH 22, 2021

AMONG

VINE ENERGY INC.

AND

THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

ARTICLE I INTRODUCTORY MATTERS

     1  

1.1

  Defined Terms      1  

1.2

  Construction      4  

ARTICLE II CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

     4  

2.1

  Election of Directors      4  

ARTICLE III INFORMATION

     6  

3.1

  Books and Records; Access      6  

3.2

  Certain Reports      6  

3.3

  Disclosure of Information      7  

ARTICLE IV GENERAL PROVISIONS

     8  

4.1

  Termination      8  

4.2

  Notices      8  

4.3

  Amendment; Waiver      10  

4.4

  Further Assurances      10  

4.5

  Assignment      11  

4.6

  Third Parties      11  

4.7

  Governing Law      11  

4.8

  Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial      11  

4.9

  Specific Performance      11  

4.10

  Entire Agreement      11  

4.11

  Severability      12  

4.12

  Table of Contents, Headings and Captions      12  

4.13

  Grant of Consent      12  

4.14

  Counterparts      12  

4.15

  Effectiveness      12  

4.16

  No Recourse      12  

 

 

i


STOCKHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT

This Stockholders’ Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into as of March 22, 2021 by and among Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), each of the other parties identified on the signature pages hereto (the “Investor Parties”) and solely for purposes of Section 2.1(c), Section 3.2 and Section 3.3 hereof, Vine Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment”), Brix Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment”), Harvest Investment LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment”, together with Vine Investment and Brix Investment, the “Vine Energy Investment Entities”), and Vine Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vine Investment II”), Brix Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Brix Investment II”), and Harvest Investment II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Harvest Investment II”, together with Vine Investment II and Brix Investment II, the “Vine Energy Investment II Entities,” and together with the Vine Energy Investment Entities, the “Investment Entities”).

RECITALS:

WHEREAS, the Company is currently contemplating an underwritten initial public offering (“IPO”) of shares of its Class A Common Stock (as defined below); and

WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO, the Company and the Investor Parties wish to set forth certain understandings between such parties, including with respect to certain governance matters.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

INTRODUCTORY MATTERS

1.1 Defined Terms. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used herein with initial capital letters:

Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the date hereof.

Agreement” means this Stockholders’ Agreement, as the same may be amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof.

Beneficially Own” has the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.

Blackstone Designee” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(b) hereof.

Blackstone Designator” means a Blackstone Party, or any group of Blackstone Parties collectively, then holding of record a majority of Outstanding Vine Interests Beneficially Owned by all Blackstone Parties.

 


Blackstone Entities” means the entities comprising the Blackstone Parties and their Affiliates and their respective successors and Permitted Assigns.

Blackstone Parties” means the entities listed on the signature pages hereto under the heading “Blackstone Parties” and any other Blackstone Entities that may from time to time become parties hereto.

Board” means the board of directors of the Company.

Class A Common Stock” means the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, and any other capital stock of the Company into which such stock is reclassified or reconstituted.

Class B Common Stock” means the shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company, and any other capital stock of the Company into which such stock is reclassified or reconstituted.

Closing Date” means the date of the closing of the IPO.

Common Stock” means collectively the Class A Common Stock and the Class B Common Stock.

Company” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Confidential Information” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3.

Control” (including its correlative meanings, “Controlled by” and “under common Control with”) means possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of securities or partnership or other ownership interests, by contract or otherwise) of a Person.

Director” means any director of the Company.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as the same may be amended from time to time.

Exchange Agreement” means the exchange agreement, dated on or about the date hereof, among the Company, VEH and Vine Investment, as amended and in effect from time to time.

Governmental Authority” means any nation or government, any state or other political subdivision thereof, and any entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government.

Investment Entities” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Investor Parties” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

IPO” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.

 

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Law” means any statute, law, regulation, ordinance, rule, injunction, order, decree, governmental approval, directive, requirement, or other governmental restriction or any similar form of decision of, or determination by, or any interpretation or administration of any of the foregoing by, any Governmental Authority.

LLC Units” means the Class A Units representing membership interests in VEH and any other class of units or interests that is established in VEH.

Outstanding Vine Interests” means the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

Person” means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, or other form of business organization, whether or not regarded as a legal entity under applicable Law, or any Governmental Authority or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.

Permitted Assigns” means, with respect to a Blackstone Entity, a Transferee of shares of Common Stock or a Transferee (as defined in the VEH LLC Agreement) that agrees to become party to, and to be bound to the same extent as its Transferor by the terms of, this Agreement.

Recipient Parties” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2.

SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity of which: (i) if a corporation, a majority of the total voting power of shares of stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, representatives or trustees thereof is at the time owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof; or (ii) if a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity, a majority of the total voting power of stock (or equivalent ownership interest) of the limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity is at the time owned or Controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof. For purposes hereof, a Person or Persons shall be deemed to have a majority ownership interest in a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity if such Person or Persons shall be allocated a majority of limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity gains or losses or shall be or Control the managing member, managing director or other governing body or general partner of such limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity.

Vine Energy Investment Entities” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

Vine Energy Investment II Entities” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.

VEH” means Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

VEH LLC Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of VEH, dated on or about the date hereof, as such agreement may be amended from time to time.

 

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Total Number of Directors” means the total number of directors comprising the Board.

Transfer” (including its correlative meanings, “Transferor,” “Transferee” and “Transferred”) shall mean, with respect to any security, directly or indirectly, to sell, contract to sell, give, assign, hypothecate, pledge, encumber, grant a security interest in, offer, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any economic, voting or other rights in or to such security. When used as a noun, “Transfer” shall have such correlative meaning as the context may require.

1.2 Construction. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction will be applied against any party. Unless the context otherwise requires: (a) “or” is disjunctive but not exclusive, (b) words in the singular include the plural, and in the plural include the singular, and (c) the words “hereof,” “herein,” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement, and section references are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified.

ARTICLE II

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

2.1 Election of Directors.

(a) Following the Closing Date, the Blackstone Designator shall have the right (but not the obligation) pursuant to this Agreement to designate or nominate to the Board, a number of designees equal to at least (i) a majority of the Total Number of Directors, for so long as the Blackstone Entities collectively beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the voting power of all shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (which shall be four (4) Directors with the initial Board size of seven (7) Directors at IPO); (ii) 40% of the Total Number of Directors, for so long as the Blackstone Entities collectively beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 40% or more, but less than 50%, of the voting power of all shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (which shall be three (3) Directors with the initial Board size of seven (7) Directors at IPO); (iii) 30% of the Total Number of Directors, for so long as the Blackstone Entities collectively beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 30% or more, but less than 40%, of the voting power of all shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (which shall be three (3) Directors with the initial Board size of seven (7) Directors at IPO); (iv) 20% of the Total Number of Directors, for so long as the Blackstone Entities collectively beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 20% or more, but less than 30%, of the voting power of all shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (which shall be two (2) Directors with the initial Board size of seven (7) Directors at IPO); and (v) 10% of the Total Number of Directors, for so long as the Blackstone Entities collectively beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 5% or more, but less than 20%, of the voting power of all shares of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (which shall be one (1) Director with the initial Board size of seven (7) Directors at IPO).

 

4


(b) If at any time the Blackstone Designator has designated fewer than the total number of individuals that the Blackstone Designator is then entitled to designate pursuant to Section 2.1(a) hereof, the Blackstone Designator shall have the right to designate such additional individuals which it is entitled to so designate, in which case, any individuals nominated by or at the direction of the Board or any duly-authorized committee thereof for election as Directors to fill any vacancy on the Board shall include such designees, and the Company shall use its best efforts to (x) effect the appointment or election of such additional designees, whether by increasing the size of the Board or otherwise, and (y) cause the appointment or election of such additional designees to fill any such newly-created vacancies or to fill any other existing vacancies. Each such individual whom the Blackstone Designator shall actually designate pursuant to this Section 2.1 and who is thereafter elected and qualifies to serve as a Director shall be referred to herein as a “Blackstone Designee.”

(c) The Company, the Investment Entities (so long as such persons own any of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote) and the Investor Parties shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, take all actions to cause the Board to include the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

(d) So long as the Blackstone Designator is entitled to designate one or more designees pursuant to Section 2.01(a), the Blackstone Designator shall have the right to request the removal of any Blackstone Designee (with or without cause) nominated by the Blackstone Designator, from time to time and at any time, from the Board, exercisable upon written notice to the Company, and the Company shall take all necessary action to cause such removal.

(e) In the event that a vacancy is created or exists at any time by the death, disability, retirement or resignation of any Blackstone Designee or as a result of the Blackstone Designator not yet designating a person to fill such vacancy or Board seat, any individual nominated by or at the direction of the Board or any duly-authorized committee thereof to fill such vacancy shall be, and the Company shall use its best efforts to cause such vacancy to be filled, as soon as possible, by a new designee of the Blackstone Designator, and the Company shall take, to the fullest extent permitted by law, at any time and from time to time, all actions necessary to accomplish the same, including by taking Board action to appoint such Blackstone Designee to the Board to fill such vacancy.

(f) The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, include in the slate of nominees recommended by the Board at any meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, the persons designated pursuant to this Section 2.1 and use its best efforts to cause the election of each such designee to the Board, including nominating each such individual to be elected as a Director as provided herein, recommending such individual’s election and soliciting proxies or consents in favor thereof.

(g) In addition to any vote or consent of the Board or the stockholders of the Company required by applicable Law or the charter or bylaws of the Company, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, for so long as this Agreement is in effect, any action by the Board to increase or decrease the Total Number of Directors (other than any increase in the Total Number of Directors in connection with the election of one or more directors elected exclusively by the holders of one or more classes or series of the Company’s stock

 

5


other than Common Stock) shall require the prior written consent of the Blackstone Designator, delivered in accordance with Section 4.13 hereof and any increase in the Total Number of Directors shall result in a corresponding increase in the number of Blackstone Designees the Blackstone Entities are entitled to designate, appoint, elect or otherwise place on the Board pursuant to Section 2.01(a) hereof as is necessary to maintain the appropriate percentage representation on the Board by the Blackstone Designees.

ARTICLE III

INFORMATION

3.1 Books and Records; Access. The Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, permit the Blackstone Entities and their respective designated representatives, at reasonable times and upon reasonable prior notice to the Company, to review the books and records of the Company or any of such Subsidiaries and to discuss the affairs, finances and condition of the Company or any of such Subsidiaries with the officers of the Company or any such Subsidiary; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to disclose any privileged information of the Company so long as the Company has used commercially reasonable efforts to enter into an arrangement pursuant to which it may provide such information to the Blackstone Entities without the loss of any such privilege.

3.2 Certain Reports. The Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Blackstone Entities and the Investment Entities (so long as such persons own any of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote) (together, the “Recipient Parties”), at their request:

(a) As soon as available, but not later than thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar month the Company will provide the Recipient Parties a monthly report that will include the following information: (i) a monthly and year-to-date lease operating statement with a comparison to the comparable periods’ budget, (ii) a monthly and year-to-date summary unaudited balance sheet and the related statements of income, equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries for such periods with a comparison to the comparable periods’ budget, (iii) a summary description of the business activities that took place during such period along with the operating and financial performance of the Company for such monthly period and the year to date, including an explanation of any material discrepancies or variances from the comparable periods’ budgets referenced in clause (ii) and (iv) such other information as the Blackstone Entities shall reasonably request; provided, that any information requested pursuant to the foregoing clause (iv) shall be provided as soon as available, but not later than the later of (x) fifteen (15) days from the date of such request or (y) thirty (30) days after the end of such calendar month to which the requested information pertains;

(b) As soon as available, but not later than sixty (60) days after the end of each calendar quarter (excluding each calendar quarter ending December 31), the Company will provide the Recipient Parties with the Company’s consolidated unaudited balance sheet and the related unaudited statements of income, equity and cash flows as of the end of such immediately preceding calendar quarter, in each case, prepared in accordance with GAAP;

 

6


(c) As soon as available, but not later than 105 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Company will provide the Recipient Parties with the Company’s audited consolidated balance sheet and the related audited consolidated statements of income, equity and cash flows for such fiscal year, such annual financial reports to include notes and to be in reasonable detail, prepared in accordance with GAAP, and accompanied by an opinion of an independent public accountant of nationally recognized standing; and

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will be deemed to have delivered such information referred to in this Section 3.2 to the Recipient Parties for all purposes of this Agreement if the Company has filed reports containing such information with the SEC via the EDGAR filing system (or any successor system) and such reports are publicly available. In addition, the requirements of this Section 3.2 shall be deemed satisfied and the Company will be deemed to have delivered such information referred to this Section 3.2 to the Recipient Parties for all purposes of this Agreement by the posting of reports that would be required to be provided on the Company’s website. The Recipient Parties shall have no obligation to monitor whether the Company posts such reports, information and documents on its website or the SEC’s EDGAR service, or collect any such information from the Company’s website or the SEC’s EDGAR service. Further, that, the Recipient Parties may request that the Company not provide any of the information required pursuant to clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this Section 3.2 if such information is reasonably expected to contain any material non-public information (within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws).

3.3 Disclosure of Information. The Recipient Parties acknowledge that they shall receive information from or regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries in the nature of trade secrets or that otherwise is confidential information or proprietary information (as further defined below, “Confidential Information”), the release of which would be damaging to the Company or Persons with which the Company conducts business. Each Recipient Party shall hold in strict confidence any Confidential Information that such recipient receives pursuant to this Agreement, and each Recipient Party shall not disclose such Confidential Information to any Person (including any Affiliates) other than another Recipient Party or a Director or officer of the Company, or otherwise use such information for any purpose other than to evaluate, analyze, and keep apprised of the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’ assets and their interest therein and for the internal use thereof by a Recipient Party or its Affiliates, except for disclosures (i) to comply with any Laws (including applicable stock exchange or quotation system requirements), provided, that a Recipient Party must notify the Company promptly of any disclosure of Confidential Information which is required by Law, and any such disclosure of Confidential Information shall be to the minimum extent required by Law, (ii) to Affiliates, partners, members, stockholders, investors, directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys, consultants, lenders, professional advisers or representatives of the Recipient Party or its Affiliates (provided, that such Recipient Party shall be responsible for assuring such partners’, members’, stockholders’, investors’, directors’, officers’, employees’, agents’, attorneys’, consultants’, lenders’, professional advisers’ and representatives’ compliance with the terms hereof, except to the extent any such Person who is not a partner, member, stockholder, director, officer or employee has agreed in writing addressed to the Company to be bound by customary undertakings with respect to confidential and proprietary information similar to this Section 3.3), or to Persons to which that Recipient Party’s holdings of capital stock of the Company is proposed to be transferred, but only if the recipients of such information have agreed to be bound by customary confidentiality undertakings similar to this Section 3.3, (iii) of information that a Recipient Party also has received from a source independent of the Company and that such Recipient Party reasonably believes such source obtained without

 

7


breach of any obligation of confidentiality to the Company, (iv) of information obtained prior to the formation of Vine Oil & Gas LP, provided, that this clause (iv) shall not relieve any Recipient Party or any of its Affiliates from any obligations it may have to any other Recipient Party or any of its Affiliates under any existing confidentiality agreement, (v) that have been or become independently developed by a Recipient Party or its Affiliates or on their behalf without using any of the Confidential Information, (vi) that are or become generally available to the public (other than as a result of a prohibited disclosure by such Recipient Party or its representatives), (vii) in connection with any proposed transfer of all or part of a Recipient Party’s holdings of capital stock of the Company or the proposed sale of all or substantially all of a Recipient Party or its direct or indirect parent, to (A) advisers or representatives of the Recipient Party, (B) its direct or indirect parent or (C) Persons to which such interests may be transferred, but only if the recipients of such information have agreed to be bound by customary undertakings with respect to confidential and proprietary information similar to this Section 3.3 or (viii) to the extent the Company shall have consented to such disclosure in writing. The term “Confidential Information” shall include any information pertaining to the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ business which is not available to the public, whether written, oral, electronic, visual form or in any other media, including, without limitation, such information that is proprietary, confidential or concerning the Company’s (or any of its Subsidiaries’) ownership and operation of their respective assets or related matters, including any actual or proposed operations or development project or strategies, other operations and business plans, actual or projected revenues and expenses, finances, contracts and books and records. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Recipient Parties and their Affiliates may make disclosures to their respective direct and indirect limited partners and members such information (including Confidential Information) as is customarily provided to current or prospective limited partners in private equity funds sponsored or managed by Affiliates of the Blackstone Entities. Each Recipient Party acknowledges that Confidential Information furnished to it pursuant to this Agreement may include material nonpublic information concerning the Company and its related parties or their respective securities and hereby confirms that it is familiar with the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

ARTICLE IV

GENERAL PROVISIONS

4.1 Termination. This Agreement shall terminate on the earlier to occur of (i) such time as the Blackstone Designator is no longer entitled to designate a Director pursuant to Section 2.1(a) hereof and (ii) the delivery of a written notice by the Blackstone Designator to the Company requesting that this Agreement terminate.

4.2 Notices. Any notice, designation, request, request for consent or consent provided for in this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be either personally delivered, or mailed first class mail (postage prepaid) or sent by reputable overnight courier service (charges prepaid) to the Company at the address set forth below and to any other recipient at the address indicated on the Company’s records, or at such address or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by prior written notice to the sending party. Notices and other such documents will be deemed to have been given or made hereunder when sent by facsimile (receipt confirmed) delivered personally, five (5) days after deposit in the U.S. mail and one (1) day after deposit with a reputable overnight courier service.

 

8


  (a)

If to the Company, to:

Vine Energy Inc.

5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: Eric Marsh, Chief Executive Officer

Fax: (877) 992-0118

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and Michael W. Rigdon

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (b)

If to the Blackstone Entities, to:

The Blackstone Group L.P.

345 Park Avenue, Suite 3300

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to:

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (c)

If to either of Vine Investment or Vine Investment II, to:

Vine Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

9


  (d)

If to either of Brix Investment or Brix Investment II, to:

Brix Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

 

  (e)

If to either of Harvest Investment or Harvest Investment II, to:

Harvest Investment LLC

c/o Blackstone Management Partners, L.L.C.

345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor

New York, New York 10154

Attention: Angelo G. Acconcia

Fax: (212) 201-2874

with a copy (not constituting notice) to :

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

609 Main Street

Houston, Texas 77002

Attention: Matthew R. Pacey and William J. Benitez

Fax: (713) 835-3601

4.3 Amendment; Waiver. This Agreement may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified only by a written instrument executed by the Company and the other parties hereto. Neither the failure nor delay on the part of any party hereto to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any other right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver.

4.4 Further Assurances. The parties hereto will sign such further documents, cause such meetings to be held, resolutions passed, exercise their votes and do and perform and cause to be done such further acts and things necessary, proper or advisable in order to give full effect to this Agreement and every provision hereof. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company shall not directly or indirectly take any action that is intended to, or would reasonably be expected to result in, Blackstone or any Blackstone Entity being deprived of the rights contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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4.5 Assignment. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding on the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns. This Agreement may not be assigned without the express prior written consent of the other parties hereto, and any attempted assignment, without such consents, will be null and void; provided, however, that, without the prior written consent of the Company, a Blackstone Party may assign this Agreement, in whole or in part, to any of its Permitted Assigns.

4.6 Third Parties. Except as provided for in Article II and Section 3.1 hereof with respect to any Blackstone Entity, this Agreement does not create any rights, claims or benefits inuring to any person that is not a party hereto nor create or establish any third party beneficiary hereto.

4.7 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws thereof.

4.8 Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. In any judicial proceeding involving any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, each of the parties unconditionally accepts the jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Delaware or if jurisdiction over the matter is vested exclusively in federal courts, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, and the appellate courts to which orders and judgments thereof may be appealed. In any such judicial proceeding, the parties agree that in addition to any method for the service of process permitted or required by such courts, to the fullest extent permitted by law, service of process may be made by delivery provided pursuant to the directions in Section 4.2 hereof. EACH OF THE PARTIES HEREBY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY JUDICIAL PROCEEDING INVOLVING ANY DISPUTE, CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

4.9 Specific Performance. Each party hereto acknowledges and agrees that in the event of any breach of this Agreement by any of them, the other parties hereto would be irreparably harmed and could not be made whole by monetary damages. Each party accordingly agrees to waive the defense in any action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate and agrees that the parties, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law or in equity, shall be entitled to specific performance of this Agreement without the posting of bond.

4.10 Entire Agreement. This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. There are no agreements, representations, warranties, covenants or understandings with respect to the subject matter hereof or thereof other than those expressly set forth herein and therein. This Agreement supersedes all other prior agreements and understandings between the parties with respect to such subject matter.

 

11


4.11 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement, or the application of such provision to any Person or circumstance or in any jurisdiction, shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, (i) the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby, and each other provision hereof shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law, (ii) as to such Person or circumstance or in such jurisdiction such provision shall be reformed to be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law, and (iii) the application of such provision to other Persons or circumstances or in other jurisdictions shall not be affected thereby.

4.12 Table of Contents, Headings and Captions. The table of contents, headings, subheadings and captions contained in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only, and in no way define, limit or describe the scope of this Agreement or the intent of any provision hereof.

4.13 Grant of Consent. Any vote, consent or approval of, or designation by, or other action of, the Blackstone Designator hereunder shall be effective if notice of such vote, consent, approval, designation or action is provided in accordance with Section 4.2 hereof by the Blackstone Party or Investor Parties holding of record a majority of the Outstanding Vine Interests then held of record by Blackstone Parties as of the latest date any such notice is so provided.

4.14 Counterparts. This Agreement and any amendment hereto may be signed in any number of separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one Agreement (or amendment, as applicable).

4.15 Effectiveness. This Agreement shall become effective upon the Closing Date.

4.16 No Recourse. This Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claims or cause of action that may be based upon, arise out of or relate to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement may only be made against the entities that are expressly identified as parties hereto and no past, present or future Affiliate, director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, manager, partner, stockholder, agent, attorney or representative of any party hereto shall have any liability for any obligations or liabilities of the parties to this Agreement or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.

 

COMPANY:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Stockholders’ Agreement


VINE INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
HARVEST INVESTMENT LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
BRIX INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
HARVEST INVESTMENT II LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Stockholders’ Agreement


BLACKSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS VI-Q (PUB) L.P.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director
BLACKSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS II-Q (PUB) L.P.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director
BLACKSTONE ENERGY PARTNERS II-F. Q (PUB) L.P.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director
BLACKSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS Q (PUB) L.P.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director

Signature Page to Vine Energy Inc. Stockholders’ Agreement

Exhibit 10.6

Execution Version

MASTER REORGANIZATION AGREEMENT

This Master Reorganization Agreement (this “Agreement”), dated as of March 17, 2021, is entered into by and among (a) Vine Oil & Gas Holdings LLC (“Vine Holdings”), (b) each of the individuals and entities listed on Schedule 1 attached hereto who, in each case, owned equity interests in Vine Oil & Gas Parent LP (“Vine LP”) and/or Vine Oil & Gas Parent GP LLC (“Vine GP”) as indicated on Schedule 1 prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Vine Equity Holders” and, together with Vine Holdings, the “Existing Vine Owners”), (c) B&H Oil and Gas L.L.C. (“B&H Holdings”), (d) each of the individuals and entities listed on Schedule 2 attached hereto who, in each case, owned equity interests in Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP (“Brix LP”) and/or Brix Oil & Gas Holdings GP LLC (“Brix GP”) as indicated on Schedule 2 prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Brix Equity Holders” and together with B&H Holdings, the “Existing Brix Owners”), (e) each of the entities listed on Schedule 3 attached hereto who, in each case, owned equity interests in Harvest Royalties Holdings LP (“Harvest LP”) and/or Harvest Royalties Holdings GP LLC (“Harvest GP”) as indicated on Schedule 3 prior to the execution of this Agreement (the “Harvest Equity Holders” and together with B&H Holdings, the “Existing Harvest Owners”), (f) Vine Energy Inc. (“VEI”), and (g) Vine Energy Holdings LLC (“VEH”). The parties to this Agreement are each sometimes referred to herein as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”.

RECITALS

WHEREAS, in connection with, and prior to the completion of, an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of VEI’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), pursuant to, and as more fully described in, a registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Registration No. 333-253366 (the “Registration Statement”), certain restructuring transactions shall be undertaken, as more fully described in the Registration Statement (the “Reorganization”);

WHEREAS, the boards of directors, managers, and/or members, as applicable, of each of the Parties (other than the Vine Equity Holders, Brix Equity Holders or the Harvest Equity Holders) has determined that it is in the best interests of such Party to undertake the Reorganization;

WHEREAS, the Parties acknowledge and agree that the board of directors of VEI, in its sole discretion, has the authority to determine the terms of the Offering, including the number of shares of Class A Common Stock to be sold to the public and the IPO Price (as defined herein); and

WHEREAS, in connection with the Offering and the Reorganization, the Parties desire to, among other things, (a) establish the economic terms of the Reorganization and (b) enter into certain agreements to effectuate the foregoing, in each case as further described in this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Parties hereby agree as follows, and further agree that the actions set forth in Article II shall be deemed to have been taken and become effective in the order set forth therein.

 


ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

The terms set forth below in this Article I shall have the meanings ascribed to them below or in the part of this Agreement referred to below:

Blocker Entities” means certain entities that are taxable as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and through which certain Existing Owners indirectly hold VEH Interests.

Class A VEH Units” means Class A units representing limited liability company membership interests in VEH, which have been received pursuant to Section 2.9.

Class B Common Stock” means the Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of VEI.

Class B VEH Units” means Class B units representing limited liability company membership interests in VEH, which have been received pursuant to Section 2.5.

Effective Date” means the date of the closing of the Offering.

Effective Time” means 12:01 a.m. Central Standard Time on the Effective Date.

Existing Owners” means, collectively, the Existing Vine Owners, the Existing Brix Owners, the Existing Harvest Owners and their direct or indirect beneficial owners.

IPO Price” means the initial public offering price per share of common stock in the Offering.

Operating Companies” means, collectively, Vine LP, Vine GP, Brix LP, Brix GP, Harvest LP and Harvest GP.

VEH Interests” means the newly issued limited liability company membership interests in VEH resulting from the Existing Owners’ contribution of all of their equity interests in the Operating Companies to VEH pursuant to Section 2.1.

VEH LLC Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of VEH, dated as of March 17, 2021, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.

ARTICLE II

CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Section 2.1 Contribution of LP Units and GP Units to VEH. Effective immediately following the Effective Time, (a) the Existing Vine Owners shall contribute all of their equity interests in Vine LP and Vine GP, as applicable, to VEH in exchange for newly issued VEH Interests, (b) the Existing Brix Owners shall contribute all of their equity interests in Brix LP and Brix GP, as applicable, to VEH in exchange for newly issued VEH Interests, and (c) the Existing Harvest Owners shall contribute all of their equity interests in Harvest LP and Harvest GP, as applicable, to VEH in exchange for newly issued VEH Interests.

 

-2-


Section 2.2 Contribution of Blocker Entities to VEI. Effective immediately following the transactions described in Section 2.1, (a) certain Existing Owners shall distribute VEH Interests attributable to certain Blocker Entities and any profits interests in respect thereof (the “Distributed VEH Interests”) to the applicable Blocker Entity or the Existing Owner that holds such profits interests and (b) certain Existing Owners shall contribute all of their respective interests in the Blocker Entities that received Distributed VEH Interests (which, collectively, constitute all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of each Blocker Entity) and the Existing Owners that received the other Distributed VEH Interests shall contribute the Distributed VEH Interests to VEI in exchange for newly issued Class A Common Stock.

Section 2.3 Contribution of VEH Interests to VEI. Concurrently with the transactions described in Section 2.2, certain Existing Owners shall contribute VEH Interests to VEI in exchange for newly issued Class A Common Stock (the “Investment 1 VEI Stock”).

Section 2.4 Contribution of Class A Common Stock to Investment II Entities. Effective immediately following the transactions described in Section 2.2 and Section 2.3, (a) the Existing Vine Owners shall contribute all of their Class A Common Stock (other than their Investment 1 VEI Stock) to Vine Investment II LLC (“Vine Investment II”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Vine Investment II, (b) the Existing Brix Owners shall contribute all of their Class A Common Stock (other than their Investment 1 VEI Stock) to Brix Investment II LLC (“Brix Investment II”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Brix Investment II, and (c) the Existing Harvest Owners shall contribute all of their Class A Common Stock (other than their Investment 1 VEI Stock) to Harvest Investment II LLC (“Harvest Investment II”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Harvest Investment II.

Section 2.5 Exchange; Class B Common Stock. Effective immediately following the transactions described in Section 2.4, certain Existing Owners shall exchange all of their remaining VEH Interests for newly issued Class B VEH Units and receive newly issued Class B Common Stock.

Section 2.6 Contribution of Class B VEH Units and Class B Common Stock to Investment Entities. Effective immediately following the transactions described in Section 2.5, the Existing Vine Owners shall contribute all of their Investment 1 VEI Stock, Class B VEH Units and Class B Common Stock to Vine Investment LLC (“Vine Investment”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Vine Investment, (b) the Existing Brix Owners shall contribute all of their Investment 1 VEI Stock, Class B VEH Units and Class B Common Stock to Brix Investment LLC (“Brix Investment”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Brix Investment, and (c) the Existing Harvest Owners shall contribute all of their Investment 1 VEI Stock, Class B VEH Units and Class B Common Stock to Harvest Investment LLC (“Harvest Investment”) in exchange for newly issued equity interests in Harvest Investment.

Section 2.7 Consummation of the Offering. Effective immediately following the transactions described in Section 2.1 through Section 2.6, VEI shall consummate the Offering.

 

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Section 2.8 VEH LLC Agreement. Effective immediately following the consummation of the Offering as described in Section 2.7, the members of VEH shall enter into the VEH LLC Agreement, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Section 2.9 Contribution of Proceeds to VEH. Effective immediately following the execution of the VEH LLC Agreement as described in Section 2.8, VEI shall contribute the net proceeds of the Offering to VEH in exchange for newly issued Class A VEH Units.

Section 2.10 Resulting Ownership Post-Reorganization. After giving effect to the foregoing transactions and the Offering: (a) VEI will own an approximate 50.5% interest in VEH (or 52.4% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), (b) Vine Investment will own an approximate 25.2% interest in VEH and 0.1% interest in VEI (or 24.2% and 0.1% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), (c) Brix Investment will own an approximate 24.0% interest in VEH and 0.1% interest in VEI (or 23.1% and 0.1% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), (d) Harvest Investment will own an approximate 0.3% interest in VEH and less than 0.1% interest in VEI (or 0.3% and less than 0.1% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), (e) Vine Investment II will own an approximate 13.7% interest in VEI (or 13.1% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), (f) Brix Investment II will own an approximate 9.4% interest in VEI (or 9.1% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full) and (g) Harvest Investment II will own an approximate 0.2% interest in VEI (or 0.2% if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full).

ARTICLE III

FURTHER ASSURANCES

From time to time after the Effective Time, and without any further consideration, the Parties agree to execute, acknowledge and deliver all such additional, assignments, conveyances, instruments, notices and other documents, and to do all such other acts and things, all in accordance with applicable law, as may be necessary or appropriate (a) more fully to assure that the applicable Parties own all of the properties, rights, titles, interests, estates, remedies, powers and privileges granted by this Agreement, or which are intended to be so granted, (b) more fully and effectively to vest in the applicable Parties and their respective successors and assigns beneficial and record title to the interests contributed and assigned by this Agreement or intended to be so and (c) more fully and effectively to carry out the purposes and intent of this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS

Section 4.1 Mutual Representations. Each of the Parties hereby represents and warrants to each other Party:

(a) that the execution, delivery and performance by such Party of this Agreement, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, do not and shall not (i) conflict with or violate the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, certificate of formation, operating agreement or similar organizational document (“Organizational

 

-4-


Documents”) of such Party, as in effect on the date hereof; (ii) conflict with or violate any law applicable to such Party; or (iii) result in any breach of, constitute a default (or an event that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would become a default) under, require any consent of or notice to any person pursuant to, give to others any right of termination, amendment, modification, acceleration or cancellation of, allow the imposition of any fees or penalties, require the offering or making of any payment or redemption, give rise to any increased, guaranteed, accelerated or additional rights or entitlements of any person or otherwise adversely affect any rights of such Party under or pursuant to, any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, agreement, lease, license, permit, franchise, instrument, obligation or other contract to which such Party is a party or by which such Party or its assets may be bound or affected; and

(b) that such Party owns all interests contributed hereby free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, equities, charges or claims.

ARTICLE V

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 5.1 Release. Effective as of the Effective Date, each of the Parties, on behalf of himself (or herself or itself) and his (or her or its assigns), heirs, beneficiaries, representatives, agents and affiliates (the “Releasing Parties”), hereby fully and finally releases, acquits and forever discharges each of the other Parties and affiliates and each of their respective present and former officers, directors, employees, agents, predecessors, successors, assigns, members, managers, equityholders, controlling persons, insurers and attorneys (the “Released Parties”) from any and all claims, causes of action, liabilities, losses, costs, damages, penalties, charges, expenses and all other forms of liability or obligation whatsoever, in law or equity, whether asserted or unasserted, known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen (“Claims”), arising prior to the Effective Date and relating to such Releasing Party’s ownership of equity of Vine LP, Vine GP, Brix LP, Brix GP, Harvest LP, Harvest GP, or any of their respective subsidiaries (collectively, the “Operating Companies”) prior to the Effective Date (collectively, the “Released Claims”); provided, however, that the Released Claims shall exclude any Claims arising from or relating to or in connection with (a) rights or obligations under this Agreement and (b) any claim or right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under (i) the Organizational Documents of the Operating Companies (ii) the VEH LLC Agreement or (iii) any other agreement between such Releasing Party and the Operating Companies or their respective affiliates, in each case, as in effect prior to the Effective Date. Each Releasing Party expressly acknowledges that the release contained herein applies to all Released Claims, whether such Released Claims are known or unknown, and include Released Claims that if known by the releasing party might materially affect its decision to effect the settlement contained herein. Each Releasing Party has considered and taken into account the possible existence of such Released Claims in determining to execute and deliver this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, solely with respect to the Released Claims, each Releasing Party expressly waives any and all rights conferred upon it by any statute or rule of law that provides that a release does not extend to claims that the Releasing Party does not know or suspect to exist in its favor at the time of executing the release, which if known by the Releasing Party would have materially affected the Releasing Party’s settlement with the Released Parties. This Agreement constitutes a complete defense of any and all Released Claims. Each Releasing Party further agrees not to initiate any litigation, lawsuit, claim or action against any Released Party with respect to any Released Claim, except that the Releasing Party shall not be limited hereby from responding to, joining, prosecuting or being involved in any litigation, lawsuit, claim or action brought against such Releasing Party in respect of a Released Claim, nor from adjudicating whether or not a Claim constitutes a Released Claim.

 

-5-


Section 5.2 Successors and Assigns; No Third Party Rights. The Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and assigns. Except as set forth in Section 5.1 for the Released Parties, this Agreement is not intended to, and does not create, rights in any other person and no person is or is intended to be a third-party beneficiary of any of the provisions of this Agreement.

Section 5.3 Severability. If any of the provisions of this Agreement are held by any court of competent jurisdiction to contravene, or to be invalid under, the laws of any political body having jurisdiction over the subject matter hereof, such contravention or invalidity shall not invalidate the entire Agreement. Instead, this Agreement shall be construed as if it did not contain the particular provision or provisions held to be invalid, and an equitable adjustment shall be made and necessary provision added so as to give effect to the intention of the Parties as expressed in this Agreement at the time of execution of this Agreement.

Section 5.4 Waivers and Amendments. Any waiver of any term or condition of this Agreement, or any amendment or supplement to this Agreement, shall be effective only if in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver of any breach or failure to enforce any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement shall not in any way affect, limit or waive a Party’s rights hereunder at any time to enforce strict compliance thereafter with every term or condition of this Agreement.

Section 5.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the VEH LLC Agreement and all other documents and agreements entered into in connection with or contemplated by the Reorganization, constitute the entire agreement among the Parties pertaining to the transactions contemplated hereby, and together supersede all prior agreements, understandings, negotiations and discussions, whether oral or written, of the Parties pertaining thereto.

Section 5.6 Governing Law. The Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws thereof.

Section 5.7 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including by facsimile or other electronic means) with the same effect as if all Parties had signed the same document.

Section 5.8 Further Action. The Parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.

* * * * *

 

 

-6-


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by each of the Parties as of the date first written above.

 

VINE OIL & GAS HOLDINGS LLC
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: President
B&H OIL AND GAS L.L.C.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: President
BLACKSTONE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES VI L.L.C.
By: BMA VI L.L.C., its sole member
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director
BLACKSTONE ENERGY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES L.L.C.
By: Blackstone EMA L.L.C., its sole member
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director

 

 

Signature Page to Master Reorganization Agreement


BLACKSTONE ENERGY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES II L.L.C.
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name: Angelo Acconcia
Title: Senior Managing Director

 

 

Signature Page to Master Reorganization Agreement


VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
VINTNER RESOURCES, LLC
By: ELMCO LIVING TRUST, its manager
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name: Eric D. Marsh
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Signature Page to Master Reorganization Agreement


/s/ Wayne Stoltenberg

Wayne Stoltenberg

/s/ David Elkin

David Elkin

/s/ Randy Blurton

Randy Blurton

/s/ Brian Dutton

Brian Dutton

/s/ Phuong Le

Phuong Le

/s/ Beth Truelove

Beth Truelove

/s/ Michael Adams

Michael Adams

/s/ James Grover

James Grover

/s/ Mark Henry

Mark Henry

 

 

Signature Page to Master Reorganization Agreement


/s/ Rachel Zavala

Rachel Zavala

/s/ Jonathan Curth

Jonathan Curth

 

 

Signature Page to Master Reorganization Agreement


Schedule 11

Vine Equity Holders

 

Name    Equity Interests Owned
   Vine LP    Vine GP

Vintner Resources, LLC

   X    X

Wayne Stoltenberg

   X   

David Elkin

   X   

Randy Blurton

   X   

Brian Dutton

   X   

Phuong Le

   X   

Beth Truelove

   X   

Michael Adams

   X   

James Grover

   X   

Mark Henry

   X   

Rachel Zavala

   X   

Jonathan Curth

   X   

Blackstone Management Associates VI L.L.C.

      X

Blackstone Energy Management Associates L.L.C.

      X

 

1 

Blackstone and management have agreed to crystallize the waterfalls in each Vine, Brix and Harvest investment vehicle on the 90th day following the closing of the IPO using the 30-day volume-weighted average price of the Class A common stock as of such date so that each unitholder will hold fully vested capital interests not subject to repurchase. Additionally, Blackstone and management have agreed that any sale of common stock from such investment vehicles shall be made on a proportional basis across such vehicles.

 

Schedule 1 to Master Reorganization Agreement


Schedule 2

Brix Equity Holders

 

Name    Equity Interests Owned
   Brix LP    Brix GP

Vintner Resources, LLC

   X    X

Wayne Stoltenberg

   X   

David Elkins

   X   

Randy Blurton

   X   

Brian Dutton

   X   

Phuong Le

   X   

Beth Truelove

   X   

Michael Adams

   X   

Mark Henry

   X   

Rachel Zavala

   X   

Jonathan Curth

   X   

Blackstone Management Associates VI L.L.C.

      X

Blackstone Energy Management Associates II L.L.C.

      X

 

 

Schedule 2 to Master Reorganization Agreement


Schedule 3

Harvest Equity Holders

 

Name    Equity Interests Owned
   Harvest LP    Harvest GP

Vintner Resources, LLC

   X    X

David Elkins

   X   

Wayne Stoltenberg

   X   

Beth Truelove

   X   

Phuong Le

   X   

Randy Blurton

   X   

Blackstone Management Associates VI L.L.C.

      X

Blackstone Energy Management Associates II L.L.C.

      X

 

 

Schedule 3 to Master Reorganization Agreement


Exhibit A

VEH LLC Agreement

See attached.

 

 

Exhibit A to Master Reorganization Agreement

Exhibit 10.7

Execution Version

 

 

 

CREDIT AGREEMENT

Dated as of March 8, 2021

among

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC,

as the Borrower,

The Several Lenders

from Time to Time Parties Hereto,

CITIBANK, N.A.,

as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent,

Swingline Lender and an Issuing Bank,

CITIBANK, N.A., BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., BARCLAYS BANK PLC,

CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH,

KEYBANC CAPITAL MARKETS INC., MORGAN STANLEY BANK, N.A.,

MUFG UNION BANK, N.A., AND RBC CAPITAL MARKETS1

as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners

 

 

 

 

1 

RBC Capital Markets is a brand name for the capital markets businesses of Royal Bank of Canada and its affiliates


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS

     2  

1.1

  Defined Terms      2  

1.2

  Other Interpretive Provisions      64  

1.3

  Accounting Terms      66  

1.4

  Rounding      66  

1.5

  References to Agreements, Laws, Etc.      66  

1.6

  Times of Day      66  

1.7

  Timing of Payment or Performance      66  

1.8

  Currency Equivalents Generally      67  

1.9

  Classification of Loans and Borrowings      67  

1.10

  Hedging Requirements Generally      67  

1.11

  Certain Determinations      68  

1.12

  Pro Forma and Other Calculations      68  

1.13

  Divisions      70  

SECTION 2. AMOUNT AND TERMS OF CREDIT

     70  

2.1

  Commitments      70  

2.2

  Minimum Amount of Each Borrowing; Maximum Number of Borrowings      72  

2.3

  Notice of Borrowing      72  

2.4

  Disbursement of Funds      73  

2.5

  Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt      74  

2.6

  Conversions and Continuations      75  

2.7

  Pro Rata Borrowings      76  

2.8

  Interest      76  

2.9

  Interest Periods      77  

2.10

  Increased Costs, Illegality, Etc.      78  

2.11

  Compensation      80  

2.12

  Change of Lending Office      80  

2.13

  Notice of Certain Costs      80  

2.14

  Borrowing Base      81  

2.15

  Defaulting Lenders      85  

2.16

  Increase of Total Commitment      88  

2.17

  Extension Offers      90  

SECTION 3. LETTERS OF CREDIT

     93  

3.1

  Letters of Credit      93  

3.2

  Letter of Credit Applications      94  

3.3

  Letter of Credit Participations      95  

3.4

  Agreement to Repay Letter of Credit Drawings      97  

3.5

  New or Successor Issuing Bank      99  

3.6

  Role of Issuing Bank      100  

3.7

  Cash Collateral      100  

3.8

  Applicability of ISP and UCP      101  

 

-i-


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

 

         Page  

3.9

  Conflict with Issuer Documents      101  

3.10

  Letters of Credit Issued for Restricted Subsidiaries      101  

3.11

  Increased Costs      102  

3.12

  Independence      102  

SECTION 4. FEES; COMMITMENTS

     102  

4.1

  Fees      102  

4.2

  Voluntary Reduction of Commitments      103  

4.3

  Mandatory Termination of Commitments      104  

SECTION 5. PAYMENTS

     105  

5.1

  Voluntary Prepayments      105  

5.2

  Mandatory Prepayments      105  

5.3

  Method and Place of Payment      107  

5.4

  Net Payments      108  

5.5

  Computations of Interest and Fees      112  

5.6

  Limit on Rate of Interest      112  

SECTION 6. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO INITIAL BORROWING

     113  

SECTION 7. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO ALL SUBSEQUENT CREDIT EVENTS

     117  

SECTION 8. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS

     118  

8.1

  Existence, Qualification and Power      118  

8.2

  Corporate Power and Authority; Enforceability; Binding Effect      118  

8.3

  No Violation      119  

8.4

  Litigation      119  

8.5

  Margin Regulations      119  

8.6

  Governmental Authorization      119  

8.7

  Investment Company Act      119  

8.8

  True and Complete Disclosure      119  

8.9

  Tax Matters      120  

8.10

  Compliance with ERISA      120  

8.11

  Subsidiaries      121  

8.12

  Intellectual Property      121  

8.13

  Environmental Laws      121  

8.14

  Properties      121  

8.15

  Solvency      122  

8.16

  Security Documents      122  

8.17

  Gas Imbalances      123  

8.18

  Marketing of Production      123  

8.19

  Financial Statements      123  

8.20

  OFAC; USA PATRIOT Act; FCPA      123  

8.21

  Hedge Agreements      124  

8.22

  No Default      124  

 

-ii-


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

 

         Page  

8.23

  Insurance      124  

8.24

  Minimum Volume Commitments      124  

8.25

  Use of Proceeds      124  

8.26

  Compliance with Laws      124  

SECTION 9. AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

     125  

9.1

  Information Covenants      125  

9.2

  Books, Records and Inspections      129  

9.3

  Maintenance of Insurance      130  

9.4

  Payment of Taxes      130  

9.5

  Preservation of Existence, Etc.      131  

9.6

  Compliance with Requirements of Law      131  

9.7

  [Reserved]      131  

9.8

  Maintenance of Properties      131  

9.9

  Transactions with Affiliates      131  

9.10

  Compliance with Environmental Laws      134  

9.11

  Additional Guarantors, Grantors and Collateral      134  

9.12

  Use of Proceeds      136  

9.13

  Further Assurances      136  

9.14

  Reserve Reports      137  

9.15

  Change in Business      139  

9.16

  Title Information      139  

9.17

  Deposit Account, Securities Account and Commodity Account Control Agreements      140  

9.18

  Minimum Hedged Volumes      140  

9.19

  Minimum Volume Commitments      141  

9.20

  Subordination of Operator’s Liens      141  

9.21

  Post-Closing Covenants      141  

SECTION 10. NEGATIVE COVENANTS.

     142  

10.1

  Limitation on Indebtedness      142  

10.2

  Limitation on Liens      147  

10.3

  Limitation on Fundamental Changes      150  

10.4

  Limitation on Sale of Assets      153  

10.5

  Limitation on Investments      156  

10.6

  Limitation on Restricted Payments      160  

10.7

  Limitations on Debt Payments and Amendments      165  

10.8

  Negative Pledge Agreements      166  

10.9

  Limitation on Subsidiary Distributions      168  

10.10

  Hedge Agreements      170  

10.11

  Financial Covenants      171  

10.12

  Accounting Changes; Amendments to Organizational Documents      172  

10.13

  Foreign Operations      172  

10.14

  Permitted Activities      172  

10.15

  Acreage Dedications      173  

 

-iii-


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

 

         Page  

SECTION 11. EVENTS OF DEFAULT

     173  

11.1

  Payments      173  

11.2

  Representations, Etc.      173  

11.3

  Covenants      173  

11.4

  Default Under Other Agreements      174  

11.5

  Bankruptcy, Etc.      174  

11.6

  ERISA      175  

11.7

  Guarantee      175  

11.8

  Security Documents      175  

11.9

  Judgments      175  

11.10

  Change of Control      175  

11.11

  Intercreditor Agreements      175  

11.12

  Application of Proceeds      176  

11.13

  Equity Cure      177  

SECTION 12. THE AGENTS

     179  

12.1

  Appointment      179  

12.2

  Delegation of Duties      180  

12.3

  Exculpatory Provisions      180  

12.4

  Reliance by Agents      180  

12.5

  Notice of Default      181  

12.6

  Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent and Other Lenders      181  

12.7

  Indemnification      182  

12.8

  Agents in Its Individual Capacities      183  

12.9

  Successor Agents      183  

12.10

  Withholding Tax      184  

12.11

  Security Documents and Collateral Agent under Security Documents and Guarantee      184  

12.12

  Right to Realize on Collateral and Enforce Guarantee      185  

12.13

  Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim      185  

12.14

  Certain ERISA Matters      186  

12.15

  Credit Bidding      187  

SECTION 13. MISCELLANEOUS

     189  

13.1

  Amendments, Waivers and Releases      189  

13.2

  Notices      193  

13.3

  No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies      194  

13.4

  Survival of Representations and Warranties      194  

13.5

  Payment of Expenses; Indemnification      194  

13.6

  Successors and Assigns; Participations and Assignments      196  

13.7

  Replacements of Lenders under Certain Circumstances      202  

13.8

  Adjustments; Set-off      204  

13.9

  Counterparts      205  

13.10

  Severability      205  

13.11

  Integration      205  

 

-iv-


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(continued)

 

         Page  

13.12

  GOVERNING LAW      205  

13.13

  Submission to Jurisdiction; Waivers      205  

13.14

  Acknowledgments      206  

13.15

  WAIVERS OF JURY TRIAL      207  

13.16

  Confidentiality      207  

13.17

  Release of Collateral and Guarantee Obligations      209  

13.18

  USA PATRIOT Act      210  

13.19

  Payments Set Aside      210  

13.20

  Reinstatement      210  

13.21

  Disposition of Proceeds      211  

13.22

  Collateral Matters; Hedge Agreements      211  

13.23

  Agency of the Borrower for the Other Credit Parties      211  

13.24

  Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions      211  

13.25

  Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs      212  

 

-v-


EXHIBITS

Exhibit A

   Form of Reserve Report Certificate

Exhibit B

   Form of Notice of Borrowing

Exhibit C

   Form of Guarantee

Exhibit D

   Form of Mortgage/Deed of Trust

Exhibit E

   Form of Collateral Agreement

Exhibit F

   [Reserved]

Exhibit G

   Form of Assignment and Assumption

Exhibit H-1

   Form of Promissory Note (Loan)

Exhibit H-2

   Form of Promissory Note (Swingline Loan)

Exhibit I

   [Reserved]

Exhibit J

   Form of Solvency Certificate

Exhibit K

   Form of Non-Bank Tax Certificate

Exhibit L

   Form of Intercompany Note
SCHEDULES

Schedule 1.1(a)

   Commitments

Schedule 1.1(b)

   Excluded Equity Interests

Schedule 1.1(e)

   Closing Date Subsidiary Guarantors

Schedule 1.1(f)

   Specified Hedge Agreements

Schedule 1.1(g)

   Unrestricted Subsidiaries

Schedule 8.4

   Litigation

Schedule 8.11

   Subsidiaries

Schedule 8.10(a)

   ERISA

Schedule 8.14

   Properties

Schedule 8.17

   Closing Date Gas Imbalance

Schedule 8.18

   Closing Date Marketing Agreements

Schedule 8.21

   Closing Date Hedge Agreements

Schedule 8.24

   Minimum Volume Commitments

Schedule 9.9

   Closing Date Affiliate Transactions

Schedule 9.21

   Post Closing Covenants

Schedule 10.1

   Closing Date Indebtedness

Schedule 10.2(d)

   Closing Date Liens

Schedule 10.5(d)

   Closing Date Investments

Schedule 10.8

   Closing Date Negative Pledge Agreements

Schedule 13.2

   Notice Addresses

 

-vi-


CREDIT AGREEMENT, dated as of March 8, 2021, among Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Borrower”), the banks, financial institutions and other lending institutions from time to time parties as lenders hereto (each a “Lender” and, collectively, the “Lenders”), Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”), as administrative agent and collateral agent for the Lenders, as the swingline lender and an issuer of Letters of Credit, and each other Issuing Bank from time to time party hereto.

WHEREAS, in connection with, and prior to the completion of, an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of Vine Energy Inc.’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), pursuant to, and as more fully described in, a registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Registration No. 333-253366 (the “Registration Statement”), certain restructuring transactions shall be undertaken, as more fully described in the Registration Statement (the “Reorganization”);

WHEREAS, in furtherance of the Transactions (as defined below) and for other general corporate purposes, the Borrower wishes to repay in full all amounts outstanding under (i) that certain RBL Credit Agreement, dated as of November 25, 2014, by and among Vine Oil & Gas LP, HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, Swingline Lender and as Issuing Bank and the banks, financial institutions and other lending institutions from time to time party thereto, as amended from time to time (the “Existing Vine RBL Credit Agreement”) and (ii) that certain Senior Secured Credit Agreement dated as of March 20, 2018 by and among Brix Operating LLC, the lenders from time to time party thereto, and Macquarie Investments US Inc., as administrative agent, as amended from time to time (the “Existing Brix Credit Agreement”) (such repayment, the “Closing Date Refinancing”);

WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing, (a) the Borrower has requested that (i) on the Closing Date, the Lenders provide Loans to the Borrower (the “Closing Date Loans”) in order to fund a portion of the Closing Date Refinancing, pay Transaction Expenses, and to fund any original issue discount or upfront fees previously agreed with the Lead Arrangers and (ii) at any time and from time to time after the Closing Date and prior to the Maturity Date, the Lenders provide Loans to the Borrower subject to the Available Commitment to (A) provide for the working capital needs of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and for other general corporate purposes, (B) support deposits required under purchase agreements pursuant to which the Borrower or one or more Subsidiaries may acquire Oil and Gas Properties, and (C) backstop obligations under contracts entered into from time to time incident to the Borrower’s business, (b) the Borrower has requested that (i) on the Closing Date, Letters of Credit be issued to backstop certain existing letters of credit issued under the Existing Vine RBL Credit Agreement and (ii) at any time and from time to time after the Closing Date and prior to the L/C Maturity Date, each Issuing Bank issue Letters of Credit (subject to the Available Commitment) and (c) the Borrower has requested that the Swingline Lender extend credit in the form of Swingline Loans (subject to the Available Commitment) at any time and from time to time prior to the Swingline Maturity Date;

WHEREAS, the Lenders, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Banks are willing to make available to the Borrower such revolving credit, swingline and letter of credit facilities upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; and

 

1


NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

1.1 Defined Terms.

As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings specified below:

ABR” shall mean for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus 12 of 1.0%, (b) the Prime Rate in effect on such day and (c) the LIBOR Rate for a one-month Interest Period on such day (or if such day is not a Business Day, the immediately preceding Business Day) plus 1.0%, provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the LIBOR Rate for any day shall be based on the rate appearing on LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Bloomberg screen that displays such rate (or on any successor or substitute page of such page) at approximately 11:00 a.m. London time on such day. Any change in the ABR due to a change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or such LIBOR Rate shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change in the Prime Rate, the Federal Funds Effective Rate or such LIBOR Rate, respectively.

ABR Loan” shall mean each Loan bearing interest based on the ABR.

Acquired Assets” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals to this Agreement.

Acquired EBITDAX” shall mean, with respect to any Acquired Entity or Business or any Converted Restricted Subsidiary for any period, the amount for such period of Consolidated EBITDAX of such Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary (determined as if references to the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the definition of Consolidated EBITDAX were references to such Acquired Entity or Business and its Subsidiaries or to such Converted Restricted Subsidiary and its Subsidiaries), as applicable, all as determined on a consolidated basis for such Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable.

Acquired Entity or Business” has the meaning set forth in the definition of the term “Consolidated EBITDAX”.

Additional Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.16(a).

Adjusted Total Commitment” shall mean, at any time, the Total Commitment less the aggregate amount of Commitments of all Defaulting Lenders.

Administrative Agent” shall mean Citibank, as the administrative agent for the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, or any successor administrative agent appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.9.

Administrative Agent’s Office” shall mean the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 13.2, or such other address or account as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify in writing to the Borrower and the Lenders.

 

2


Administrative Questionnaire” shall mean, for each Lender, an administrative questionnaire in a form approved by the Administrative Agent.

Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.

Affiliate” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under direct or indirect common control with such Person. A Person shall be deemed to control another Person if such Person possesses, directly or indirectly, the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such other Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “controlled” shall have meanings correlative thereto.

Agents” shall mean the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent.

Agent-Related Party” shall mean, with respect to any Agent, its Affiliates and the officers, directors, employees, agents, attorney-in-fact, partners, trustees and advisors of such Agent and of such Agent’s Affiliates.

Agreement” shall mean this Credit Agreement, as amended, restated, amended and restated, replaced, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

All-In Yield” shall mean, as to any Indebtedness, the yield thereof, whether in the form of interest rate, margin, original issue discount, upfront fees, or any LIBOR Rate or ABR floor, in each case, incurred or payable by the Credit Parties generally to all the lenders of such Indebtedness; provided that (a) original issue discount and upfront fees shall be equated to interest rate assuming a 4-year life to maturity (or, if less, the stated life to maturity at the time of its incurrence of the applicable Indebtedness), and (b) “All-In Yield” shall not include amendment fees, arrangement fees, structuring fees, commitment fees, underwriting fees and similar fees (regardless of whether shared with, or paid to, in whole or in part, any or all lenders), success fees, consent fees paid to consenting lenders, ticking fees on undrawn commitments or any other fees not paid ratably to all lenders in the primary syndication of such Indebtedness.

Anti-Corruption Laws” means all laws, rules and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to any of the Credit Parties from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption including, to the extent applicable to any of the Credit Parties from time to time, including the United Kingdom Bribery Act of 2010 (the “Bribery Act”) and the United State Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”).

Anti-Money Laundering Laws” shall mean all laws, rules and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to any Credit Party from time to time concerning or relating to money laundering.

Applicable Equity Amount” shall mean, at any time (the “Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time”), an amount equal to, without duplication,

 

3


(a) the amount of any capital contributions made in cash to, or any proceeds of an equity issuance received by, PubCo (excluding all proceeds from the issuance of Disqualified Stock) and contributed as a capital contribution to the Borrower during the period from and including the Business Day immediately following the Closing Date through and including the Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time;

minus

(b) the sum, without duplication, of:

(i) the aggregate amount of any Investments made by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 10.5(g)(iii)(B) and Section 10.5(i)(B) after the Closing Date, and prior to the Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time;

(ii) the aggregate amount of any Restricted Payments made by the Borrower pursuant to Section 10.6(m) after the Closing Date, and prior to the Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time; and

(iii) the aggregate amount of prepayments, repurchases, redemptions and defeasances made by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 10.7(a)(iv) after the Closing Date and prior to the Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time.

Applicable Equity Amount Reference Time” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of “Applicable Equity Amount.”

Applicable Margin” shall mean, for any day, with respect to any ABR Loan or LIBOR Loan, as the case may be, the rate per annum set forth in the grid below based upon the Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage in effect on such day:

 

Borrowing Base Utilization Grid

              

Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage

     £ 25%        25% < X £ 50%        50% < X £ 75%        75% < X £ 90%        X > 90%  

LIBOR Loans

     3.00%        3.25%        3.50%        3.75%        4.00%  

ABR Loans

     2.00%        2.25%        2.50%        2.75%        3.00%  

Commitment Fee Rate

     0.50%        0.50%        0.50%        0.50%        0.50%  

Each change in the Commitment Fee Rate or Applicable Margin shall apply during the period commencing on the effective date of such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change.

Approved Petroleum Engineers” shall mean (a) Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., (b) Ryder Scott Company, L.P., (c) W. D. Von Gonten & Co. Petroleum Engineering, (d) Cawley Gillespie & Associates and (e) at the Borrower’s option, any other independent petroleum engineers selected by the Borrower and reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent.

Assignment and Assumption” shall mean an assignment and acceptance substantially in the form of Exhibit G or such other form as may be approved by the Administrative Agent.

 

4


Attorney Costs” shall mean all reasonable and documented fees, expenses and disbursements of any law firm or other external legal counsel.

Authorized Officer” shall mean as to any Person, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Accounting Officer, the Controller, the Treasurer, the Assistant or Vice Treasurer, the Vice President-Finance, the General Counsel and any manager, managing member or general partner, in each case, of such Person, and any other senior officer designated as such in writing to the Administrative Agent by such Person. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by an Authorized Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, limited liability company, partnership and/or other action on the part of the Borrower or any other Credit Party and such Authorized Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Person.

Auto-Extension Letter of Credit” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.2(b).

Available Commitment” shall mean, at any time, (a) the Loan Limit at such time minus (b) the aggregate Total Exposures of all Lenders at such time.

Available Free Cash Flow” means, as of any time of calculation thereof, the amount equal to: (a) Free Cash Flow as of the last day of the most recently ended Test Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 9.01(a) or Section 9.01(b), minus (b) the sum of (i) the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made under Section 10.6(i), (ii) the aggregate amount of Investments made under Section 10.5(j), and (iii) the aggregate amount of payments made on Junior Debt under Section 10.7(a) in the case of this clause (b) that, in each case, (x) is made from Available Free Cash Flow not otherwise applied pursuant hereto and (y) has occurred since the first day of the most recently ended Test Period through and including the time of calculation (each period a “Measurement Period”).

Bail-In Action” shall mean the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.

Bail-In Legislation” shall mean (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, regulation rule or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).

Bank Price Deck” shall mean the Administrative Agent’s most recent internal price deck on a forward curve basis for each of oil, natural gas and other Hydrocarbons, as applicable, furnished to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Bankruptcy Code” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.5.

 

5


Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.

Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.

Benefited Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.8(a).

Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in and subject to Section 4975 of the Code or (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of ERISA Section 3(42) or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”.

“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.

Board” shall mean the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America (or any successor).

Board of Directors” shall mean, as to any Person, the board of directors or other governing body of such Person, or if such Person is owned or managed by a single entity, the board of directors or other governing body of such entity.

Borrower” shall have the meaning provided in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Borrowing” shall mean the incurrence of one Type of Loan on a given date (or resulting from conversions on a given date) having, in the case of LIBOR Loans, the same Interest Period (provided that ABR Loans incurred pursuant to Section 2.10(b) shall be considered part of any related Borrowing of LIBOR Loans).

Borrowing Base” shall mean, at any time, an amount determined in accordance with Section 2.14, as the same may be adjusted from time to time pursuant to the provisions thereof. As of the Closing Date, the Borrowing Base shall be $350,000,000.

Borrowing Base Deficiency” occurs if, at any time, the aggregate Total Exposure of all Lenders exceeds the Borrowing Base then in effect. The amount of the Borrowing Base Deficiency is the amount by which the aggregate Total Exposure of all Lenders exceeds the Borrowing Base then in effect.

Borrowing Base Properties” shall mean the Oil and Gas Properties of the Credit Parties included in the Initial Reserve Report and thereafter in the Reserve Report most recently delivered pursuant to Section 2.14 or Section 9.14.

Borrowing Base Reduction Debt” shall mean Permitted Additional Debt issued or incurred in accordance with Section 10.1(q) after the Closing Date.

 

6


Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage” shall mean, as of any day, the fraction expressed as a percentage, the numerator of which is the sum of the aggregate Total Exposures of all Lenders on such day; and the denominator of which is the Loan Limit in effect on such day.

Borrowing Base Value” shall mean, with respect to any Oil and Gas Property of a Credit Party or any Hedge Agreement in respect of commodities: (x) in the case of any Oil and Gas Property, the value attributed to such Oil and Gas Property in the Borrowing Base then in effect, as determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 2.14 or 5.2(b) and (y) in the case of any Hedge Agreement, the Swap PV.

Budget” shall have the meaning provided in Section 9.1(g).

Business Day” shall mean any day excluding Saturday, Sunday and any other day on which banking institutions in New York City or Houston, Texas are authorized by law or other governmental actions to close, and, if such day relates to (a) any interest rate settings as to a LIBOR Loan, (b) any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in respect of any such LIBOR Loan, or (c) any other dealings pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such LIBOR Loan, such day shall be a day on which dealings in deposits in Dollars are conducted by and between banks in the London interbank eurodollar market.

Capitalized Lease” shall mean, as applied to any Person, any lease of any property (whether real, personal or mixed) by that Person as lessee that, in conformity with GAAP, is, or is required to be, accounted for as a capital lease on the balance sheet of that Person; provided that for all purposes hereunder the amount of obligations under any Capitalized Lease shall be the amount thereof accounted for as a liability on the balance sheet of such Person in accordance with GAAP; provided, further, that for purposes of calculations made pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, GAAP will be deemed to treat leases in a manner consistent with its treatment under generally accepted accounting principles as of January 1, 2018, notwithstanding any modifications or interpretative changes thereto that may have occurred since such date or may occur in the future. For the avoidance of doubt, any lease that would be characterized as an operating lease in accordance with GAAP on January 1, 2018 (whether or not such operating lease was in effect on such date) shall continue to be accounted for as an operating lease (and not as a Capitalized Lease) for purposes of this Agreement regardless of any change in GAAP following January 1, 2018 that would otherwise require such lease to be re-characterized (on a prospective or retroactive basis or otherwise) as a Finance Lease defined by ASC 842.

Capitalized Software Expenditures” shall mean, for any period, the aggregate of all expenditures (whether paid in cash or accrued as liabilities) by a Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries during such period in respect of licensed or purchased software or internally developed software and software enhancements that, in conformity with GAAP, are or are required to be reflected as capitalized costs on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries.

Captive Insurance Subsidiary” shall mean any Subsidiary of the Borrower that is subject to regulation as an insurance company (or any Subsidiary thereof).

Cash Collateralize” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.7(b).

 

7


Cash Management Agreement” shall mean any agreement entered into from time to time by the Borrower or any of the Borrower’s Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with cash management services for collections, other Cash Management Services and for operating, payroll and trust accounts of such Person, including automatic clearing house services, controlled disbursement services, electronic funds transfer services, lockbox services, stop payment services and wire transfer services.

Cash Management Bank” shall mean any Person that either (i) at the time it provides Cash Management Services, (ii) on the Closing Date or (iii) at any time after it has provided any Cash Management Services, is a Lender or an Agent or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Agent.

Cash Management Obligations” shall mean obligations owed by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to any Cash Management Bank in connection with, or in respect of, any Cash Management Services.

Cash Management Services” shall mean (a) commercial credit cards, merchant card services, purchase or debit cards, including non-card e-payables services, (b) treasury management services (including controlled disbursement, overdraft, automated clearing house fund transfer services, return items and interstate depository network services) and (c) any other demand deposit or operating account relationships or other cash management services, including any Cash Management Agreement.

Casualty Event” shall mean, with respect to any Collateral, (a) any damage to, destruction of, or other casualty or loss involving, any property or asset or (b) any seizure, condemnation, confiscation or taking under the power of eminent domain of, or any requisition of title or use of, or relating to, or any similar event in respect of, any property or asset.

CFC” shall mean a “controlled foreign corporation” within the meaning of Section 957 of the Code.

Change in Law” shall mean (a) the adoption of any law, treaty, order, policy, rule or regulation after the Closing Date, (b) any change in any law, treaty, order, policy, rule or regulation or in the interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority after the Closing Date or (c) compliance by any Lender with any guideline, request, directive or order enacted or promulgated after the Closing Date by any central bank or other governmental or quasi-governmental authority (whether or not having the force of law); provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Basel Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices (or any successor or similar authority) and all guidelines, requests, directives, orders, rules and regulations adopted, enacted or promulgated in connection therewith shall be deemed to have gone into effect after the Closing Date regardless of the date adopted, enacted or promulgated and shall be included as a Change in Law but solely for such costs that would have been included if they would have otherwise been imposed under clauses (a)(ii) and (c) of Section 2.10 or Section 3.11 and only to the extent a Lender is imposing applicable increased costs or costs in connection with capital adequacy requirements similar to those described in clauses (a)(ii) and (c) of Section 2.10 or Section 3.11 generally on other borrowers of comparable loans under United States reserve based credit facilities under credit agreements having similar reimbursement provisions.

 

8


Change of Control” shall mean and be deemed to have occurred if:

(a) any person or “group” (within the meaning of Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act as in effect on the Closing Date), other than (i) any combination of the Investors and the Permitted Holders or (ii) any “group” including any Permitted Holders (provided that Permitted Holders beneficially own more than 50% of all voting interests beneficially owned by such “group”), shall have acquired beneficial ownership of more than 50%, on a fully diluted basis, of the voting interest in the Borrower’s Equity Interests; or

(b) a “change of control” (or similar event) shall occur under any Indebtedness for borrowed money permitted under Section 10.1 with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $50,000,000 or any Permitted Refinancing in respect of any of the foregoing with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $50,000,000.

Notwithstanding the preceding or any provision of Section 13d-3 of the Exchange Act, (i) a Person or group shall not be deemed to beneficially own Equity Interests subject to a stock or asset purchase agreement, merger agreement, option agreement, warrant agreement or similar agreement (or voting or option or similar agreement related thereto) until the consummation of the acquisition of the Equity Interests in connection with the transactions contemplated by such agreement, (ii) if any group includes one or more Permitted Holders, the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of the Borrower owned, directly or indirectly, by any Permitted Holders that are part of such group shall not be treated as being beneficially owned by such group or any other member of such group for purposes of determining whether a Change of Control has occurred and (iii) a Person or group will not be deemed to beneficially own the Equity Interests of another Person as a result of its ownership of the Equity Interests or other securities of such other Person’s parent entity (or related contractual rights) unless it owns 50% or more of the total voting power of the Equity Interests entitled to vote for the election of directors of such parent entity having a majority of the aggregate votes on the board of directors (or similar body) of such parent entity.

Citi” shall mean Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Citibank, Citicorp North America, Inc. and/or any of their affiliates as may be appropriate to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

Citibank” shall have the meaning provided in the introductory paragraph hereto.

Class” shall mean (i) with respect to Commitments or Loans, those of such Commitments or Loans that have the same terms and conditions (without regard to differences in the Type of Loan, Interest Period, original issue discount, upfront fees or similar fees paid or payable in connection with such Commitments or Loans, or differences in tax treatment (e.g., “fungibility”)); provided that such Commitments or Loans may be designated in writing by the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and Lenders holding such Commitments or Loans as a separate Class from other Commitments or Loans that have the same terms and conditions and (ii) with respect to Lenders, those of such Lenders that have Commitments or Loans of a particular Class.

Closing Date” shall mean the date the conditions set forth in Section 6 are satisfied, provided that if such conditions are not satisfied on or prior to April 16, 2021, the Closing Date shall not occur.

 

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Closing Date IPO” shall mean the initial public offering of Vine Energy Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange.

Closing Date Loans” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals to this Agreement.

Closing Date Refinancing” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals to this Agreement.

Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Collateral” shall have the meaning provided for such term in each of the Security Documents and shall include any and all assets securing or intended to secure any or all of the Obligations; provided that with respect to any Mortgages, “Collateral,” as defined herein, shall include “Mortgaged Property” as defined therein.

Collateral Agent” shall mean Citi, as collateral agent under the Security Documents, or any successor collateral agent appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 12.9.

Collateral Agreement” shall mean the Collateral Agreement of even date herewith by and among the Borrower, the other grantors party thereto and the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, substantially in the form of Exhibit E hereto.

Collateral Coverage Minimum” shall mean that the Mortgaged Properties shall represent at least 90% of the PV-9 of the Credit Parties’ total Proved Reserves, in each case, included either in the Initial Reserve Report or in the most recent Reserve Report delivered to the Administrative Agent.

Commitment” shall mean, (a) with respect to each Lender that is a Lender on the Closing Date, the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 1.1(a) as such Lender’s “Commitment” and (b) in the case of any Lender that becomes a Lender after the Closing Date, the amount specified as such Lender’s “Commitment” in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender assumed a portion of the Total Commitment, in each case as the same may be changed from time to time pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The aggregate amount of the Commitments as of the Closing Date is $350,000,000.

Commitment Fee” shall have the meaning provided in Section 4.1(a).

Commitment Fee Rate” shall mean, for any day, with respect to the Available Commitment on such day, the applicable rate per annum set forth next to the row heading “Commitment Fee Rate” in the definition of “Applicable Margin” and based upon the Borrowing Base Utilization Percentage in effect on such day.

Commitment Percentage” shall mean, at any time, for each Lender, the percentage obtained by dividing (a) such Lender’s Commitment at such time by (b) the amount of the Total Commitment at such time; provided that at any time when the Total Commitment shall have been terminated, each Lender’s Commitment Percentage shall be the percentage obtained by dividing (i) such Lender’s Total Exposure at such time by (ii) the aggregate Total Exposures of all Lenders at such time (with such Total Exposure, and the components thereof, calculated using (x) any applicable Lender’s outstanding principal amount of Loans plus (y) such Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure and such Lender’s Swingline Exposure based on the Commitment Percentage of such Lender immediately prior to the termination of the Total Commitment).

 

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Commodity Account” shall mean any commodity account maintained by the Credit Parties. All funds in such Commodity Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Commodity Accounts.

Commodity Account Control Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 9.17.

Commodity Exchange Act” shall mean the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.

Confidential Information” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.16.

Consolidated Cash Balance” shall mean, at any time, (a) the aggregate amount of cash and cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments), in each case, held or owned by (either directly or indirectly), credited to the account of, or that would otherwise be required to be reflected as an asset on the balance sheet of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries less (b) the sum of (i) any restricted cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) to pay bona fide royalty obligations, working interest obligations, production payments, vendor payments, suspense payments, severance and ad valorem taxes, payroll, payroll taxes, other taxes, employee wage and benefit payments and trust and fiduciary obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to third parties and for which the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary either (x) has issued checks or has initiated wires or ACH transfers (but which amounts have not, as of such time, been subtracted from the balance in the relevant account of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary) or (y) reasonably anticipates in good faith that it will issue checks or initiate wires or ACH transfers within three (3) Business Days thereafter, (ii) other amounts permitted to be paid by the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with this Agreement and the other Credit Documents for which the Borrower or such Subsidiary has issued checks or has initiated wires or ACH transfers (but which amounts have not, as of such time, been subtracted from the balance in the relevant account of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary), (iii) while and to the extent refundable, any cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) held by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary constituting purchase price deposits pursuant to a binding and enforceable purchase and sale agreement with a third party containing customary provisions regarding the payment and refunding of such deposits, (iv) any cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) held by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in good faith to fund any customary deposit in the nature of earnest money with respect to, or the purchase price of, any acquisition permitted under this Agreement pursuant to a binding and enforceable purchase and sale agreement with a third party, provided that the Borrower shall have provided written notice of its intention to make such acquisition to the Administrative Agent at or prior to such time and (v) cash held to Cash Collateralize Letters of Credit.

 

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Consolidated Current Assets” shall mean, as at any date of determination, without duplication, the sum of all amounts that would, in conformity with GAAP, be set forth opposite the caption “total current assets” (or any like caption) on a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries at such date, plus the Available Commitment, but excluding any asset representing a valuation account arising from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 410 and Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 815.

Consolidated Current Liabilities” shall mean, as at any date of determination, without duplication, the sum of all amounts that would, in conformity with GAAP, be set forth opposite the caption “total current liabilities” (or any like caption) on a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on such date, but excluding, without duplication, (a) any liabilities representing a valuation account arising from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 410 and Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 815, (b) the current portion of current and deferred income taxes or any amounts payable as tax distributions, (c) the current portion of any Loans and other long-term liabilities (including, without limitation, Hedging Obligations), (d) the current portion of interest, (e) liabilities in respect of unpaid earnouts and accrued litigation settlement costs, (f) current liabilities consisting of deferred revenue, (g) any non-cash liabilities recorded in connection with stock-based or similar incentive-based compensation awards or arrangements, and (h) any non-cash liabilities recorded in connection with the assumption of gathering or firm transportation contracts under Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 805.

Consolidated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Expense” shall mean, with respect to any Person for any period, the total amount of depreciation, depletion and amortization expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries, including the amortization of intangible assets, deferred financing fees, debt issuance costs, and commissions, fees and expenses and amortization of Capitalized Software Expenditures and amortization of unrecognized prior service costs and actuarial gains and losses to pensions and other post-employment benefits of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period on a consolidated basis and otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP.

Consolidated EBITDAX” shall mean, with respect to any Person for any period, the Consolidated Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period:

(a) increased (without duplication) by the following, in each case (other than in the case of clauses (a)(vii) and (a)(viii)) to the extent deducted (and not added back) in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period:

(i) provision for taxes based on income or profits or capital gains, including, without limitation, federal, state, franchise, excise, property and similar taxes (such as the Delaware franchise tax) and foreign withholding taxes (including (i) any future taxes or other levies which replace or are intended to be in lieu of such taxes and any penalties and interest related to such taxes or arising from tax examinations and (ii) the amount of distributions actually made to any Parent Entity in respect of such period in accordance with Sections 10.6(f)(ii)) and the net tax expense associated with any adjustments made pursuant to clauses (a) through (u) of the definition of Consolidated Net Income, plus

(ii) Fixed Charges for such period (in addition to, without duplication, (x) bank fees and other deferred financing fees and (y) costs of surety bonds in connection with financing activities), plus amounts excluded from Consolidated Interest Expense as set forth in clauses (i)(s) through (z) in the definition of Consolidated Interest Expense), plus

 

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(iii) Consolidated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization Expense for such period, plus

(iv) any other non-cash charges, including any write-offs or write-downs reducing Consolidated Net Income for such period (provided that if any such non-cash charges represent an accrual or reserve for potential cash items in any future period, (1) the Borrower may determine not to add back such non-cash charge in the current period and (2) to the extent the Borrower does decide to add back such non-cash charge in the current period, the cash payment in respect thereof in such future period shall be subtracted from Consolidated EBITDAX to such extent, and excluding amortization of a prepaid cash item that was paid in a prior period), plus

(v) the amount of any reductions in arriving at Net Income resulting from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 810, Consolidation, plus

(vi) the amount of consulting, transaction, advisory and other fees (including termination fees) and indemnities and expenses paid or accrued in such period to the extent permitted under Section 9.9(h), plus

(vii) the amount of “run rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies (x) related to the Transactions projected by the Borrower in good faith to result from actions that have been taken, or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Borrower), within thirty-six (36) months after the Closing Date, (y) related to mergers and other business combinations, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, cost savings initiatives and other similar initiatives consummated after the Closing Date and projected by the Borrower in good faith to result from actions that have been taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken, or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Borrower) within thirty-six (36) months after consummation of such merger or other business combination, acquisition, divestiture, restructuring or cost savings initiative or other similar initiative that have been taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Borrower), and projected by the Borrower in good faith to result within thirty-six (36) months after such actions are taken, in each case, calculated on a pro forma basis as though such cost savings, operating expense reductions, and savings from synergies had been realized on the first day of such period, as if such cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies were realized during the entirety of such period, net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period from such actions; provided that (A) such “run rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies are reasonably identifiable and factually supportable in the good faith judgment of the Borrower and (B) no cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies shall be added pursuant to this clause (vii) to the extent duplicative of any expenses or charges otherwise added to Consolidated EBITDAX, whether through a pro forma adjustment or otherwise, for such period, provided, further that (I) the total amount

 

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added back pursuant to this clause (vii) shall not exceed 15% of Consolidated EBITDAX for the relevant period (calculated after giving effect to any add-backs or adjustments) and (II) the total amount added back pursuant to this clause (vii) attributed to reductions in capital expenditures that result in a reduced planned pace of development of the Credit Parties’ oil and gas properties (other than cost savings resulting from optimizing capital expenditures of acquisition targets, which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be subject to the foregoing 15% limitation) shall not exceed 5% of Consolidated EBITDAX for the relevant period (calculated after giving effect to any add-backs or adjustments), plus

(viii) cash receipts (or any netting arrangements resulting in reduced cash expenditures) not representing Consolidated EBITDAX or Consolidated Net Income in any period to the extent non-cash gains relating to such income were deducted in the calculation of Consolidated EBITDAX pursuant to paragraph (b) below for any previous period and not added back, plus

(ix) any costs or expenses incurred pursuant to any management equity plan, stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan, agreement or any stock subscription or stockholders agreement, to the extent that such costs or expenses are funded with cash proceeds contributed to the capital of such Person or net cash proceeds of an issuance of Equity Interests of such Person (other than Disqualified Stock), plus

(x) any net loss from disposed, abandoned or discontinued operations, plus

(xi) (A) costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Transactions and (B) costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Investments, acquisitions (or purchases of assets) after the Closing Date, plus

(xii) the amount of any restructuring charges or reserves, equity-based or non-cash compensation charges or expenses including any such charges or expenses arising from grants of stock appreciation or similar rights, stock options, restricted stock or other rights, retention charges (including charges or expenses in respect of incentive plans), severance costs, costs relating to initiatives aimed at profitability improvement, costs or reserves associated with improvements to IT and accounting functions and integration and facilities opening costs or any one-time costs incurred in connection with acquisitions and investments; plus

(xiii) the amount of any non-cash interest expense of non-wholly owned Subsidiaries attributable to minority equity interests of third parties; plus

(xiv) [reserved]; plus

(xv) exploration expenses or costs (to the extent the Borrower adopts the successful efforts method of accounting); and

 

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(b) decreased (without duplication) by the following, in each case to the extent included in determining Consolidated Net Income for such period:

(i) non-cash gains increasing Consolidated Net Income for such period, excluding any non-cash gains that represent the reversal of an accrual or reserve for any anticipated cash charges in any prior period (other than any such accrual or reserve that has been added back to Consolidated Net Income in calculating Consolidated EBITDAX in accordance with this definition), plus

(ii) any net income from disposed, abandoned or discontinued operations, plus

(iii) any non-cash gains with respect to cash actually received in a prior period unless such cash did not increase Consolidated EBITDAX in such prior period.

There shall be included in determining Consolidated EBITDAX for any period, without duplication, (A) the Acquired EBITDAX of any Person, property, business or asset acquired by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary during such period (but not the Acquired EBITDAX of any related Person, property, business or assets to the extent not so acquired), to the extent not subsequently sold, transferred or otherwise disposed by the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary during such period (each such Person, property, business or asset acquired and not subsequently so disposed of, an “Acquired Entity or Business”) and the Acquired EBITDAX of any Unrestricted Subsidiary that is converted into a Restricted Subsidiary during such period (each, a “Converted Restricted Subsidiary”), based on the actual Acquired EBITDAX of such Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary for such period (including the portion thereof occurring prior to such acquisition) and (B) for the purposes of the definition of the term “Permitted Acquisition”, compliance with the covenant set forth in Section 10.11 and the calculation of the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio, but without limiting the adjustments included in the definition of Consolidated EBITDAX, an adjustment in respect of each Acquired Entity or Business equal to the amount of the Pro Forma Adjustment with respect to such Acquired Entity or Business for such period (including the portion thereof occurring prior to such acquisition) as specified in a certificate executed by an Authorized Officer and delivered to the Lenders and the Administrative Agent. There shall be excluded in determining Consolidated EBITDAX for any period the Disposed EBITDAX of any Person, property, business or asset (other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary) sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of or, closed or classified as discontinued operations (but if such operations are classified as discontinued due to the fact that they are subject to an agreement to dispose of such operations, only when and to the extent such operations are actually disposed of) by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary during such period (each such Person, property, business or asset so sold or disposed of, a “Sold Entity or Business”) and the Disposed EBITDAX of any Restricted Subsidiary that is converted into an Unrestricted Subsidiary during such period (each a “Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary”), based on the actual Disposed EBITDAX of such Sold Entity or Business or Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary for such period (including the portion thereof occurring prior to such sale, transfer or disposition.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, for purposes of determining Consolidated EBITDAX under this Agreement for any period that includes any of the fiscal quarters ended ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020, September 30, 2020, and December 31, 2020, Consolidated EBITDAX for such fiscal quarters shall be deemed to be $132,500,000, $120,500,000, $130,000,000 and $140,000,000, respectively, in each case, as may be subject to add-backs and adjustments (without duplication) pursuant to clause (a)(vii) above and Section 1.12(c) for the applicable Test Period.

 

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For the avoidance of doubt, Consolidated EBITDAX shall be calculated, including pro forma adjustments, in accordance with Section 1.12.

Consolidated Interest Expense” shall mean, with respect to any Person for any period, without duplication, the sum of:

(i) consolidated interest expense of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, to the extent such expense was deducted (and not added back) in computing Consolidated Net Income (including (a) amortization of original issue discount resulting from the issuance of Indebtedness at less than par, (b) all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with respect to letters of credit or bankers acceptances, (c) non-cash interest payments (but excluding any non-cash interest expense attributable to the movement in the mark to market valuation of Hedging Obligations or other derivative instruments pursuant to GAAP), (d) the interest component of obligations under any Capitalized Lease, and (e) net payments, if any, made (less net payments, if any, received), pursuant to interest rate Hedge Agreements with respect to Indebtedness, and excluding (s) costs associated with obtaining Hedge Agreements and breakage costs in respect of Hedge Agreements related to interest rates, (t) any expense resulting from the discounting of any Indebtedness in connection with the application of recapitalization accounting or, if applicable, purchase accounting in connection with the Transactions or any acquisition, (u) penalties and interest relating to taxes, (v) any “additional interest” or “liquidated damages” with respect to other securities for failure to timely comply with registration rights obligations, (w) amortization or expensing of deferred financing fees, amendment and consent fees, debt issuance costs, commissions, fees and expenses and discounted liabilities, (x) any expensing of bridge, commitment and other financing fees and any other fees related to the Transactions or any acquisitions after the Closing Date, (y) any accretion of accrued interest on discounted liabilities and any prepayment premium or penalty (other than Indebtedness except to the extent arising from the application of purchase or recapitalization accounting) and (z) annual agency fees paid to the administrative agents and collateral agents under any credit facilities or other debt instruments or document); plus

(ii) consolidated capitalized interest of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, whether paid or accrued; less

(iii) interest income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period.

For purposes of this definition, interest on obligations in respect of Capitalized Leases shall be deemed to accrue at an interest rate reasonably determined by such Person to be the rate of interest implicit in such obligations in accordance with GAAP.

 

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Consolidated Net Income shall mean, with respect to any Person for any period, the aggregate of the Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, on a consolidated basis, and otherwise determined in accordance with GAAP; provided, however, that, without duplication:

(a) any net after-tax effect of extraordinary, non-recurring or unusual gains, losses, charges or expenses or losses, charges or expenses relating to any strategic initiatives (including relating to any multi-year strategic initiatives), Transaction Expenses, restructuring costs and reserves, duplicative running costs, relocation costs, integration costs, expenses related to any reconstruction, decommissioning, recommissioning or reconfiguration of fixed assets, Public Company Costs, facility consolidation and closing costs, severance costs and expenses, one-time compensation charges, costs relating to pre-opening, opening, closing and consolidation costs for facilities, signing, retention or completion bonuses, executive recruiting and retention costs, costs incurred in connection with any strategic initiatives, transition costs, costs incurred in connection with non-ordinary course product and intellectual property development, costs incurred in connection with acquisitions (or purchases of assets) prior to or after the Closing Date (including integration costs), other business optimization expenses (including costs and expenses relating to business optimization programs, tax savings and optimization initiatives, and new systems design, retention charges, system establishment costs (including information technology systems) and implementation costs and project start-up costs), operating expenses attributable to the implementation of cost-savings initiatives, consulting fees and curtailments and modifications to pension and post-retirement employee benefit plans shall be excluded;

(b) the cumulative effect of a change in accounting principles and changes as a result of the adoption or modification of accounting policies during such period whether effected through a cumulative effect adjustment or a retroactive application, in each case in accordance with GAAP, shall be excluded;

(c) any net after-tax effect of gains or losses on disposal, abandonment (including asset retirement costs) or discontinuance of disposed, abandoned or discontinued operations, as applicable, shall be excluded provided that any exclusion for the discontinuance of discontinued operations held for sale shall be at the option of the Borrower pending the consummation of such sale;

(d) any net after-tax effect of gains or losses (less all fees, expenses and charges relating thereto) attributable to (i) the sale of Borrowing Base Properties or (ii) asset dispositions or abandonments or the sale or other disposition of any Equity Interests of any Person other than in the ordinary course of business, shall be excluded;

(e) the Net Income for such period of any Person that is an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be excluded; provided that Consolidated Net Income of any Person shall be increased by the amount of dividends or distributions or other payments that are actually paid in cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments (or to the extent converted into cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments))) to such Person or a Restricted Subsidiary thereof in respect of such period;

(f) [reserved];

 

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(g) effects of adjustments (including the effects of such adjustments pushed down to such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries) in such Person’s consolidated financial statements pursuant to GAAP (including any impact of changes to inventory valuation policy method (including changes in capitalization of variances), property and equipment, software, goodwill, intangible assets, in-process research and development, deferred revenue and debt line items thereof) resulting from the application of recapitalization accounting or purchase accounting, as the case may be, in relation to the Transactions or any consummated acquisition, joint venture or similar investment permitted under this Agreement consummated on, prior to or after the Closing Date or the amortization or write-off or write-down of any amounts thereof, net of taxes, shall be excluded;

(h) any net after-tax effect of income (loss) from the early extinguishment or conversion of (a) Indebtedness, (b) Hedge Agreements or (c) other derivative instruments shall be excluded;

(i) any impairment charge or asset write-off or write-down in each case, pursuant to GAAP, and the amortization of intangibles arising pursuant to GAAP or SEC guidelines, and any impairment charges, asset write-offs or write-down, including ceiling test write-downs, on Oil and Gas Properties under GAAP or SEC guidelines shall be excluded;

(j) any non-cash equity or phantom equity based or non-cash compensation charge or expense, including any such charge or expense arising from grants of stock appreciation rights, equity incentive programs or similar rights, stock options, restricted stock, profits interests or other rights or equity or equity-based incentive programs (“equity incentives”), any cash charges associated with equity incentives or other long-term incentive compensation plans (including under the Borrower’s Tier I Equity Sharing Award Agreements and/or deferred compensation arrangements), roll-over, acceleration, or payout of Equity Interests by management, other employees or business partners of such Person or of a Restricted Subsidiary or any of its direct or indirect parent companies, shall be excluded;

(k) any fees, expenses or charges incurred during such period, or any amortization thereof for such period, in connection with any acquisition, recapitalization, Investment, Disposition or other transfer, incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness (including such fees, expenses or charges related to the syndication and incurrence of any securities or credit facilities), issuance of Equity Interests (including by any Parent Entity), recapitalization, refinancing transaction or amendment or modification of any debt instrument (including any amendment or other modification of any securities and any credit facilities) and including, in each case, any such transaction whether consummated on, after or prior to the Closing Date and any such transaction undertaken but not completed, and any charges or non-recurring merger costs incurred during such period as a result of any such transaction, in each case whether or not successful or consummated (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the effects of expensing all transaction related expenses in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 805, Business Combinations), shall be excluded;

(l) any fees, expenses or charges incurred during such period, or any amortization thereof for such period, in connection with the entry into or termination of any Hedge Agreements shall be excluded;

 

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(m) accruals and reserves that are established or adjusted within twelve months after the Closing Date that are so required to be established or adjusted as a result of the Transactions (or within twenty-four months after the closing of any acquisition or Investment that are so required to be established as a result of such acquisition or Investment) in accordance with GAAP or changes as a result of modifications of accounting policies shall be excluded;

(n) any expenses, charges or losses to the extent covered by insurance or indemnity and actually reimbursed, or, so long as such Person has made a determination that there exists reasonable evidence that such amount will in fact be reimbursed by the insurer or indemnifying party and only to the extent that such amount is in fact reimbursed within 365 days of the date of such determination (net of any amount so added back in any prior period to the extent not so reimbursed within the applicable 365-day period), shall be excluded;

(o) the net income for such period of any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Guarantor) shall be excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of its net income is not at the date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (which has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by the operation of the terms of its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule, or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its stockholders (other than restrictions in this Agreement), unless such restriction with respect to the payment of dividends or similar distributions has been legally waived; provided that the Consolidated Net Income of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries will be increased by the amount of dividends or other distributions or other payments actually paid in cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments (or to the extent converted into cash equivalents, including Permitted Investments)) to the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary thereof in respect of such period, to the extent not already included therein;

(p) any non-cash compensation expense resulting from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation or Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 505-50, Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees, shall be excluded;

(q) non-cash gains, losses, income and expenses resulting from fair value accounting required by the applicable standard under GAAP and related interpretations shall be excluded;

(r) (i) the non-cash portion of “straight-line” rent expense shall be excluded and (ii) the cash portion of “straight-line” rent expense which exceeds the amount expensed in respect of such rent expense shall be included;

(s) without duplication, an amount equal to the amount of distributions actually made to any parent or equity holder of such Person in respect of income taxes for of such period in accordance with Section 10.6(f)(i) or (ii) shall be included as though such amounts had been paid as income taxes directly by such Person for such period;

(t) non-cash charges for deferred tax asset valuation allowances shall be excluded (except to the extent reversing a previously recognized increase to net income); and

 

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(u) the following items shall be excluded:

(i) any net unrealized gain or loss (after any offset) resulting in such period from Hedge Agreements and the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 815, Derivatives and Hedging;

(ii) any net unrealized gain or loss (after any offset) resulting in such period from currency transaction or translation gains or losses including those related to currency remeasurements of Indebtedness (including any net loss or gain resulting from (A) Hedge Agreements for currency exchange risk and (B) resulting from intercompany indebtedness) and any other foreign currency transaction or translation gains and losses, to the extent such gain or losses are non-cash items;

(iii) effects of adjustments to accruals and reserves during a prior period relating to any change in methodology of calculating reserves, rebates or other chargebacks;

(iv) any adjustments resulting from the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 460, Guarantees, or any comparable regulation; and

(v) earn-out and contingent consideration obligations (including to the extent accounted for as bonuses or otherwise) and adjustments thereof and purchase price adjustments.

In addition, to the extent not already included in the Consolidated Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing, Consolidated Net Income shall include the amount of proceeds received from business interruption insurance and reimbursements of any expenses and charges that are covered by indemnification or other reimbursement provisions in connection with any acquisition, Investment or any sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of assets permitted under this Agreement.

Consolidated Total Assets” shall mean the total assets of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, as shown on the most recent consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower delivered pursuant to Section 9.1(a) or (b) (and, in the case of any determination relating to any incurrence of Indebtedness or any Investment or other acquisition, on a Pro Forma Basis including any property or assets being acquired in connection therewith).

Consolidated Total Debt” shall mean, as of any date of determination, (a) the sum of (without duplication) the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries outstanding on such date, in an amount that would be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet (excluding the notes thereto) prepared as of such date on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP (but excluding the effects of any discounting of Indebtedness resulting from the application of recapitalization or purchase accounting in connection with the Transactions, any Permitted Acquisition, Investment or any other acquisition permitted hereunder), consisting only of Indebtedness for borrowed money, purchase money indebtedness, Indebtedness in respect of any Capitalized Lease, and debt obligations evidenced by promissory notes, bonds (not including, for the avoidance of doubt, surety bonds or bonds securing performance related to exploration, development, operation, plugging, facility removal, or abandonment), debentures, loan agreements or similar instruments, minus (b) the aggregate

 

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amount of all Unrestricted Cash on the balance sheet of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries and held in Controlled Accounts as of such date, not to exceed $75,000,000; provided that clause (a) above shall not include Indebtedness (i) in respect of Hedging Obligations (but shall include net unpaid termination payments under Hedge Agreements), (ii) in respect of letters of credit, bank guarantees and performance or similar bonds except to the extent of unreimbursed amounts thereunder and (iii) of Unrestricted Subsidiaries.

Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio” shall mean, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Total Debt as of the last day of the most recent Test Period to (b) Consolidated EBITDAX for such Test Period.

Contractual Requirement” shall have the meaning provided in Section 8.3.

Contributors” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals here to.

Controlled Account” shall mean a Deposit Account, a Securities Account or a Commodity Account that is subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement, a Securities Account Control Agreement or a Commodity Account Control Agreement, as the case may be.

Controlled Investment Affiliate” shall mean, as to any Person, any other Person, other than any Sponsor, which directly or indirectly is in control of, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person and is organized by such Person (or any Person controlling such Person) primarily for making direct or indirect equity or debt investments in the Borrower and/or other companies.

Converted Restricted Subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Consolidated EBITDAX.”

Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in the definition of “Consolidated EBITDAX.”

Covered Entity” means any of the following:

(a) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);

(b) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or

(c) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

Credit Documents” shall mean this Agreement, the Guarantee, the Security Documents, each Letter of Credit, any promissory notes issued by the Borrower under this Agreement, any Extension Amendment, any Incremental Agreement and any intercreditor agreement with respect to the Facility entered into on or after the Closing Date to which the Collateral Agent is party.

 

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Credit Event” shall mean and include the making (but not the conversion or continuation) of a Loan and the issuance of a Letter of Credit.

Credit Party” shall mean each of the Borrower and the Guarantors.

Cure Amount” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.13(a).

Cure Deadline” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.13(a).

Cure Right” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.13(a).

Current Ratio” shall mean, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Current Assets to (b) Consolidated Current Liabilities.

Debt Fund Affiliate” shall mean any Affiliate of the Sponsor that is a bona fide diversified debt fund and is not either (a) a natural person or (b) the Borrower, a Subsidiary of the Borrower.

Debtor Relief Laws” shall mean the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.

Default” shall mean any event, act or condition that with notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an Event of Default.

Default Rate” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.8(c).

Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

Defaulting Lender” shall mean any Lender whose acts or failures to act, whether directly or indirectly, cause it to meet any part of the definition of “Lender Default”.

Deposit Account” shall mean any checking or other demand deposit account maintained by the Credit Parties, including any “deposit accounts” under Article 9 of the UCC. All funds in such Deposit Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Administrative Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Deposit Accounts.

Deposit Account Control Agreement” shall have the meaning provided in Section 9.17.

Dispose” or “Disposed of” shall have a correlative meaning to the defined term of “Disposition”.

 

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Disposed EBITDAX” shall mean, with respect to any Sold Entity or Business or any Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary for any period, the amount for such period of Consolidated EBITDAX of such Sold Entity or Business (determined as if references to the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the definition of Consolidated EBITDAX (and in the component definitions used therein) were references to such Sold Entity or Business and its Subsidiaries or such Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary and its Subsidiaries) or such Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary, all as determined on a consolidated basis for such Sold Entity or Business or such Converted Unrestricted Subsidiary.

Disposition” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.4.

Disqualified Institution” shall mean those Persons that have been specified in writing by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent prior to the Closing Date and any competitor of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and any Affiliates of such competitor that are operating companies (or Affiliates of operating companies) subsequently identified in writing by the Borrower, other than their respective financial investors that are not operating companies and other than any Debt Fund Affiliate. The list of Disqualified Institutions shall be specified on a schedule that is held with the Administrative Agent, which shall be made available to any Lender upon request to the Administrative Agent, subject to customary confidentiality requirements.

Disqualified Stock” shall mean any Equity Interest that, by its terms (or by the terms of any security or other Equity Interests into which it is convertible or for which it is exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event or condition (a) matures or is mandatorily redeemable (other than solely for Qualified Equity Interests), pursuant to a sinking fund obligation, scheduled redemption or otherwise (except as a result of a change of control or asset sale so long as any rights of the holders thereof upon the occurrence of a change of control or asset sale event shall be subject to the prior repayment in full of the Loans and all other Obligations (other than (i) contingent indemnification obligations as to which no claim has been asserted and (ii) Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements)) and the termination of the Commitments and (to the extent not cash collateralized or backstopped in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Issuing Bank) outstanding Letters of Credit), (b) is redeemable at the option of the holder thereof (other than solely for Qualified Equity Interests and other than as a result of a change of control or asset sale so long as any rights of the holders thereof upon the occurrence of a change of control or asset sale event shall be subject to the prior repayment in full of the Loans and all other Obligations (other than (i) contingent indemnification obligations as to which no claim has been asserted and (ii) Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements) and the termination of the Commitments and (to the extent not cash collateralized or backstopped in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Issuing Bank) outstanding Letters of Credit, (c) provides for the scheduled payments of dividends in cash, or (d) is or becomes convertible into or exchangeable for Indebtedness or any other Equity Interests that would constitute Disqualified Stock, in the case of each of clauses (a), (b), (c) and (d), prior to the date that is ninety-one (91) days after the Latest Maturity Date at the time of issuance of such Equity Interests; provided, that if such Equity Interests are issued pursuant to any plan for the benefit of future, current or former employees, directors, officers, members of management or consultants (or their respective Controlled Investment Affiliates or Immediate Family Members) of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) or its Subsidiaries or by any such plan to such employees, directors, officers, members of management or consultants (or their respective Controlled Investment Affiliates or Immediate Family Members), such Equity Interests shall not constitute Disqualified Stock solely because they may be required to be repurchased by the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations or as a

 

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result of such employee’s, director’s, officer’s, management member’s or consultant’s termination, death or disability; provided, further, that any Equity Interests held by any future, current or former employee, director, officer, member of management or consultant (or their respective Controlled Investment Affiliates or Immediate Family Members) of the Borrower, any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, any Parent Entity or any other entity in which the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary has an Investment and is designated in good faith as an “affiliate” by the Board of Directors (or the compensation committee thereof), in each case pursuant to any stock subscription or shareholders’ agreement, management equity plan or stock option plan or any other management or employee benefit plan or agreement shall not constitute Disqualified Stock solely because it may be required to be repurchased by the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries in order to satisfy applicable statutory or regulatory obligations or as a result of such employee’s, director’s, officer’s, management member’s or consultant’s termination, death or disability.

Distressed Person” shall have the meaning provided in the definition of “Lender-Related Distress Event”.

Dollars” and “$” shall mean dollars in lawful currency of the United States of America.

Domestic Subsidiary” shall mean each Subsidiary of the Borrower that is organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof, or the District of Columbia.

Drawing” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.4(b).

Draw Limit” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(h).

EEA Financial Institution” shall mean (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.

EEA Member Country” shall mean any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

EEA Resolution Authority” shall mean any public administrative authority or any person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.

Eligible PV-9” shall mean, with respect to (x) any Disposition (including in connection with the designation of Unrestricted Subsidiaries and Investments) of Borrowing Base Properties and (y) any acquisitions or other investments with respect to Proved Reserves, the sum of (i) the PV-9 of the Proved Developed Producing Reserves associated with such Borrowing Base Properties or Proved Reserves plus (ii) the PV-9 of Proved Undeveloped Reserves and Proved Developed Non-Producing Reserves associated with such Borrowing Base Properties or Proved Reserves multiplied by 20%.

Engineering Reports” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(c)(i).

 

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Environmental Claims” shall mean any and all written actions, suits, orders, decrees, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of liability, noncompliance, violation or proceedings arising under or based upon any Environmental Law or any Environmental Permit (hereinafter, “Claims”), including, without limitation, (i) any and all Claims by any Governmental Authority for enforcement, cleanup, removal, response, remedial or other actions or damages pursuant to any applicable Environmental Law and (ii) any and all Claims by any third party seeking damages, contribution, indemnification, cost recovery, compensation or injunctive relief regarding the Release or threatened Release of Hazardous Materials or arising from alleged injury or threat of injury to health or safety (to the extent relating to human exposure to Hazardous Materials), or the environment including, without limitation, air, surface water, groundwater, land surface and subsurface strata and natural resources such as wetlands.

Environmental Law” shall mean any applicable Federal, state, foreign or local statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code and common law now or hereafter in effect and in each case as amended, and any legally binding judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any legally binding judicial or administrative order, consent decree or judgment, relating to the pollution or protection of the environment, including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface and subsurface strata and natural resources such as wetlands, human health or safety (to the extent relating to human exposure to Hazardous Materials) or any Release or recycling of, or human exposure to, Hazardous Materials.

Environmental Permit” shall mean any permit, approval, identification number, license or other authorization required under any applicable Environmental Law.

Equity Interests” of any person shall mean any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase or otherwise acquire, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) equity or ownership of such person, including any preferred stock, any limited or general partnership interest and any limited liability company membership interest, and any securities or other rights or interests convertible into or exchangeable for any of the foregoing, excluding any debt security that is convertible or exchangeable into any Equity Interests (provided that any instrument evidencing Indebtedness convertible or exchangeable into Equity Interests, whether or not such debt securities include any right of participation with Equity Interests, shall not be deemed to be Equity Interests unless and until such instrument is so converted or exchanged).

ERISA” shall mean the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.

ERISA Affiliate” shall mean any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that together with any Credit Party is treated as a “single employer” within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or, solely for purposes of Section 412 of the Code, under Section 414(m) or (o) of the Code.

ERISA Event” shall mean (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) a withdrawal by the Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which it was a substantial employer (as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA) or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) the failure of a Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate to make

 

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by its due date a required installment under Section 430(j) of the Code with respect to any Pension Plan; (d) a failure to satisfy the minimum funding standard under Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, or the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard, in each case with respect to a Pension Plan, whether or not waived, or a failure to make any required contribution to a Multiemployer Plan; (e) a complete or partial withdrawal by a Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is insolvent within the meaning of Section 4245 of ERISA; (f) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA, respectively, or the commencement of proceedings by the PBGC to terminate a Pension Plan; (g) the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan; (h) the imposition of a lien under Section 412 or 430(k) of the Code or Section 303 or 4068 of ERISA on any property (or rights to property, whether real or personal) of a Credit Party, but excluding PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon such Credit Party; (i) a determination that any Pension Plan is, or is expected to be, in “at-risk” status (within the meaning of Section 303(i)(4)(A) of ERISA or Section 430(i)(4)(A) of the Code) or (j) the occurrence of a non-exempt prohibited transaction (within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code or Section 406 of ERISA) with respect to any Pension Plan maintained or contributed to by any Credit Party which could result in material liability to such Credit Party.

EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” shall mean the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor person), as in effect from time to time.

Euro” shall mean the lawful single currency unit of the Participating Member States.

Event of Default” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.

Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder.

Exchange Agreement” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals hereto.

Exchange Rate” shall mean on any day with respect to any currency (other than Dollars), the rate at which such currency may be exchanged into any other currency (including Dollars), as set forth at approximately 12:00 noon (London time) on such day on the Reuters World Currency Page for such currency. In the event that such rate does not appear on any Reuters World Currency Page, the Exchange Rate shall be determined by reference to such other publicly available service for displaying exchange rates as may be agreed by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, or, in the absence of such agreement, such Exchange Rate shall instead be the arithmetic average of the spot rates of exchange of the bank acting as Administrative Agent in the market where its foreign currency exchange operations in respect of such currency are then being conducted, at or about 12:00 noon, local time, on such date for the purchase of the relevant currency for delivery two Business Days later.

 

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Excluded Accounts” shall mean (a) each account all or substantially all of the deposits in which consist of amounts utilized to fund payroll, employee benefit or tax obligations of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) fiduciary accounts, (c) “zero balance” accounts, (d) trust and suspense accounts of the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary holding royalty obligations owed to a person other than the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary, (e) accounts of the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary constituting cash collateral accounts permitted under Section 10.2 (provided that any such account subject to control agreements in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, or otherwise constituting cash collateral in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties shall not be an Excluded Account) and (f) other accounts selected by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries so long as the average daily maximum balance in any such other account over a 30-day period does not at any time exceed $1,000,000; provided that the aggregate daily maximum balance for all such bank accounts excluded pursuant to this clause (f) on any day shall not exceed $7,500,000.

Excluded Assets” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Collateral Agreement.

Excluded Equity Interests” shall mean (a) any Equity Interests with respect to which, in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, the cost or other consequences of pledging such Equity Interests in favor of the Secured Parties under the Security Documents shall be excessive in view of the benefits to be obtained by the Secured Parties therefrom, (b) [reserved], (c) any Equity Interests to the extent the pledge thereof would be prohibited by any Requirement of Law, (d) in the case of (i) any Equity Interests of any Subsidiary to the extent the pledge of such Equity Interests is prohibited by Contractual Requirements existing on the Closing Date or at the time such Subsidiary is acquired (provided that such Contractual Requirements have not been entered into in contemplation of such Subsidiary being acquired), or (ii) any Equity Interests of any Subsidiary that is not a Wholly owned Subsidiary at the time such Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary, any Equity Interests of each such Subsidiary described in clause (i) or (ii) to the extent (A) that a pledge thereof to secure the Obligations is prohibited by any applicable Contractual Requirement (other than customary non-assignment provisions which are ineffective under the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable Requirements of Law), (B) any Contractual Requirement prohibits such a pledge without the consent of any other party; provided that this clause (B) shall not apply if (1) such other party is a Credit Party or a Wholly owned Subsidiary or (2) consent has been obtained to consummate such pledge (it being understood that the foregoing shall not be deemed to obligate the Borrower or any Subsidiary to obtain any such consent)) and only for so long as such Contractual Requirement or replacement or renewal thereof is in effect, or (C) a pledge thereof to secure the Obligations would give any other party (other than a Credit Party or a Wholly owned Subsidiary) to any Contractual Requirement governing such Equity Interests the right to terminate its obligations thereunder (other than customary non-assignment provisions that are ineffective under the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable Requirement of Law), (e) the Equity Interests of any Immaterial Subsidiary (unless a security interest in the Equity Interests of such Subsidiary may be perfected by filing an “all assets” UCC financing statement) and any Unrestricted Subsidiary, (f) [reserved], (g) any Equity Interests of any Subsidiary to the extent that the pledge of such Equity Interests would result in material adverse tax consequences to the Borrower or any Subsidiary as reasonably determined by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, (h) any Equity Interests set forth on Schedule 1.1(b) which have been identified on or prior to the Closing Date in writing to the Administrative Agent by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower and agreed to by the Administrative Agent and (i) Margin Stock.

 

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Excluded Subsidiary” shall mean (a) each Immaterial Subsidiary, for so long as any such Subsidiary constitutes an Immaterial Subsidiary pursuant to the terms hereof, (b) each Domestic Subsidiary that is not a Wholly owned Subsidiary (for so long as such Subsidiary remains a non-wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary), (c) each Domestic Subsidiary that is prohibited by any applicable Contractual Requirement not entered into in contemplation of such Subsidiary becoming a Subsidiary or a Restricted Subsidiary or Requirement of Law from guaranteeing or granting Liens to secure the Obligations on the Closing Date or at the time such Subsidiary becomes a Restricted Subsidiary (and for so long as such restriction or any replacement or renewal thereof is in effect not entered into in contemplation of such Subsidiary becoming a Subsidiary or a Restricted Subsidiary or that would require consent, approval, license or authorization of a Governmental Authority to guarantee or grant Liens to secure the Obligations on the Closing Date or at the time such Subsidiary becomes a Restricted Subsidiary (unless such consent, approval, license or authorization has been received), (d) [reserved], (e) any other Domestic Subsidiary with respect to which (x) in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, the burden or cost or other consequences (including any material adverse tax consequences) of providing a Guarantee of or granting Liens to secure the Obligations shall be excessive in view of the benefits to be obtained by the Lenders therefrom or (y) providing such a Guarantee or granting such Liens would result in material adverse tax consequences to the Borrower, any Parent Entity or any of the Borrower’s subsidiaries as reasonably determined by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and (f) each Unrestricted Subsidiary.

Excluded Swap Obligation” shall mean with respect to any Guarantor, any Hedging Obligation if, and to the extent that, and only for so long as, all or a portion of the guarantee of such Guarantor of, or the grant by such Guarantor of a security interest to secure, as applicable, such Hedging Obligation (or any guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal or unlawful under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) or any other applicable Requirement of Law.

Excluded Taxes” shall mean, with respect to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of any Credit Party hereunder or under any other Credit Document, (i) Taxes imposed on or measured by its net income (however denominated, and including (for the avoidance of doubt) any backup withholding in respect thereof under Section 3406 of the Code or any similar provision of state, local or foreign law), branch profits Taxes and franchise Taxes imposed on it, in each case by a jurisdiction (including any political subdivision thereof) as a result of such recipient being organized in, having its principal office in, or in the case of any Lender, having its applicable lending office in, such jurisdiction, or as a result of any other present or former connection with such jurisdiction (other than any such connection arising from such recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Credit Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Credit Document), (ii) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed on any payment by or on account of any obligation of any Credit Party hereunder or under any other Credit Document that is required to be imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of a Lender (including any Issuing Bank and any Swingline Lender), other than to the extent such Lender is an assignee pursuant to a request by the Borrower under Section 13.7, pursuant to laws in force at the time such Lender acquires an interest in a Loan, Letter

 

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of Credit or Commitment (or designates a new lending office), except to the extent that such Lender (or its assignor, if any) was entitled, immediately prior to the designation of a new lending office (or assignment), to receive additional amounts or indemnification payments from any Credit Party with respect to such withholding Tax pursuant to Section 5.4, (iii) any Tax attributable to the Administrative Agent’s, any Lender’s or any other recipient’s failure to comply with Section 5.4(d), (e) (f), (h) or (i) and (iv) any U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed under FATCA.

Existing Brix Credit Agreement” has the meaning provided in the recitals hereto.

Existing Class” shall mean a Class of Existing Commitments and related Existing Loans.

Existing Commitment” shall mean, with respect to a Class of Commitments, the Commitments of such Class at the time a Loan Extension Request is made.

Existing Loans” shall mean, with respect to a Class of Loans, the Loans of such Class at the time a Loan Extension Request is made.

Expected Cure Amount” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.13(a)(iii).

Existing Unsecured Notes” shall mean the unsecured notes issued by the Borrower prior to the Closing Date pursuant to (i) that certain Indenture, dated as of October 18, 2017, among Vine Oil & Gas LP, as issuer, Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp., as co-issuer, certain Subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and (ii) that certain Indenture, dated as of October 3, 2018, among Vine Oil & Gas LP, as issuer, Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp., as co-issuer, certain Subsidiaries, as guarantors, and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee.

Existing Vine RBL Credit Agreement” has the meaning provided in the recitals hereto.

Extended Class” shall mean a Class of Extended Commitments and related Extended Loans.

Extended Commitments” shall mean, with respect to a Class of Commitments, all or the portion of such Class extended pursuant to Section 2.17, as applicable.

Extended Loans” shall mean, with respect to a Class of Loans, all or the portion of such Class of Loans extended pursuant to Section 2.17, as applicable.

Extending Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.17(d).

Extension Amendment” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.17(e).

Extension Election” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.17(d).

Extension Minimum Condition” shall mean a condition to consummating any Extension that a minimum amount (to be determined and specified in the relevant Loan Extension Request, in the Borrower’s sole discretion) of any or all applicable Classes to be submitted for Extension.

 

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Extension Series” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.17(c).

Facility” shall mean this Agreement and the Commitments and the extensions of credit made hereunder.

Fair Market Value” shall mean, with respect to any asset or group of assets on any date of determination, the value of the consideration obtainable in a Disposition of such asset at such date of determination assuming a Disposition by a willing seller to a willing purchaser dealing at arm’s length and arranged in an orderly manner over a reasonable period of time having regard to the nature and characteristics of such asset, as determined by the Borrower in good faith.

Farm-In Agreement” shall mean an agreement whereby a Person agrees, among other things, to pay all or a share of the drilling, completion or other expenses of one or more wells or perform the drilling, completion or other operation on such well or wells as all or a part of the consideration provided in exchange for an ownership interest in an Oil and Gas Property.

Farm-Out Agreement” shall mean a Farm-In Agreement, viewed from the standpoint of the party that grants to another party the right to earn an ownership interest in an Oil and Gas Property.

FATCA” shall mean Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code), as of the Closing Date (and any amended or successor version thereof that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future Treasury Regulations or other official administrative guidance promulgated thereunder and any intergovernmental agreements entered into in connection with the implementation thereof.

Federal Funds Effective Rate” shall mean, for any day, the weighted average of the per annum rates on overnight federal funds transactions with members of the Federal Reserve System arranged by federal funds brokers on such day, as published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or, if such rate is not so published for any date that is a Business Day, the Federal Funds Effective Rate for such day shall be the average rate (rounded upward, if necessary, to a whole multiple of 1/100 of 1%) of the quotations for such day for such transactions received by the Administrative Agent from three Federal Funds brokers of recognized standing selected by it.

Financial Officer” of any Person shall mean the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, principal accounting officer, Controller, Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer of such Person.

Financial Performance Covenants” shall mean the covenants of the Borrower set forth in Section 10.11.

Fixed Charges” shall mean, with respect to any Person for any period, the sum of, without duplication:

(a) Consolidated Interest Expense of such Person for such period;

 

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(b) all cash dividends or other cash distributions paid (excluding items eliminated in consolidation) on any series of Preferred Stock during such period; and

(c) all cash dividends or other cash distributions paid (excluding items eliminated in consolidation) on any series of Disqualified Stock during such period.

Foreign Subsidiary” shall mean each Subsidiary of the Borrower that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.

Free Cash Flow” means, as of any time of calculation thereof, the sum of the following for the fiscal quarter most recently ended for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 9.01(a) or Section 9.01(b): (a) EBITDAX for such fiscal quarter, minus (b) the increase (or plus the decrease) in non-cash Working Capital for such fiscal quarter, minus (c) the sum, without duplication, of the amounts for such fiscal quarter of (i) voluntary and scheduled cash repayments of Indebtedness (other than the Loans) which cannot be reborrowed pursuant to the terms of such Indebtedness, (ii) capital expenditures paid in cash, (iii) consolidated interest expense paid in cash, (iv) taxes paid in cash, (v) exploration expenses paid in cash, and (vi) to the extent not included in the foregoing, all cash amounts that otherwise served to increase EBITDAX for such fiscal quarter, except, in the case of each of clauses (c)(i)-(c)(vi) in this definition, to the extent financed with Free Equity Proceeds.

Free Equity Proceeds” means proceeds of issuances of any Equity Interests of the Borrower or capital contributions to the Borrower from its equity holders to the extent such issuance or contribution would not result in an Event of Default; provided that, neither (a) proceeds from Disqualified Capital Stock nor (b) amounts applied to increase EBITDAX pursuant to the terms of Section 11.13 shall be included in Free Equity Proceeds.

Fronting Fee” shall have the meaning provided in Section 4.1(c).

Fund” shall mean any Person (other than a natural person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course.

GAAP” shall mean generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, as in effect from time to time; provided, however, that (i) if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the Closing Date in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith, (ii) GAAP shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made, without giving effect to any election under FASB ASC Topic 825 (or any other Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries at “fair value,” as defined therein, and Indebtedness shall be measured at the

 

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aggregate principal amount thereof, and (iii) the accounting for operating leases and capital leases under GAAP as in effect on the date hereof (including, without limitation, Accounting Standards Codification 840) shall apply for the purposes of determining compliance with the provisions of this Agreement, including the definition of Capitalized Leases and obligations in respect thereof.

Governmental Authority” shall mean any nation, sovereign or government, any state, province, territory or other political subdivision thereof, and any entity or authority exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government, including a central bank or stock exchange.

Granting Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(g).

Guarantee” shall mean the Guarantee made by any Guarantor in favor of the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties, substantially in the form of Exhibit C.

Guarantee Obligations” shall mean, as to any Person, any obligation of such Person guaranteeing or intended to guarantee any Indebtedness of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, including any obligation of such Person, whether or not contingent, (a) to purchase any such Indebtedness or any property constituting direct or indirect security therefor, (b) to advance or supply funds (i) for the purchase or payment of any such Indebtedness or (ii) to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or otherwise to maintain financial condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness, (c) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of any such Indebtedness of the ability of the primary obligor to make payment of such Indebtedness or (d) otherwise to assure or hold harmless the owner of such Indebtedness against loss in respect thereof; provided, however, that the term “Guarantee Obligations” shall not include endorsements of instruments for deposit or collection in the ordinary course of business or customary and reasonable indemnity obligations in effect on the Closing Date or entered into in connection with any acquisition or Disposition of assets permitted under this Agreement (other than such obligations with respect to Indebtedness). The amount of any Guarantee Obligation shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the Indebtedness in respect of which such Guarantee Obligation is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by such Person in good faith.

Guarantors” shall mean each Domestic Subsidiary listed on Schedule 1.1(e) that becomes a party to the Guarantee on the Closing Date (except to the extent released therefrom in accordance with the terms hereof) and each other Domestic Subsidiary (other than an Excluded Subsidiary (except to the extent provided below)) that becomes a party to the Guarantee after the Closing Date pursuant to Section 9.11 or otherwise; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the Borrower in its sole discretion may cause any Restricted Subsidiary that is not required to be a Guarantor hereunder or pursuant to the Security Documents to provide a Guarantee by causing such Restricted Subsidiary to execute a Guarantee and such Restricted Subsidiary shall be a Guarantor and Credit Party for all purposes hereunder except to the extent released from such Guarantee in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

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Hazardous Materials” shall mean (a) any petroleum or petroleum products, natural gas or natural gas liquids, radioactive materials, friable asbestos, urea formaldehyde foam insulation, polychlorinated biphenyls, and radon gas and (b) any chemicals, materials or substances defined as or included in the definition of or otherwise classified or regulated as “hazardous substances”, “hazardous waste”, “hazardous materials”, “extremely hazardous waste”, “restricted hazardous waste”, “toxic substances”, “toxic pollutants”, “contaminants”, or “pollutants”, or words of similar import, under any applicable Environmental Law, or for which liability or standards of conduct may be imposed under any applicable Environmental Law, due to their deleterious or dangerous properties or characteristics.

Hedge Agreements” shall mean (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, future contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, total return swap, credit spread transaction, repurchase transaction, reserve repurchase transaction, securities lending transaction, weather index transaction, spot contracts, fixed-price physical delivery contracts, whether or not exchange traded, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, agreements or obligations to physically sell any commodity at any index-based price shall not be considered Hedge Agreements.

Hedge Bank” shall mean any Person that either (i) at the time it entered into a Secured Hedge Agreement or a Cash Management Agreement, as applicable, in its capacity as a party thereto, (ii) to the extent it is party to a Secured Hedge Agreement on the Closing Date, on the Closing Date or (iii) at any time after it has entered into a Secured Hedge Agreement or a Cash Management Agreement, as applicable, in its capacity as a party thereto, is (x) an Agent, Lender or any Affiliate of an Agent or Lender; provided that if such Agent, Lender or Affiliate ceases to be an Agent, Lender or Affiliate thereof, such Person shall remain a Hedge Bank only with respect to transactions entered into prior to the date it ceased to be an Agent, Lender or Affiliate thereof, as applicable or (y) only in respect of the hedge transactions under the Specified Hedge Agreements in effect on the Effective Date is Shell Trading Risk Management, LLC or any Affiliate thereof.

Hedging Obligations” shall mean, with respect to any Person, the obligations of such Person under Hedge Agreements.

Highest Lawful Rate” shall mean, with respect to each Lender, the maximum nonusurious interest rate, if any, that at any time or from time to time may be contracted for, taken, reserved, charged or received on the Loans under laws applicable to such Lender which are presently in effect or, to the extent allowed by law, under such applicable laws which may hereafter be in effect and which allow a higher maximum nonusurious interest rate than applicable laws allow as of the date hereof.

 

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Hydrocarbon Interests” shall mean all rights, titles, interests and estates now or hereafter acquired in and to oil and gas leases, oil, gas and mineral leases, or other liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon leases, mineral fee interests, overriding royalty and royalty interests, net profit interests and production payment interests, including any reserved or residual interests of whatever nature.

Hydrocarbons” shall mean oil, gas, casinghead gas, drip gasoline, natural gasoline, condensate, distillate, liquid hydrocarbons, gaseous hydrocarbons and all products refined or separated therefrom.

ICC” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.8.

ICC Rule” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.8.

Immaterial Subsidiary” shall mean any Subsidiary that is not a Material Subsidiary.

Immediate Family Members” shall mean with respect to any individual, such individual’s child, stepchild, grandchild or more remote descendant, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, qualified domestic partner, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law (including adoptive relationships) and any trust, partnership or other bona fide estate-planning vehicle the only beneficiaries of which are any of the foregoing individuals or any private foundation or fund that is controlled by any of the foregoing individuals or any donor-advised fund of which any such individual is the donor.

Increasing Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.16(a).

Incremental Agreement” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.16(d).

Incremental Increase” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.16(a).

Indebtedness” of any Person shall mean the following, if and only to the extent (other than with respect to clause (g) below) the same would constitute indebtedness or a liability in accordance with GAAP, without duplication, (a) all indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instrument (including Minimum Volume Commitments), (c) the deferred purchase price of assets or services that in accordance with GAAP would be required to be shown as a liability on the balance sheet of such Person (other than (i) any earn-out obligation until such obligation becomes a liability on the balance sheet of such Person in accordance with GAAP, (ii) accruals for payroll and other liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business and (iii) obligations resulting under firm transportation contracts, or take or pay contracts or other similar agreements), (d) the maximum amount (after giving effect to any prior drawings or reductions which may have been reimbursed) of all outstanding letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds, performance bonds and similar instruments issued or created by or for the account of such Person, (e) the principal

 

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component of all obligations in respect of Capitalized Leases of such Person, (f) net Hedging Obligations of such Person, (g) all indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) of any other Person secured by any Lien on any property owned by such Person, whether or not such indebtedness has been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse, provided that for the avoidance of doubt, contingent and unliquidated amounts owed to an operator of a property by a joint owner of a property for which the operator requested payment from such person that are not obligations in respect of borrowed money or similar obligations that arise under usual and customary contracts, agreements and arrangements with service providers, vendors and other Persons entered into the ordinary course of business incident to the exploration, development, operation production or maintenance of Oil and Gas Properties are not Indebtedness for purposes of this clause (g), except to the extent such amounts are more than ninety (90) days past due, (h) the amount of all obligations of such Person with respect to the redemption, repayment or other repurchase in respect of Disqualified Stock (excluding accrued dividends that have not increased the liquidation preference of such Disqualified Stock), (i) the undischarged balance of any Production Payment and Reserve Sale created by such Person or for the creation of which such Person directly or indirectly received payment and (j) without duplication, all Guarantee Obligations of such Person in respect of the items described in clauses (a) through (i) above; provided that Indebtedness shall (A) include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, except to the extent such Person’s liability for such Indebtedness is otherwise expressly limited and only to the extent such Indebtedness would be included in the calculation of Consolidated Total Debt and (B) not include (i) trade and other ordinary-course payables and accrued expenses, (ii) deferred or prepaid revenues, (iii) purchase price holdbacks in respect of a portion of the purchase price of an asset to satisfy warranty or other unperformed obligations of the respective seller, (iv) in the case of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, (I) all intercompany Indebtedness having a term not exceeding 364 days (inclusive of any roll-over or extensions of terms) and (II) intercompany liabilities in connection with the cash management, tax and accounting operations of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, (v) [reserved] (vi) guaranties, bonds and surety obligations required by governmental requirements in connection with the exploration, development or operation of the Oil and Gas Properties, (vii) in-kind obligations relating to net oil, natural gas liquids or natural gas balancing positions arising in the ordinary course of business, (viii) any obligation in respect of a Farm-In Agreement or similar arrangement whereby such Person agrees to pay all or a share of the drilling, completion or other expenses of an exploratory or development well (which agreement may be subject to a maximum payment obligation, after which expenses are shared in accordance with the working or participation interest therein or in accordance with the agreement of the parties) or perform the drilling, completion or other operation on such well in exchange for an ownership interest in an oil or gas property, (ix) operating leases or sale and leaseback transactions (except any resulting obligations under any Capitalized Lease), (x) commitments or obligations of such Person to make capital contributions in another Person or fund construction costs of equipment, gathering, transportation, processing, handling, pipelines and other related systems and facilities which constitute Industry Investments and (xi) any Guarantee Obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business to the extent not guaranteeing Indebtedness. The amount of any net Hedging Obligations on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The amount of Indebtedness of any Person for purposes of clause (g) above shall be deemed to be equal to the lesser of (i) the aggregate unpaid amount of such Indebtedness and (ii) the fair market

 

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value of the property encumbered thereby as determined by such Person in good faith. Notwithstanding anything in this definition to the contrary, Indebtedness shall be calculated without giving effect to the effects of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 815 and related interpretations to the extent such effects would otherwise increase or decrease an amount of Indebtedness for any purpose hereunder as a result of accounting for any embedded derivatives created by the terms of such Indebtedness.

Indemnified Liabilities” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.5(b).

Indemnified Taxes” shall mean all Taxes imposed on or with respect to any payment by or on account of any obligation of any Credit Party hereunder or under any other Credit Document other than (a) Excluded Taxes and (b) Other Taxes.

Industry Investment” shall mean Investments and/or expenditures made in the ordinary course of, and of a nature that is or shall have become customary in, the Oil and Gas Business as a means of actively engaging therein through agreements, transactions, interests or arrangements that permit one to share risks or costs, comply with regulatory requirements regarding local ownership or satisfy other objectives customarily achieved through the conduct of Oil and Gas Business jointly with third parties, including: (1) ownership interests (directly or through equity) in Oil and Gas Properties or gathering, transportation, processing, or related systems; and (2) Investments and/or expenditures in the form of or pursuant to operating agreements, processing agreements, Farm-In Agreements, Farm-Out Agreements, development agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, unitization agreements, pooling arrangements, joint bidding agreements, service contracts, joint venture agreements, partnership agreements (whether general or limited), and other similar agreements (including for limited liability companies) with third parties.

Information” shall have the meaning provided in Section 8.8(a).

Initial Commitment” shall mean, (a) with respect to each Lender that is a Lender on the Closing Date, the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 1.1(a) as such Lender’s “Commitment” and (b) in the case of any Lender that becomes a Lender after the Closing Date, the amount specified as such Lender’s “Initial Commitment” in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender assumed a portion of the Total Commitment, in each case as the same may be changed from time to time pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The aggregate amount of the Initial Commitments as of the Closing Date is $350,000,000.

Initial Loans” shall mean the loans made by the Lenders under Section 2.1(a) pursuant to their respective Initial Commitments.

Initial Maturity Date” shall mean the date which is three years and nine calendar months after the Closing Date, or, if such anniversary is not a Business Day, the Business Day immediately following such anniversary.

Initial Reserve Report” shall mean the reserve engineers’ report of W.D. Von Gonten & Co. Petroleum Engineering as of January 1, 2021.

 

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Intercompany Note” shall mean a promissory note substantially in the form of Exhibit L hereto.

Intercreditor Agreement” shall mean that certain Intercreditor Agreement dated as of December 30, 2020 among HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as collateral agent for the Existing Vine RBL Credit Agreement, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. as collateral agent for the Second Lien Credit Agreement, the Borrower, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the other parties party thereto from time to time, as amended, supplemented, restated or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with its terms, and any replacement of the foregoing on terms not materially adverse to the Lenders, taken as a whole, than the relevant replaced intercreditor agreement.

Interest Period” shall mean, with respect to any Loan, the interest period applicable thereto, as determined pursuant to Section 2.9.

Interim Redetermination” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(b).

Interim Redetermination Date” shall mean the date on which the Borrowing Base that has been redetermined pursuant to an Interim Redetermination becomes effective as provided in Section 2.14.

Investment” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.5.

Investment Grade Rating” shall mean a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P, or an equivalent rating by any other rating agency selected by the Borrower.

ISP” shall mean, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the “International Standby Practices 1998” published by the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).

ISP 98” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.8

Issuer Documents” shall mean, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Letter of Credit Application, and any other document, agreement and instrument entered into by the applicable Issuing Bank and the Borrower (or any Restricted Subsidiary) or in favor of the applicable Issuing Bank and relating to such Letter of Credit.

Issuing Bank” shall mean (a) Citibank and any of its Affiliates, (b) those Lenders identified as Issuing Banks on Schedule 1.1(a) hereto and (c) if requested by the Borrower and reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, any other Person who is a Lender at the time of such request and who accepts such appointment (it being understood that, if any such Person ceases to be a Lender hereunder, such Person will remain an Issuing Bank with respect to any Letter of Credit issued by such Person that remained outstanding as of the date such Person ceased to be a Lender). References herein and in the other Credit Documents to an Issuing Bank shall be deemed to refer to the Issuing Bank in respect of the applicable Letter of Credit or to all Issuing Banks, as the context requires. Any Lender may, from time to time, become an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with the protections and rights afforded to Issuing Banks hereunder by executing a joinder, in a form reasonably satisfactory to (and acknowledged and accepted by) the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, indicating such Lender’s “Letter of Credit Commitment” and upon the execution and delivery of any such joinder, such Lender shall be an Issuing Bank for all purposes hereof.

 

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Junior Debt” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.7(a).

Junior Liens” shall mean Liens on the Collateral (other than Liens securing the Obligations) that are subordinated to the Liens granted under the Credit Documents pursuant to the Intercreditor Agreement (it being understood that Junior Liens are not required to be pari passu with other Junior Liens, and that Indebtedness secured by Junior Liens may have Liens that are senior in priority to, or pari passu with, or junior in priority to, other Liens constituting Junior Liens).

Latest Maturity Date” shall mean, at any date of determination, the latest Maturity Date applicable to any Class of Commitments or Loans that is outstanding hereunder on such date of determination.

L/C Borrowing” shall mean an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or refinanced as a Borrowing. All L/C Borrowings shall be denominated in Dollars.

L/C Maturity Date” shall mean the date that is five Business Days prior to the Maturity Date.

L/C Obligations” shall mean, as at any date of determination, the aggregate amount available to be drawn under all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unpaid Drawings, including all L/C Borrowings. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” in the amount so remaining available to be drawn.

L/C Participant” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.3(a).

L/C Participation” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.3(a).

LCA Election” has the meaning set forth in Section 1.12(a).

LCA Test Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 1.12(a).

Lead Arrangers” shall mean Citi, Bank of America, N.A., Barclays Bank PLC, Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, Keybanc Capital Markets INC., Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., MUFG Union Bank, N.A., and RBC Capital Markets.

Lender” shall have the meaning provided in the preamble to this Agreement. Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the Swingline Lender. For avoidance of doubt, each Additional Lender shall be deemed a “Lender” for purposes of this Agreement and each other Credit Document.

 

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Lender Default” shall mean (i) the refusal (which may be given verbally or in writing and has not been retracted) or failure of any Lender to make available its portion of any incurrence of Loans or participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans or reimbursement obligations required to be made by it, which refusal or failure is not cured within one Business Day after the date of such refusal or failure; (ii) the failure of any Lender to pay over to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank, any Swingline Lender or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder within two Business Days of the date when due (iii) a Lender has notified the Borrower or the Administrative Agent that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations, or has made a public statement to that effect with respect to its funding obligations under the Facility, (iv) a Lender has failed, within three Business Days after request by the Administrative Agent, to confirm that it will comply with its funding obligations under the Facility or (v) a Distressed Person has admitted in writing that it is insolvent or such Distressed Person becomes subject to a Lender-Related Distress Event or a Bail-In Action. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender Default has occurred under any one or more of clauses (i) through (v) above shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and the applicable Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender upon delivery of written notice of such determination to the Borrower, each Issuing Bank, each Swingline Lender and each Lender.

Lender-Related Distress Event” shall mean, with respect to any Lender, that such Lender or any Person that directly or indirectly controls such Lender (each, a “Distressed Person”), as the case may be, is or becomes subject to a voluntary or involuntary case with respect to such Distressed Person under any Debtor Relief Law, or a custodian, conservator, receiver or similar official is appointed for such Distressed Person or any substantial part of such Distressed Person’s assets, or such Distressed Person or any Person that directly or indirectly controls such Distressed Person is subject to a forced liquidation, or such Distressed Person makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or is otherwise adjudicated as, or determined by any Governmental Authority having regulatory authority over such Distressed Person or its assets to be, insolvent or bankrupt; provided that a Lender-Related Distress Event shall not be deemed to have occurred solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any equity interests in any Lender or any Person that directly or indirectly controls such Lender by a Governmental Authority or an instrumentality thereof, so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender.

Letter of Credit” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.1.

Letter of Credit Application” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.2(a).

Letter of Credit Commitment” shall mean the lesser of (a) $75,000,000 (or such greater amount as agreed to by the Issuing Banks), as the same may be reduced from time to time pursuant to Section 3.1 and (b) the Loan Limit.

 

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Letter of Credit Exposure” shall mean, with respect to any Lender, at any time, the sum of (a) the principal amount of any Unpaid Drawings in respect of which such Lender has made (or is required to have made) payments to the applicable Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 3.4(a) at such time and (b) such Lender’s Commitment Percentage of the Letters of Credit Outstanding at such time (excluding the portion thereof consisting of Unpaid Drawings in respect of which the Lenders have made (or are required to have made) payments to the applicable Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 3.4(a)) minus the amount of cash or deposit account balances held by the Administrative Agent to Cash Collateralize outstanding Letters of Credit and Unpaid Drawings under Section 3.7.

Letter of Credit Fee” shall have the meaning provided in Section 4.1(b).

Letters of Credit Outstanding” shall mean, at any time, the sum of, without duplication, (a) the aggregate Stated Amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit and (b) the aggregate principal amount of all Unpaid Drawings in respect of all Letters of Credit.

LIBOR Loan” shall mean any Loan bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the LIBOR Rate (other than an ABR Loan bearing interest by reference to the LIBOR Rate by virtue of clause (c) of the definition of ABR).

LIBOR Rate” shall mean, for any Interest Period with respect to any Borrowing of a LIBOR Loan, the London interbank offered rate as administered by the ICE Benchmark Administration (or any other Person that takes over the administration of such rate) for Dollars for a period equal in length to such Interest Period as displayed on pages LIBOR01 or LIBOR02 of the Reuters Screen that displays such rate (or, in the event that such rate does not appear on a Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion; in each case, the “Screen Rate”) at approximately 12:00 noon London time, two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period; provided that, if (i) the Borrower and the Administrative Agent reasonably determine in good faith that an interest rate is not ascertainable pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this definition and the inability to ascertain such rate is unlikely to be temporary or (ii) the circumstances set forth in the preceding clause (i) have not arisen but the supervisor for the administrator of the Screen Rate or a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Administrative Agent has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which the Screen Rate shall no longer be made available or used for determining interest rates for loans, the Administrative Agent shall so notify the Lenders in writing (the occurrence of either of the foregoing conditions, a “Benchmark Discontinuation Event”) and the “LIBOR Rate” shall be an alternate benchmark floating term rate of interest reasonably established in good faith by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower that is (1) reasonably practicable for the Administrative Agent to administer and (2) generally accepted as the then prevailing market convention for determining a rate of interest for similar syndicated loans in the United States at such time and shall include (A) the spread or method for determining a spread or other adjustment or modification that is generally accepted as the then prevailing market convention for determining such spread, method, adjustment or modification and (B) other adjustments to such alternate term rate and this Agreement (x) to not increase or decrease pricing in effect for the Interest Period on the Business Day immediately preceding the Business Day on which such alternate rate is selected pursuant to this provision (but for the avoidance of doubt which would not reduce the Applicable Margin) and (y) other changes necessary to reflect the available interest periods for such alternate rate) for similar syndicated leveraged loans of this type in the United States at such time (any such rate, the

 

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Successor Benchmark Rate”), and the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall enter into an amendment to this Agreement to reflect such alternate rate of interest and such other related changes to this Agreement as may be applicable and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 13.01, such amendment shall become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement; provided, further that if a Successor Benchmark Rate has not been established pursuant to the immediately preceding proviso after the Borrower and the Administrative Agent have reached such a determination under the preceding clause (i), the Borrower and the Required Lenders may select a different alternate rate as long as it is reasonably practicable for the Administrative Agent to administer such different rate and, upon not less than 15 Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Required Lenders and the Borrower shall enter into an amendment to this Agreement to reflect such alternate rate of interest and such other related changes to this Agreement as may be applicable and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 13.01, such amendment shall become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at no time shall the LIBOR Rate be less than 0.50%.

Lien” shall mean, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, preferred mortgage, deed of trust, lien, notice of claim of lien, hypothecation, pledge, charge, security interest or similar encumbrance in or on such asset securing an obligation or (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset; provided that in no event shall an operating lease be deemed to be a Lien.

Limited Condition Transaction” shall mean any acquisition or Investment by one or more of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries of or in any assets, business or Person permitted by this Agreement the consummation of which is not conditioned on the availability of, or on obtaining, third party financing.

Liquidate” shall mean any Disposition, termination, unwind, novation (other than any novation with respect to which a Credit Party remains a party to the applicable Hedge Agreement), creation of offsetting positions or other monetization of a Hedge Agreement, including the Disposition of Equity Interests in a Subsidiary that is a party to a Hedge Agreement. “Liquidated” shall have the correlative meaning.

Liquidity” shall mean, as of any date of determination, the sum of (a) the Available Commitment on such date available to be drawn in accordance with Section 7 and (b) the aggregate amount of Unrestricted Cash of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries at such date.

Loan” shall mean any Initial Loan, Extended Loan or Swingline Loan made by any Lender hereunder.

Loan Extension Request” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.17(a).

Loan Limit” shall mean, at any time, the least of (a) the Total Commitment at such time, (b) the Borrowing Base at such time, (c) the Draw Limit and (d) the “First Lien Facility Cap” as defined in the Second Lien Credit Agreement.

 

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Majority Lenders” shall mean, at any date, (a) Non-Defaulting Lenders having or holding a majority of the Adjusted Total Commitment at such date, or (b) if the Total Commitment has been terminated or for the purposes of acceleration pursuant to Section 11, Non-Defaulting Lenders having or holding a majority of the outstanding principal amount of the Loans, the Swingline Exposure and Letter of Credit Exposure (excluding the Loans, Swingline Exposure and Letter of Credit Exposure of Defaulting Lenders) in the aggregate at such date.

Mandatory Borrowing” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.1(c).

Margin Stock” shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in Regulation U.

Master Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of “Hedge Agreements”.

Material Adverse Effect” shall mean a circumstance or condition affecting the business, assets, operations, properties or financial condition of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, that, individually or in the aggregate, would materially adversely affect (a) the ability of the Borrower and the other Credit Parties, taken as a whole, to perform their payment obligations under the Credit Documents, (b) the rights and remedies of the Agents and the Lenders under the Credit Documents or (c) the validity or enforceability of any of the Credit Documents.

Material Indebtedness” shall mean Indebtedness (other than Loans and Letters of Credit) of any one or more of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $50,000,000.

Material Subsidiary” shall mean, at any date of determination, each Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower (a) whose Total Assets (when combined with the assets of such Restricted Subsidiary’s Subsidiaries, after eliminating intercompany obligations) at the last day of the most recently ended Test Period were equal to or greater than 5.0% of the Consolidated Total Assets of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries at such date, (b) whose revenues (when combined with the revenues of such Subsidiary’s Subsidiaries, after eliminating intercompany obligations) during such Test Period were equal to or greater than 5.0% of the consolidated revenues of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, in each case determined in accordance with GAAP or (c) own Borrowing Base Properties or are party to commodity Hedge Agreements upon which the Lenders relied in determining the most recent Borrowing Base; provided that if, at any time and from time to time after the Closing Date, Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Material Subsidiaries have, in the aggregate, (i) Total Assets (when combined with the assets of such Subsidiary’s Subsidiaries, after eliminating intercompany obligations) at the last day of such Test Period equal to or greater than 10.0 % of the Consolidated Total Assets of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries at such date or (ii) revenues (when combined with the revenues of such Subsidiary’s Subsidiaries, after eliminating intercompany obligations) during such Test Period equal to or greater than 10.0% of the consolidated revenues of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries for such period, in each case determined in accordance with GAAP, then the Borrower shall, on the date on which financial statements for such quarter are delivered pursuant to this Agreement, designate in writing to the Administrative Agent one or more of such Restricted Subsidiaries as “Material Subsidiaries.”

 

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Maturity Date” shall mean, as to the applicable Loan, the earlier of (i) the Initial Maturity Date, (ii) if the aggregate principal amount outstanding of Existing Unsecured Notes (plus any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness thereof to the extent that the final maturity date of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is not at least 91 days after the Initial Maturity Date) exceeds $25,000,000 on the Springing Notes Maturity Date, the Springing Notes Maturity Date, (iii) if any amount of loans under the Second Lien Facility (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness thereof to the extent that the final maturity date of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is not at least 91 days after the Initial Maturity Date) remain outstanding on the Springing Second Lien Maturity Date, the Springing Second Lien Maturity Date, (iv) any maturity date related to any Extension Series of Extended Commitments or (v) the Swingline Maturity Date, as applicable and as the context requires.

Minimum Borrowing Amount” shall mean, with respect to any Borrowing of Loans, $500,000 (or, if less, the entire remaining Commitments at the time of such Borrowing).

Minimum Volume Commitments” means agreements to pay fees and other consideration in respect of agreed quantities of marketing, transportation and/or other services in connection with reasonably anticipated (i) production from Oil and Gas Properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries and (ii) associated production of non-operators and royalty and similar interest owners, in each case which fees and other consideration are payable whether or not such services are utilized.

Minority Investment” shall mean any Person (other than a Subsidiary) in which the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary owns Equity Interests.

Moody’s” shall mean Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or any successor by merger or consolidation to its business.

Mortgage” shall mean a mortgage or a deed of trust, deed to secure debt, trust deed, assignment of as-extracted collateral, fixture filing or other security document entered into by the owner of a Mortgaged Property and the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties in respect of that Mortgaged Property, substantially in the form of Exhibit D (with such changes thereto as may be necessary to account for local law matters) or otherwise in such form as agreed between the Borrower and the Collateral Agent.

Mortgaged Property” shall mean, at any time, all Borrowing Base Properties with respect to which a Mortgage has been granted. However, notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, any Mortgage, or any other Security Document to the contrary, in no event shall any Building (as defined in the applicable Flood Insurance Regulation) or Manufactured (Mobile) Home (as defined in the applicable Flood Insurance Regulation) be included in the definition of “Mortgaged Property” and no Building or Manufactured (Mobile) Home shall be encumbered by any Mortgage. As used herein, “Flood Insurance Regulations” shall mean (i) the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statute thereto, (ii) the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 as now or hereafter in effect or any successor statue thereto, (iii) the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (amending 42 USC 4001, et seq.), as the same may be amended or recodified from time to time, and (iv) the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 and any regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

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Multiemployer Plan” shall mean a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA.

Necessary Cure Amount” shall have the meaning provided in Section 11.13(a)(iii).

Net Income” shall mean, with respect to any Person, the net income (loss) of such Person, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in respect of preferred stock dividends.

New Borrowing Base Notice” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(d).

Non-Consenting Lender” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.7(b).

Non-Defaulting Lender” shall mean and include each Lender other than a Defaulting Lender.

Non-Extension Notice Date” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.2(b).

Non-U.S. Lender” shall mean any Lender (a) that is not disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that is not a “United States person” as defined by Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code or (b) that is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes and whose regarded owner is not a “United States person” as defined by Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

Notice of Borrowing” shall mean a request of the Borrower in accordance with the terms of Section 2.3(a) and substantially in the form of Exhibit B or such other form as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent (acting reasonably).

Notice of Conversion or Continuation” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.6(a).

Notes Maturity Date” shall mean April 15, 2023.

Obligations” shall mean all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Credit Party arising under any Credit Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit or under any Secured Cash Management Agreement or Secured Hedge Agreement, in each case, entered into with the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Credit Party or any Affiliate thereof in any proceeding under any bankruptcy or insolvency law naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Obligations of the Credit Parties under the Credit Documents (and any of their Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent they have obligations under the Credit Documents) include the obligation (including Guarantee Obligations) to pay principal, interest, charges, expenses, fees, attorney costs, indemnities and other amounts payable by any Credit Party under any Credit Document. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) Excluded Swap Obligations shall not constitute Obligations, (b) the obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary under any Secured Hedge Agreement and under any Secured Cash Management Agreement shall be

 

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secured and guaranteed pursuant to the Security Documents and the Guarantee only to the extent that, and for so long as, the other Obligations are so secured and guaranteed and (c) any release of Collateral or Guarantors effected in the manner permitted by this Agreement and the other Credit Documents shall not require the consent of the holders of Hedging Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements or of the holders of Cash Management Obligations under Secured Cash Management Agreements.

OFAC” shall mean the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Oil and Gas Business” shall mean:

(a) the business of acquiring, exploring, exploiting, developing, producing, operating and disposing of interests in oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas and other Hydrocarbons and mineral properties or products produced in association with any of the foregoing;

(b) the business of gathering, marketing, distributing, treating, processing, storing, refining, selling and transporting of any production from interests in oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas and other Hydrocarbons and mineral properties or products produced in association therewith; and the marketing of oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas and other Hydrocarbons and minerals obtained from unrelated Persons; and

(c) any business or activity relating to, arising from, or necessary, appropriate, incidental or ancillary to the activities described in the foregoing clauses (a) and (b) of this definition.

Oil and Gas Properties” shall mean (a) Hydrocarbon Interests, (b) the properties now or hereafter pooled or unitized with Hydrocarbon Interests, (c) all presently existing or future unitization agreements, pooling agreements and declarations of pooled or unitized units and the units created thereby (including all units created under orders, regulations and rules of any Governmental Authority) which may affect all or any portion of any Hydrocarbon Interests, (d) all operating agreements, contracts and other agreements, including production sharing contracts and agreements, which relate to any Hydrocarbon Interests or the production, sale, purchase, exchange or processing of Hydrocarbons from or attributable to such Hydrocarbon Interests, (e) all Hydrocarbons in and under and which may be produced and saved or attributable to Hydrocarbon Interests, including all oil in tanks, and all rents, issues, profits, proceeds, products, revenues and other incomes from or attributable to Hydrocarbon Interests, (f) all tenements, hereditaments, appurtenances and properties in any manner appertaining, belonging, affixed or incidental to Hydrocarbon Interests and (g) all properties, rights, titles, interests and estates described or referred to above, including any and all property, real or personal, now owned or hereafter acquired and situated upon, used, held for use or useful in connection with the operating, working or development of any Hydrocarbon Interests or property (excluding drilling rigs, automotive equipment, rental equipment or other personal property which may be on such premises for the purpose of drilling a well or for other similar temporary uses) and including any and all oil wells, gas wells, injection wells or other wells, structures, fuel separators, liquid extraction plants, plant compressors, pumps, pumping units, field gathering systems, gas processing plants and pipeline

 

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systems and any related infrastructure to any thereof, tanks and tank batteries, fixtures, valves, fittings, machinery and parts, engines, boilers, meters, equipment, appliances, tools, implements, cables, wires, towers, casing, tubing and rods, surface leases, rights-of-way, easements and servitudes together with all additions, substitutions, replacements, accessions and attachments to any and all of the foregoing.

Ongoing Hedges” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.10(a).

Organization Documents” shall mean (a) with respect to any corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement; and (c) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity.

Other Taxes” shall mean any and all present or future stamp, registration, documentary, intangible, recording, filing or any other excise, property or similar Taxes (including related reasonable out-of-pocket expenses with regard thereto) arising from any payment made hereunder or made under any other Credit Document or from the execution or delivery of, registration or enforcement of, consummation or administration of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any other Credit Document; provided that such term shall not include any (i) Taxes that result from an assignment, grant of a participation pursuant to Section 13.6(c) or transfer or assignment to or designation of a new lending office or other office for receiving payments under any Credit Document (“Assignment Taxes”) to the extent such Assignment Taxes are imposed as a result of a connection between the assignor/participating Lender and/or the assignee/Participant and the taxing jurisdiction (other than a connection arising solely from any Credit Documents or any transactions contemplated thereunder), unless any action described in this proviso is requested or required by the Borrower, or (ii) Excluded Taxes.

Overnight Rate” shall mean, for any day, the greater of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate and (b) an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent or the applicable Issuing Bank, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.

Parent Entity” shall mean any Person that is a direct or indirect parent company (which may be organized as a partnership) of the Borrower.

Participant” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(c)(i).

Participant Register” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(c)(ii).

Participating Member States” shall mean, together, each member state of the European Union that adopts or has adopted the Euro as its lawful currency in accordance with legislation of the European Union relating to the Economic and Monetary Union (as amended or re-enacted from time to time).

 

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Patriot Act” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.18.

Payment in Full” shall mean the day the Total Commitment and each Letter of Credit have terminated (unless such Letters of Credit have been collateralized on terms and conditions reasonably satisfactory to each applicable Issuing Bank following the termination of the Total Commitment) and the Loans, the Swingline Loans and Unpaid Drawings, together with interest, fees and all other Obligations incurred hereunder (other than Hedging Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements, Cash Management Obligations under Secured Cash Management Agreements or contingent indemnification obligations not then due and payable), are paid in full.

PBGC” shall mean the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Pension Plan” shall mean any “employee pension benefit plan” (as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), other than a Multiemployer Plan, that is subject to Title IV of ERISA and is sponsored or maintained by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate or to which any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate contributes or has an obligation to contribute, or in the case of a multiple employer or other plan described in Section 4064(a) of ERISA, has made contributions at any time during the immediately preceding six years.

Permitted Acquisition” shall mean the acquisition, by merger or otherwise, by the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries of assets (including any assets constituting a business unit, line of business or division) or Equity Interests, so long as (a) if such acquisition involves the acquisition of Equity Interests of a Person that upon such acquisition would become a Subsidiary, such acquisition shall result in the issuer of such Equity Interests becoming a Restricted Subsidiary and, to the extent required by Section 9.11, a Guarantor; (b) such acquisition shall result in the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, being granted a security interest in any Equity Interests or any assets so acquired to the extent required by Section 9.11; (c) immediately after giving effect to such acquisition, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; and (d) immediately after giving effect to such acquisition, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be in compliance with Section 9.15.

Permitted Additional Debt” shall mean any unsecured senior, senior subordinated, or subordinated loans or notes issued by the Borrower or a Guarantor, (a) the terms of which do not provide for any scheduled repayment, mandatory redemption or sinking fund obligation prior to the 91st day after the Latest Maturity Date as in effect on the date of determination (other than (i) customary offers to purchase upon a change of control, AHYDO payments, asset sale or casualty or condemnation event prepayments and customary acceleration rights after an event of default (ii) regularly scheduled payments not to exceed 1.0% of the initial aggregate principal amount thereof per annum and (iii) Indebtedness incurred pursuant to a customary bridge facility if the Indebtedness pursuant to such customary bridge facility converts at maturity to Indebtedness which does not provide for any scheduled repayment, mandatory redemption or sinking fund obligation (except to the extent permitted pursuant to clause (i) and (ii)) prior to the 91st day after the Latest Maturity Date as in effect on the date of determination) and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Facility, if applicable, (b) if such Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment to the Obligations, the terms of such Indebtedness provide for customary subordination of such Indebtedness to the Obligations, (c) no Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower (other than a Guarantor) is a borrower or guarantor with respect to such Indebtedness.

 

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Permitted Holders” shall mean any of (i) the Sponsor and (ii) officers, directors, employees and other members of management of the Borrower (or any of its Parent Entities) or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries who are or become holders of Equity Interests of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) (and their Controlled Investment Affiliates and Immediate Family Members); provided that for purposes of the definition of “Change of Control” the Persons described in clause (ii) above shall not constitute Permitted Holders at any time they hold voting power equal to or more than 50% of all Equity Interests collectively and beneficially held by the Persons described in clauses (i) and (ii) above.

Permitted Intercompany Activities” shall mean any transactions between or among the Borrower and its Subsidiaries (for the avoidance of doubt, including Unrestricted Subsidiaries) that are entered into in the ordinary course of business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower, are necessary or advisable in connection with the ownership or operation of the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including (i) payroll, cash management, purchasing, insurance and hedging arrangements (other than the hedging arrangements of any Unrestricted Subsidiary) and (ii) management, technology and licensing arrangements.

Permitted Investments” shall mean:

(1) United States dollars;

(2) (a) Euros, Yen, Canadian Dollars, Pound Sterling or any national currency of any Participating Member State of the EMU; or

(b) in the case of any jurisdiction in which the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries conducts business, such local currencies held by it from time to time in the ordinary course of business and not for speculation;

(3) securities issued or directly and fully and unconditionally guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality thereof the securities of which are unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation of such government with maturities of 24 months or less from the date of acquisition;

(4) certificates of deposit, time deposits and eurodollar time deposits with maturities of 24 months or less from the date of acquisition, demand deposits, bankers’ acceptances with maturities not exceeding three years and overnight bank deposits, in each case with any domestic or foreign commercial bank having capital and surplus of not less than $250,000,000 in the case of U.S. banks and $100,000,000 (or the United States dollar equivalent as of the date of determination) in the case of non-U.S. banks (any such bank in the forgoing an “Approved Bank”);

(5) repurchase obligations for underlying securities of the types described in clauses (3) and (4) above or clauses (7) and (8) below entered into with any financial institution or recognized securities dealer meeting the qualifications specified in clause (4) above;

 

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(6) commercial paper and variable or fixed rate notes issued by an Approved Bank (or by the parent company thereof) or any variable or fixed rate note issued by, or guaranteed by, a corporation by, a corporation (other than structured investment vehicles and other than corporations used in structured financing transactions) rated at least A-2 (or the equivalent thereof) by S&P or at least P-2 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Moody’s (or, if at any time neither Moody’s nor S&P shall be rating such obligations, an equivalent rating from another nationally recognized statistical rating agency selected by the Borrower) and in each case maturing within 36 months after the date of acquisition thereof;

(7) marketable short-term money market and similar liquid funds having a rating of at least P-2 (or the equivalent thereof) or A-2 (or the equivalent thereof) from either Moody’s or S&P, respectively (or, if at any time neither Moody’s nor S&P shall be rating such obligations, an equivalent rating from another nationally recognized statistical rating agency selected by the Borrower);

(8) readily marketable direct obligations issued or fully guaranteed by (i) any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or (ii) any foreign government or any political subdivision or public instrumentality thereof; provided, that each such readily marketable direct obligation shall have an Investment Grade Rating from either Moody’s or S&P or Moody’s (or the equivalent thereof) (or, if at any time neither Moody’s nor S&P or Moody’s (or the equivalent thereof) shall be rating such obligations, an equivalent rating from another nationally recognized statistical rating agency selected by the Borrower) with maturities of 36 months or less from the date of acquisition;

(9) Investments with average maturities of 36 months or less from the date of acquisition in money market funds rated AAA- (or the equivalent thereof) or better by S&P or Aaa3 (or the equivalent thereof) or better by Moody’s (or, if at any time neither Moody’s nor S&P shall be rating such obligations, an equivalent rating from another nationally recognized statistical rating agency selected by the Borrower);

(10) investment funds investing substantially all of their assets in securities of the types de-scribed in clauses (1) through (9) above; and

(11) solely with respect to any Captive Insurance Subsidiary, any Investment in connection with its provision of insurance, which Investment is permitted to be made in accordance with applicable law, rule, regulation or order or that is required or approved by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over such Captive Insurance Subsidiary or its business, as applicable.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Permitted Investments shall include amounts denominated in currencies other than those set forth in clauses (1) and (2) above; provided that such amounts are converted into any currency listed in clause (1) or (2) above as promptly as practicable and in any event within ten (10) Business Days following the receipt of such amounts.

 

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Permitted Liens” shall mean:

(a) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims not yet overdue for a period of more than 30 days or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings for which appropriate reserves have been established to the extent required by and in accordance with GAAP , or for property taxes on property that the Borrower or one of its Subsidiaries has determined to abandon if the sole recourse for such tax, assessment, charge or claim is to such property and such abandonment is otherwise permitted by this Agreement;

(b) Liens in respect of property or assets of the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries imposed by law, such as landlords’, sublandlords’, vendors’, suppliers’, carriers’, warehousemen’s, repairmen’s, construction contractors’, workers’ and mechanics’ Liens and other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business or incident to the exploration, development, operation or maintenance of Oil and Gas Properties, in each case so long as such Liens arise in the ordinary course of business and do not individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect;

(c) Liens arising from judgments or decrees in circumstances not constituting an Event of Default under Section 11.9;

(d) Liens incurred or pledges or deposits made in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other types of social security, old age pension, public liability obligations or similar legislation, and deposits securing liabilities to insurance carriers under insurance or self-insurance arrangements in respect of such obligations, or to secure (or secure the Liens securing) liability for reimbursement or indemnification obligations of (including obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees for the benefit of) insurance carriers providing property, casualty or liability insurance to the Borrower or any Subsidiary;

(e) deposits and other Liens securing (or securing the bonds or similar instruments securing) the performance of tenders, statutory obligations, plugging and abandonment or decommissioning obligations, surety, stay, customs and appeal bonds, bids, leases, government contracts, trade contracts, performance and return-of-money bonds and other similar obligations (including letters of credit issued in lieu of such bonds or to support the issuance thereof) incurred in the ordinary course of business or in a manner consistent with past practice or industry practice including those incurred to secure health, safety and environmental obligations in the ordinary course of business, or otherwise constituting Investments permitted by Section 10.5;

(f) ground leases, subleases, licenses or sublicenses in respect of real property on which facilities owned or leased by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries are located;

(g) easements, rights-of-way, restrictive covenants, licenses, restrictions (including zoning restrictions), title defects, exceptions, deficiencies or irregularities in title, encroachments, protrusions, servitudes, permits, conditions and covenants and other similar charges or encumbrances (including in any rights-of-way or other property of the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries for the purpose of roads, pipelines, transmission lines, transportation lines, distribution lines for the removal of gas, oil or other minerals or timber, and other like purposes, or for joint or common use of real estate, rights of way, facilities and equipment) not interfering in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

 

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(h) (i) any interest or title of a lessor, sublessor, licensor or sublicensor under any lease, liens reserved in oil, gas or other Hydrocarbons, minerals, leases for bonus, royalty or rental payments and for compliance with the terms of such lease and (ii) any interest or title of a lessor, sublessor, licensor or sublicensor or secured by a lessor’s, sublessor’s, licensor’s or sublicensor’s interest under any lease, sublease, license or sublicense entered into by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business or otherwise permitted by this Agreement and not securing Indebtedness;

(i) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods;

(j) Liens on goods or inventory the purchase, shipment or storage price of which is financed by a documentary letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance issued for the account of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that such Lien secures only the obligations of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of such letter of credit or bankers’ acceptance to the extent permitted under Section 10.1;

(k) leases, licenses, subleases or sublicenses granted to others not (i) interfering in any material respect with the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole or (ii) securing any indebtedness;

(l) Liens arising from precautionary Uniform Commercial Code financing statement or similar filings;

(m) Liens created in the ordinary course of business in favor of banks and other financial institutions over credit balances of any bank accounts, commodity trading accounts or other brokerage accounts of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries held at such banks or financial institutions, as the case may be, in the ordinary course of business;

(n) Liens which arise in the ordinary course of business under operating agreements, joint venture agreements, oil and gas partnership agreements, oil and gas leases, Farm-Out Agreements, Farm-In Agreements, division orders, contracts for the sale, gathering, transportation or exchange of oil and natural gas, unitization and pooling declarations and agreements, area of mutual interest agreements, overriding royalty agreements, marketing agreements, processing agreements, net profits agreements, development agreements, gas balancing or deferred production agreements, injection, repressuring and recycling agreements, salt water or other disposal agreements, seismic or other geophysical permits or agreements, and other agreements that are usual or customary in the Oil and Gas Business and are for claims which are not delinquent or that are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings for which appropriate reserves have been established to the extent required by and in accordance with GAAP; provided that any such Lien referred to in this clause does not materially impair the use of the property covered by such Lien for the purposes for which such property is held by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary;

 

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(o) Liens on pipelines, pipeline facilities and other midstream assets or facilities that arise by operation of law or other like Liens arising by operation of law in the ordinary course of business and incidental to the exploration, development, operation and maintenance of Oil and Gas Properties;

(p) (i) zoning, building, entitlement and other land use regulations by Governmental Authorities with which the normal operation of the business complies and (ii) any zoning or similar law or right reserved to or vested in any Governmental Authority to control or regulate the use of any real property that does not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;

(q) Liens on equipment of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary granted in the ordinary course of business to the Borrower’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s client at which such equipment is located;

(r) security given to a public utility or any municipality or governmental authority when required by such utility or authority in connection with the operations of that Person in the ordinary course of business;

(s) [Reserved];

(t) Liens on Permitted Investments that are earmarked to be used to satisfy or discharge Indebtedness; provided that (x) such Permitted Investments are deposited into an account from which payment is to be made, directly or indirectly, to the Person or Persons holding the Indebtedness that is to be satisfied or discharged, (y) such Liens extend solely to the account in which such Permitted Investments are deposited and are solely in favor of the Person or Persons holding the Indebtedness (or any agent or trustee for such Person or Persons) that is to be satisfied or discharged and (z) the satisfaction or discharge of such Indebtedness is expressly permitted hereunder; and

(u) deposits of cash with the owner or lessor of premises leased and operated by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries to secure the performance of the Borrower’s or such Subsidiary’s obligations under the terms of the lease for such premises.

Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness” shall mean, with respect to any Indebtedness (the “Refinanced Indebtedness”), any Indebtedness issued or incurred in exchange for, or the net proceeds of which are used to modify, extend, refinance, renew, replace or refund (collectively to “Refinance” or a “Refinancing” or “Refinanced”), such Refinanced Indebtedness (or previous refinancing thereof constituting Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness); provided that (A) the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of any such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount (or accreted value, if applicable) of the Refinanced Indebtedness outstanding immediately prior to such Refinancing except by an amount equal to the unpaid accrued interest and premium thereon and other amounts paid in connection with the defeasance or discharge of such Indebtedness plus other amounts paid consisting of fees and expenses incurred in connection with such Refinancing plus an amount equal to any existing

 

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commitment unutilized and letters of credit undrawn thereunder, (B) if the Indebtedness being Refinanced is Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Sections 10.1(c), (i), (k), (l) or (q), the direct and contingent obligors with respect to such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness immediately prior to such Refinancing are not changed as a result of such Refinancing (except that a Credit Party may be added as an additional obligor), (C) other than with respect to a Refinancing in respect of Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 10.1(h), such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness shall have a final maturity date equal to or later than the final maturity date of, and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Refinanced Indebtedness, (D) if the Indebtedness being Refinanced is Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Sections 10.1(c), (i), (k), (l) or (q), the terms and conditions of any such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, taken as a whole, are not materially less favorable to the Lenders than the terms and conditions of the Refinanced Indebtedness being Refinanced (including, if applicable, as to collateral priority and subordination, but excluding as to interest rates, fees, floors, funding discounts and redemption or prepayment premiums) or are customary for similar Indebtedness in light of current market conditions; provided that a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower delivered to the Administrative Agent at least three Business Days prior to the incurrence or issuance of such Indebtedness, together with a reasonably detailed description of the material terms and conditions of such Indebtedness or drafts of the documentation relating thereto, stating that the Borrower has determined in good faith that such terms and conditions satisfy the foregoing requirement shall be conclusive evidence that such terms and conditions satisfy the foregoing requirement, (E) if the Refinanced Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment or security to the Obligations such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness shall be subordinated to the Obligations on terms no less favorable to the Secured Parties than such Refinanced Indebtedness and (F) if the Refinanced Indebtedness constitutes Junior Lien Indebtedness, such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is not secured by any assets other than the Collateral. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of Permitted Additional Debt must constitute Permitted Additional Debt.

Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, joint venture, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, trust or other enterprise or any Governmental Authority.

Petroleum Industry Standards” shall mean the Definitions for Oil and Gas Reserves promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (or any generally recognized successor) as in effect at the time in question.

Post-Acquisition Period” shall mean, with respect to any Permitted Acquisition or the conversion of any Unrestricted Subsidiary into a Restricted Subsidiary, the period beginning on the date such Permitted Acquisition or conversion is consummated and ending on the first anniversary of the date on which such Permitted Acquisition or conversion is consummated

Preceding Test Period” shall have the meaning provided in Section 9.18.

Preferred Stock” shall mean any Equity Interest with preferential rights of payment of dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution, or winding up.

Prime Rate” shall mean the rate of interest per annum publicly announced from time to time by the bank acting as Administrative Agent as its prime rate in effect at its principal office in New York City (the Prime Rate not being intended to be the lowest rate of interest charged by such bank in connection with extensions of credit to debtors).

 

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Pro Forma Adjustment” shall mean, for any Test Period that includes all or any part of a fiscal quarter included in any Post-Acquisition Period, with respect to the Acquired EBITDAX of the applicable Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary or the Consolidated EBITDAX of the Borrower, the pro forma increase or decrease in such Acquired EBITDAX or such Consolidated EBITDAX, as the case may be, projected by the Borrower in good faith as a result of (a) actions taken during such Post-Acquisition Period for the purposes of realizing reasonably identifiable and factually supportable cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies or (b) any additional costs incurred during such Post-Acquisition Period, in each case in connection with the combination of the operations of such Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary with the operations of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that (i) at the election of the Borrower, such Pro Forma Adjustment shall not be required to be determined for any Acquired Entity or Business or Converted Restricted Subsidiary to the extent the aggregate consideration paid in connection with such acquisition was less than $7,500,000, and (ii) so long as such actions are taken during such Post-Acquisition Period or such costs are incurred during such Post-Acquisition Period, as applicable, for purposes of projecting such pro forma increase or decrease to such Acquired EBITDAX or such Consolidated EBITDAX, as the case may be, it may be assumed that such cost savings will be realizable during the entirety of such Test Period, or such additional costs, as applicable, will be incurred during the entirety of such Test Period; provided, further, that any such pro forma increase or decrease to such Acquired EBITDAX or such Consolidated EBITDAX, as the case may be, shall be without duplication for cost savings, operating expense reductions, savings from synergies or additional costs already included in such Acquired EBITDAX or such Consolidated EBITDAX, as the case may be, for such Test Period.

Pro Forma Basis” and “Pro Forma Effect” shall mean, with respect to compliance with any test or covenant or calculation of any ratio hereunder, that (A) to the extent applicable, the Pro Forma Adjustment shall have been made and (B) all Specified Transactions and the following transactions in connection therewith shall be deemed to have occurred as of the first day of the applicable period of measurement in such test: (a) income statement items (whether positive or negative) attributable to the property or Person subject to such Specified Transaction, which (i) in the case of a Disposition of all or substantially all Equity Interests in any Subsidiary of the Borrower or any division, product line, or facility used for operations of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, shall be excluded, and (ii) in the case of a Permitted Acquisition or Investment described in the definition of “Specified Transaction”, shall be included, (b) any retirement, redemption, repayment, discharge, defeasance or extinguishment of Indebtedness, and (c) any Indebtedness incurred or assumed by the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries in connection therewith (and if such Indebtedness has a floating or formula rate, such Indebtedness shall have an implied rate of interest for the applicable period for purposes of this definition determined by utilizing the rate which is or would be in effect with respect to such Indebtedness as at the relevant date of determination); provided that, without limiting the application of the Pro Forma Adjustment pursuant to (A) above, the foregoing pro forma adjustments may be applied to any such test solely to the extent that such adjustments are consistent with the definition of Consolidated EBITDAX and give effect to events (including operating expense reductions) that are (as determined by the Borrower in good faith) (i) (x) directly attributable to such transaction,

 

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(y) expected to have a continuing impact on the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries and (z) factually supportable or (ii) otherwise consistent with the definition of Pro Forma Adjustment; provided, further, that when calculating the Financial Performance Covenants, for purposes of determining actual compliance (and not compliance on a Pro Forma Basis) with Section 10.11, any events that occurred subsequent to the end of the applicable Test Period shall not be given pro forma effect.

Proceeding” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.5(b).

Production Payments and Reserve Sales” shall mean the grant or transfer by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to any Person of the right to receive all or a portion of the production or the proceeds from the sale of production attributable to such properties where the holder of such interest has recourse solely to such production or proceeds of production.

Projections” shall mean financial estimates, forecasts and other forward-looking information prepared by or on behalf of the Borrower or any of its representatives and that have been made available to any Lenders or the Administrative Agent in connection with the Transactions or the other transactions contemplated hereby.

Proposed Acquisition” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.10(a).

Proposed Borrowing Base” shall have the meaning given to it in Section 2.14(c)(i).

Proposed Borrowing Base Facility Amount” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.16(c)(ii).

Proposed Borrowing Base Notice” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(c)(ii).

Proved Developed Non-Producing Reserves” shall mean oil and gas mineral interests that, in accordance with Petroleum Industry Standards, are classified as both “Proved Reserves” and “Developed Non-Producing Reserves.”

Proved Developed Producing Reserves” shall mean oil and gas mineral interests that, in accordance with Petroleum Industry Standards, are classified as both “Proved Reserves” and “Developed Producing Reserves.”

Proved Developed Reserves” shall mean oil and gas mineral interests that, in accordance with Petroleum Industry Standards, are classified as both “Proved Reserves” and one of the following: (a) “Developed Producing Reserves” or (b) “Developed Non-Producing Reserves.”

Proved Reserves” shall mean oil and gas mineral interests that, in accordance with Petroleum Industry Standards, are classified as both “Proved Reserves” and one of the following: (a) “Developed Producing Reserves”, (b) “Developed Non-Producing Reserves” or (c) “Undeveloped Reserves”.

Proved Undeveloped Reserves” shall mean oil and gas mineral interests that, in accordance with Petroleum Industry Standards, are classified as both “Proved Reserves” and “Undeveloped Reserves.”

 

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PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.

PubCo” shall have the meaning provided in the recitals to this Agreement.

Public Company Costs” shall mean costs relating to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and other expenses arising out of or incidental to being a public reporting company, including costs, fees and expenses (including legal, accounting and other professional fees) relating to compliance with provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, the rules of national securities exchange companies with listed equity securities, directors’ compensation, fees and expense reimbursement shareholder meetings and reports to shareholders, directors’ and officers’ insurance and other executive costs, legal and other professional fees, and listing fees.

PV-9” shall mean, with respect to any Proved Reserves expected to be produced from any Borrowing Base Properties, the net present value, discounted at 9% per annum, of the future net revenues expected to accrue to the Borrower’s and the Credit Parties’ collective interests in such reserves during the remaining expected economic lives of such reserves, calculated in accordance with the most recent Bank Price Deck provided to the Borrower by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.14(i).

QFC” has the meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).

Qualified Equity Interests” shall mean any Equity Interests of the Borrower or any Parent Entity other than Disqualified Stock.

Redetermination Date” shall mean, with respect to any Scheduled Redetermination or any Interim Redetermination, the date that the redetermined Borrowing Base related thereto becomes effective pursuant to Section 2.14(d).

Refinance” shall have the meaning provided in the definition of “Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness.”

Refinanced Indebtedness” shall have the meaning provided in the definition of “Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness.”

Register” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(b)(iv).

Regulation T” shall mean Regulation T of the Board as from time to time in effect and any successor to all or a portion thereof establishing margin requirements.

Regulation U” shall mean Regulation U of the Board as from time to time in effect and any successor to all or a portion thereof establishing margin requirements.

Regulation X” shall mean Regulation X of the Board as from time to time in effect and any successor to all or a portion thereof establishing margin requirements.

Reimbursement Date” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.4(a).

 

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Related Indemnified Person” shall mean, with respect to an Indemnitee, (1) any controlling Person or controlled Affiliate of such Indemnitee, (2) the respective directors, officers, or employees of such Indemnitee or any of its controlling Persons or controlled Affiliates and (3) the respective agents and representatives of such Indemnitee or any of its controlling Persons or controlled Affiliates, in the case of this clause (3), acting at the instructions of such Indemnitee, controlling Person or such controlled Affiliate.

Release” shall mean any release, spill, emission, discharge, disposal, leaking, pumping, pouring, dumping, emptying, injecting or leaching into the air, surface water, groundwater, land surface and subsurface strata.

Replaced Loans” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.1(f).

Replacement Loans” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.1(f).

Reportable Event” shall mean an event described in Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations thereunder, other than any event as to which the 30-day notice period has been waived.

Representatives” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.16.

Required Cash Collateral Amount” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.7(c).

Required Lenders” shall mean, at any date, (a) Non-Defaulting Lenders having or holding at least 66.67% of the Adjusted Total Commitment at such date or (b) if the Total Commitment has been terminated, Non-Defaulting Lenders having or holding at least 66.67% of the outstanding principal amount of the Loans, the Swingline Exposure and Letter of Credit Exposure (excluding the Loans, Swingline Exposure and Letter of Credit Exposure of Defaulting Lenders) in the aggregate at such date.

Requirement of Law” shall mean, as to any Person, any law, treaty, rule, regulation, statute, order, ordinance, decree, judgment, consent decree, writ, injunction, settlement agreement or governmental requirement enacted, promulgated or imposed or entered into or agreed by any Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or assets or to which such Person or any of its property or assets is subject.

Reserve Report” shall mean (a) the Initial Reserve Report, (b) any other subsequent report, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, or (c) any other engineering data reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, setting forth, as of each June 30th or December 31st (or such other date as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to Interim Redeterminations or otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent) the Proved Reserves and the Proved Developed Reserves of the Borrower and the Credit Parties (or of Oil and Gas Properties to be acquired, provided that any Oil and Gas Properties not yet acquired shall be expressly designated as such), together with a projection of the rate of production and future net revenues, operating expenses (including production taxes and ad valorem expenses) and capital expenditures with respect thereto as of such date, based upon the PV-9 of the Proved Reserves and Proved Developed Reserves set forth therein; provided that in connection with any Interim Redeterminations of the Borrowing Base pursuant to the last sentence of Section 2.14(b), the Borrower shall only be required, for purposes of updating the Reserve Report, to set forth such additional Proved Reserves and related information as are the subject of such acquisition.

 

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Reserve Report Certificate” shall mean a certificate of an Authorized Officer in substantially the form of Exhibit A certifying as to the matters set forth in Section 9.14(c).

Resolution Authority” shall mean an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.

Restricted Payments” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.6.

Restricted Subsidiary” shall mean any Subsidiary of the Borrower other than an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

Sanctions” shall mean applicable economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State (b) the United Nations Security Council; (c) the European Union or its Member States; or (d) Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom.

S&P” shall mean Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services or any successor by merger or consolidation to its business.

Scheduled Redetermination” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.14(b).

Scheduled Redetermination Date” shall mean the date on which a Borrowing Base that has been redetermined pursuant to a Scheduled Redetermination becomes effective as provided in Section 2.14.

SEC” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor thereto.

Second Lien Facility” means that certain term loan facility made available to the Borrower pursuant to the terms of the Second Lien Credit Agreement.

Second Lien Credit Agreement” means that certain Second Lien Credit Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2020, among the Borrower, the lenders from time to time party thereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. as Administrative Agent (as defined therein) and Collateral Agent (as defined therein), as further amended, restated, amended and restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time

Second Lien Maturity Date” shall mean the “Maturity Date” as defined in the Second Lien Credit Agreement, including the “Springing Notes Maturity Date” as defined in the Second Lien Credit Agreement.

Secured Cash Management Agreement” shall mean any agreement related to Cash Management Services by and between the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and any Cash Management Bank.

 

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Secured Hedge Agreement” shall mean any Hedge Agreement by and between the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and any Hedge Bank; provided that with respect to Shell Trading Risk Management, LLC and its Affiliates, only the transactions existing as of the Effective Date under Hedge Agreements shall be Secured Hedge Agreements.

Secured Parties” shall mean, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, each Issuing Bank, each Lender, each Hedge Bank that is party to any Secured Hedge Agreement, each Cash Management Bank that is a party to any Secured Cash Management Agreement and each sub-agent appointed pursuant to Section 12.2 by the Administrative Agent with respect to matters relating to the Credit Documents or by the Collateral Agent with respect to matters relating to any Security Document.

Securities Account” shall mean any securities account maintained by the Credit Parties, including any “security accounts” under Article 9 of the UCC. All funds in such Securities Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Securities Accounts.

Securities Account Control Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 9.17.

Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Security Documents” shall mean, collectively, (a) the Collateral Agreement, (b) the Mortgages and (c) each other security agreement or other instrument or document executed and delivered pursuant to Section 9.11 or 9.13 or pursuant to any other such Security Documents or otherwise to secure or perfect the security interest in any or all of the Obligations.

Sold Entity or Business” has the meaning set forth in the definition of the term “Consolidated EBITDAX.”

Solvent” shall mean, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (a) the fair value of the assets of such Person and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, exceeds, on a consolidated basis, their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, (b) the present fair saleable value of the property of such Person and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, is greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability, on a consolidated basis, of their debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and matured, (c) such Person and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, are able to pay their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such liabilities become absolute and matured and (d) such Person and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, are not engaged in, and are not about to engage in, business for which they have unreasonably small capital. The amount of any contingent liability at any time shall be computed as the amount that would reasonably be expected to become an actual and matured liability.

Specified Existing Commitment” shall mean any Existing Commitments belonging to a Specified Existing Commitment Class.

 

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Specified Existing Commitment Class” shall mean, with respect to any Extended Class, the Existing Class from which such Extended Class is to be amended.

Specified Hedge Agreements” shall mean those Hedge Agreements listed on Schedule 1.1(f).

Specified Transaction” shall mean any acquisition, Investment, Disposition, incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness, Restricted Payment, merger, consolidation, amalgamation, division or Subsidiary designation that by the terms of this Agreement requires a financial ratio or test to be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis.

Sponsor” shall mean (a) Blackstone Capital Partners VI L.P. and (b) Blackstone Energy Partners L.P., and each of their respective Affiliates and funds or partnerships managed or advised by and of them or any of their Affiliates, but not including their respective portfolio companies.

Springing Notes Maturity Date” means January 13, 2023.

Springing Second Lien Maturity Date” means October 17, 2022.

SPV” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(g).

Stated Amount” of any Letter of Credit shall mean the maximum amount from time to time available to be drawn thereunder, determined without regard to whether any conditions to drawing could then be met.

Subagent” shall have the meaning provided in Section 12.2.

Subsequent Test Period” shall have the meaning provided in Section 9.18.

Subsidiary” shall mean, with respect to any Person: (1) any corporation, association, or other business entity (other than a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity) of which more than 50.0% of the total voting power of shares of Equity Interests entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, members of management or trustees thereof is at the time of determination owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof; and (2) any partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or similar entity of which: (a) more than 50.0% of the capital accounts, distribution rights, total equity and voting interests or general or limited partnership interests, as applicable, are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof whether in the form of membership, general, special or limited partnership or otherwise, and (b) such Person or any Restricted Subsidiary of such Person is a controlling general partner or otherwise controls such entity.

Subsidiary Guarantor” shall mean each Subsidiary that is a Guarantor.

Subsidiary Redesignation” shall have the meaning provided in the definition of “Unrestricted Subsidiary” contained in this Section 1.1(a).

 

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Successor Borrower” shall have the meaning provided in Section 10.3(a).

Swap” shall mean a “swap” within the meaning of section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Swap PV” shall mean, with respect to any commodity Hedge Agreement, the present value, discounted at 9% per annum, of the future receipts expected to be paid to the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries under such Hedge Agreement netted against the Administrative Agent’s then current Bank Price Deck; provided, that the “Swap PV” shall never be less than $0.00.

Swap Termination Value” shall mean, in respect of any one or more Hedge Agreements, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Hedge Agreements, (a) for any date on or after the date such Hedge Agreements have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Hedge Agreements, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Hedge Agreements (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).

Swingline Commitment” shall mean the obligation of the Swingline Lender to make Swingline Loans pursuant to Section 2.1 in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the lesser of (a) $10,000,000 and (b) the Loan Limit.

Swingline Exposure” shall mean at any time the aggregate principal amount at such time of all outstanding Swingline Loans. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at any time shall equal its Commitment Percentage of the aggregate Swingline Exposure at such time.

Swingline Lender” shall mean (a) Citi in its capacity as the lender of Swingline Loans hereunder and (b) any other Lender that is reasonably acceptable to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that agrees in writing with the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to provide Swingline Loans on same-day notice.

Swingline Loan” shall have the meaning provided in Section 2.1(b).

Swingline Maturity Date” shall mean, with respect to any Swingline Loan, the date that is five Business Days prior to the Maturity Date.

Tax Receivable Agreement” shall mean that certain pursuant Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, by and among Pubco and the persons named therein, such agreement as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Taxes” shall mean any and all present or future taxes, duties, levies, imposts, assessments, deductions, withholdings or other similar charges imposed by any Governmental Authority and any interest, fines, penalties or additions to tax with respect to the foregoing.

Termination Date” shall mean the earlier to occur of (a) the Maturity Date and (b) the date on which the Total Commitment shall have terminated.

 

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Test Period” shall mean, for any date of determination under this Agreement, the latest four consecutive fiscal quarters of the Borrower for which financial statements have been delivered to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the Closing Date and/or for which financial statements are required to be delivered pursuant to clause (a) or (b) of Section 9.1.

Third Lien Credit Agreement” means that certain Third Lien Credit Agreement dated as of December 30, 2019, by and among the Borrower, the lenders party thereto in their capacities as lenders thereunder and Blackstone Holdings Finance Co LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, including any guarantees, instruments and agreements executed in connection therewith, and any amendments, supplements, modifications or restatements thereof, as further amended, restated, amended and restated, extended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

Total Commitment” shall mean the sum of the Commitments of the Lenders.

Total Exposure” shall mean, with respect to any Lender at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate principal amount of the Loans of such Lender then outstanding, (b) such Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure at such time and (c) such Lender’s Swingline Exposure at such time.

Transaction Expenses” shall mean any fees or expenses incurred or paid by the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries (or by the Sponsor or any Parent Entity and reimbursed by the Borrower) in connection with the Transactions (including expenses in connection with hedging transactions (including termination or amendment thereof), if any, payments to officers, employees and directors as change of control payments, severance payments or special or retention bonuses and payments or charges for payments on account of phantom stock units, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units and options (including the repurchase or rollover of, or modifications to, the foregoing awards)), this Agreement, and the other Credit Documents and the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.

Transactions” shall mean, collectively, the Acquisition, the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement, the Closing Date IPO and the consummation of the other transactions related thereto, this Agreement, the payment of Transaction Expenses and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Credit Documents (including the Closing Date Loans).

Transferee” shall have the meaning provided in Section 13.6(e).

Type” shall mean, as to any Loan, its nature as an ABR Loan or a LIBOR Loan.

UCC” shall mean the Uniform Commercial Code of the State of New York or of any other state the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the perfection of security interests in any Collateral.

UK Financial Institution” shall mean any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended form time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person falling within IFPRU 11.6 of the FCA Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.

 

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UK Resolution Authority” shall mean the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.

Uniform Customs” shall mean, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits as approved by the International Chamber of Commerce, commencing on July 1, 2007 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).

Unpaid Drawing” shall have the meaning provided in Section 3.4(a).

Unrestricted Cash” shall mean cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that would not appear as “restricted” on a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) that would appear as “restricted” on a consolidated balance sheet of Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries solely because such cash or cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments) are subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement or a Securities Account Control Agreement in favor of the Collateral Agent shall constitute Unrestricted Cash hereunder.

Unrestricted Subsidiary” shall mean (a) any Subsidiary set forth on Schedule 1.1(g), (b) any Subsidiary of the Borrower that is formed or acquired after the Closing Date if, at such time or promptly thereafter, the Borrower designates such Subsidiary as an “Unrestricted Subsidiary” in a written notice to the Administrative Agent, (c) any Restricted Subsidiary designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary by the Borrower in a written notice to the Administrative Agent; provided that in the case of each of clauses (b) and (c), (i) such designation shall be deemed to be an Investment (or reduction in an outstanding Investment, in the case of a designation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary) on the date of such designation in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of the Borrower’s investment therein on such date and such designation shall be permitted only to the extent such Investment is permitted under Section 10.5 on the date of such designation, (ii) in the case of clause (c), such designation shall be deemed to be a Disposition pursuant to which the provisions of Section 2.14(f) will apply to the extent contemplated thereby, (iii) no Default or Event of Default or Borrowing Base Deficiency would result from such designation immediately after giving effect thereto and (iv) the Borrower is in compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with the Financial Performance Covenants and (d) each Subsidiary of an Unrestricted Subsidiary. No Subsidiary may be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary if, after such designation, it would be a “Restricted Subsidiary” for the purpose of any Permitted Additional Debt, or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of any of the foregoing, in each case, to the extent applicable. The Borrower may, by written notice to the Administrative Agent, re-designate any Unrestricted Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary (each, a “Subsidiary Redesignation”), and thereafter, such Subsidiary shall no longer constitute an Unrestricted Subsidiary, but only if (x) no Default or Event of Default or Borrowing Base Deficiency would result from such Subsidiary Redesignation and (y) the Borrower is in compliance on Pro Forma Basis with the Financial Performance Covenants.

U.S. Lender” shall mean any Lender that is a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.

 

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Volumetric Production Payments” shall mean production payment obligations recorded as deferred revenue in accordance with GAAP, together with all undertakings and obligations in connection therewith.

Voting Stock” shall mean, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Equity Interests having the right to vote for the election of directors of such Person under ordinary circumstances.

Weighted Average Life to Maturity” shall mean, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing: (i) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then remaining scheduled installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required scheduled payments of principal, including payment at final scheduled maturity, in respect thereof, by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by (ii) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness; provided that the effects of any prepayments made on such Indebtedness shall be disregarded in making such calculation.

Wholly owned Domestic Subsidiary” of any person shall mean a Domestic Subsidiary of such person that is a Wholly owned Subsidiary.

Wholly owned Subsidiary” of any person shall mean a subsidiary of such person, all of the Equity Interests of which (other than directors’ qualifying shares or nominee or other similar shares required pursuant to applicable law) are owned by such person or another Wholly owned Subsidiary of such person.

Withdrawal Liability” shall mean the liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.

Write-Down and Conversion Powers” shall mean (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.

1.2 Other Interpretive Provisions. With reference to this Agreement and each other Credit Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Credit Document:

(a) The meanings of defined terms are equally applicable to the singular and plural forms of the defined terms.

 

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(b) The words “herein”, “hereto”, “hereof” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in any Credit Document shall refer to such Credit Document as a whole and not to any particular provision thereof.

(c) Article, Section, Exhibit and Schedule references are to the Credit Document in which such reference appears.

(d) The terms “include,” “includes” and “including” are by way of example and not limitation.

(e) The term “documents” includes any and all instruments, documents, agreements, certificates, notices, reports, financial statements and other writings, however evidenced, whether in physical or electronic form.

(f) In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” shall mean “from and including”; the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding”; and the word “through” shall mean “to and including”.

(g) Section headings herein and in the other Credit Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Credit Document.

(h) Any reference to any Person shall be constructed to include such Person’s successors or assigns (subject to any restrictions on assignment set forth herein) and, in the case of any Governmental Authority, any other Governmental Authority that shall have succeeded to any or all of the functions thereof.

(i) Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms.

(j) The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning as the word “shall”.

(k) The words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.

(l) The principal amount of any non-interest bearing Indebtedness or other discount security constituting Indebtedness at any date shall be the principal amount thereof that would be shown on a balance sheet of the Borrower dated such date prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

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1.3 Accounting Terms.

(a) Generally. All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the first audited financial statements delivered under Section 9.1(a), except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein. Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made (i) without giving effect to any election under Accounting Standards Codification 825-10-25 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of the Borrower or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein and (ii) without giving effect to any treatment of Indebtedness in respect of convertible debt instruments under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any such Indebtedness in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof.

(b) Computation of Certain Financial Covenants. Unless otherwise specified herein, all defined financial terms (and all other definitions used to determine such terms) shall be determined and computed in respect of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

1.4 Rounding. Any financial ratios required to be maintained or complied with by the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement (or required to be satisfied in order for a specific action to be permitted under this Agreement) shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).

1.5 References to Agreements, Laws, Etc. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, (a) references to organizational documents, agreements (including the Credit Documents) and other Contractual Requirements shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, restatements, amendment and restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications thereto, but only to the extent that such amendments, restatements, amendment and restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications are permitted by any Credit Document and (b) references to any Requirement of Law shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing, supplementing or interpreting such Requirement of Law.

1.6 Times of Day. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to New York City (daylight saving or standard, as applicable).

1.7 Timing of Payment or Performance. When the payment of any obligation or the performance of any covenant, duty or obligation is stated to be due or performance required on a day which is not a Business Day, the date of such payment (other than as described in Section 2.9) or performance shall extend to the immediately succeeding Business Day.

 

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1.8 Currency Equivalents Generally.

(a) For purposes of any determination under Section 9, Section 10 (other than Section 10.11) or Section 11 or any determination under any other provision of this Agreement requiring the use of a current exchange rate, all amounts incurred, outstanding or proposed to be incurred or outstanding in currencies other than Dollars shall be translated into Dollars at the Exchange Rate then in effect on the date of such determination; provided, however, that (x) for purposes of determining compliance with Section 10 with respect to the amount of any Indebtedness, Investment, Disposition, Restricted Payment or payment under Section 10.7 in a currency other than Dollars, no Default or Event of Default shall be deemed to have occurred solely as a result of changes in rates of exchange occurring after the time such Indebtedness or Investment is incurred or Disposition, Restricted Payment or payment under Section 10.7 is made, (y) for purposes of determining compliance with any Dollar-denominated restriction on the incurrence of Indebtedness, the Dollar-equivalent principal amount of Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency shall be calculated based on the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date such Indebtedness was incurred, in the case of term debt, or first committed or first incurred (whichever yields the lower Dollar equivalent), in the case of revolving credit debt (provided that if such Indebtedness is incurred to refinance other Indebtedness denominated in a foreign currency, and such refinancing would cause the applicable Dollar-denominated restriction to be exceeded if calculated at the relevant currency exchange rate in effect on the date of such Refinancing, such U.S. dollar-denominated restriction shall be deemed not to have been exceeded so long as the principal amount of such Refinanced Indebtedness does not exceed (i) the principal amount of such Indebtedness being Refinanced plus (ii) the aggregate amount of fees, underwriting discounts, premiums (including tender premiums) and other costs and expenses (including original issue discount, upfront fees or similar fees) incurred in connection with such refinancing) and (z) for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.8 shall otherwise apply to such Sections, including with respect to determining whether any Indebtedness or Investment may be incurred or Disposition, Restricted Payment or payment under Section 10.7 may be made at any time under such Sections. For purposes of Section 10.11, amounts in currencies other than Dollars shall be translated into Dollars at the applicable exchange rates used in preparing the most recently delivered financial statements pursuant to Section 9.1(a) or (b).

(b) Each provision of this Agreement shall be subject to such reasonable changes of construction as the Administrative Agent may from time to time specify with the Borrower’s consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) to appropriately reflect a change in currency of any country and any relevant market conventions or practices relating to such change in currency.

1.9 Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., an “Extended Loan”) or by Type (e.g., a “LIBOR Loan”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “LIBOR Extended Loan”).

1.10 Hedging Requirements Generally. For purposes of any determination with respect to compliance with Section 10.10 or any other calculation under or requirement of this Agreement in respect of hedging shall be calculated separately for crude, gas and natural gas liquid.

 

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1.11 Certain Determinations. For purposes of determining compliance with any of the covenants set forth in Section 9 or Section 10 (including in connection with the Incremental Increase), but subject to any limitation expressly set forth therein, as applicable, at any time (whether at the time of incurrence or thereafter), any Lien, Investment, Indebtedness, Disposition, Restricted Payment, Affiliate transaction, prepayment, redemption or the consummation of any other transaction meets the criteria of one, or more than one, of the categories permitted pursuant to Section 9 or Section 10 (including in connection with any Incremental Increase), as applicable, the Borrower shall, in its sole discretion, determine under which category such Lien, Investment, Indebtedness, Disposition, Restricted Payment, Affiliate transaction, prepayment, redemption or the consummation of any other transaction (or, in each case, any portion thereof) is permitted.

1.12 Pro Forma and Other Calculations.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, for purposes of determining compliance with any test or covenant contained in this Agreement with respect to any period during which any Specified Transaction occurs, the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio and the Current Ratio shall be calculated with respect to such period and such Specified Transaction on a Pro Forma Basis and in the manner prescribed by this Section 1.12; provided that, in connection with any Specified Transaction that is a Limited Condition Transaction, for purposes of determining compliance with any test or covenant for any action advisable (as determined by the Borrower in good faith) for the consummation of a Limited Condition Transaction contained in this Agreement during any period which requires the calculation of any of the foregoing ratios or any basket that is determined by reference to Consolidated EBITDAX or Consolidated Total Assets and, at the option of the Borrower (the Borrower’s election to exercise such option in connection with any Limited Condition Transaction, an “LCA Election”) the date of determination for calculation of any such ratios shall be deemed to be the date the definitive agreements for such Specified Transaction that is a Limited Condition Transaction are entered into (the “LCA Test Date”) and if, after giving Pro Forma Effect to the Limited Condition Transaction and the other transactions to be entered into in connection therewith (including any incurrence of Indebtedness and the use of proceeds thereof) as if they had occurred at the beginning of the most recent date of determination ending prior to the LCA Test Date, the Borrower could have taken such action on the relevant LCA Test Date in compliance with such ratio or basket, such ratio or basket shall be deemed to have been complied with. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Borrower has made an LCA Election and any of the ratios or baskets for which compliance was determined or tested as of the LCA Test Date are exceeded as a result of fluctuations in any such ratio or basket, including due to fluctuations in Consolidated EBITDAX or Consolidated Total Assets of the Borrower or the Person subject to such Limited Condition Transaction, at or prior to the consummation of the relevant transaction or action, such baskets or ratios will not be deemed to have been exceeded as a result of such fluctuations solely for purposes of determining whether the relevant transaction or action is permitted to be consummated or taken. If the Borrower has made an LCA Election for any Limited Condition Transaction, then in connection with any subsequent calculation of any ratio with respect to any other Specified Transaction on or following the relevant LCA Test Date and prior to the earlier of the date on which such Limited Condition Transaction is consummated or the date that the definitive agreement for such Limited Condition Transaction is terminated or expires without consummation of such Limited Condition Transaction, any such ratio shall be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis assuming such Limited Condition Transaction and other transactions in connection therewith (including any incurrence of Indebtedness and any associated Lien and the use of proceeds thereof) have been consummated.

 

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(b) If since the beginning of any applicable Test Period any Person that subsequently became a Restricted Subsidiary or was merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries since the beginning of such Test Period shall have made any Specified Transaction that would have required adjustment pursuant to this Section 1.12, then such financial ratio or test (or Consolidated Total Assets) shall be calculated to give Pro Forma Effect thereto in accordance with this Section 1.12.

(c) Whenever Pro Forma Effect is to be given to a Specified Transaction, the pro forma calculations shall be made in good faith by a responsible financial or accounting officer of the Borrower and may include, for the avoidance of doubt, the amount of “run-rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies resulting from or relating to any Specified Transactions (including the Transaction) which is being given Pro Forma Effect that have been realized or are expected to be realized and for which the actions necessary to realize such cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies are taken, committed to be taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Borrower) (calculated on a Pro Forma Basis as though such cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies had been realized on the first day of such period and as if such cost savings, operating expense reductions and savings from synergies were realized during the entirety of such period) and “run-rate” shall mean the full recurring benefit for a period that is associated with any action taken, committed to be taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (including any savings expected to result from the elimination of a public target’s Public Company Costs) net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period from such actions; provided that (A) such amounts are reasonably identifiable and factually supportable in the good faith judgment of the Borrower, (B) such actions are taken, committed to be taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Borrower) no later than thirty-six (36) months after the date of such Specified Transaction, (C) no amounts shall be added pursuant to this clause (c) to the extent duplicative of any amounts that are otherwise added back in computing Consolidated EBITDAX (or any other components thereof), whether through a pro forma adjustment or otherwise, with respect to such period and (D) it is understood and agreed that subject to compliance with the other provisions of this clause (c), amounts to be included in pro forma calculations pursuant to this Section 1.12 may be included in Test Periods in which the Specified Transaction to which such amounts related is no longer being given Pro Forma Effect pursuant to Section 1.12(a).

(d) In the event that (x) the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary issues, repurchases or redeems Disqualified Stock or (y) any Restricted Subsidiary issues, repurchases or redeems Preferred Stock, (i) during the applicable Test Period or (ii) subsequent to the end of the applicable Test Period and prior to or simultaneously with the event for which the calculation of any such ratio is made, then such financial ratio or test shall be calculated giving Pro Forma Effect to such issuance, refinancing or redemption of Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock to the extent required, as if the same had occurred on the last day of the applicable Test Period.

 

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1.13 Divisions. For all purposes under the Loan Documents, in connection with any division or plan of division under Delaware law (or any comparable event under a different jurisdiction’s laws):

(a) if any asset, right, obligation or liability of any Person becomes the asset, right, obligation or liability of a different Person, then it shall be deemed to have been transferred from the original Person to the subsequent Person, and

(b) if any new Person comes into existence, such new Person shall be deemed to have been organized on the first date of its existence by the holders of its Equity Interests at such time.

SECTION 2. AMOUNT AND TERMS OF CREDIT

2.1 Commitments.

(a) (i) Subject to and upon the terms and conditions herein set forth, each Lender severally, but not jointly, agrees to make Initial Loans denominated in Dollars to the Borrower, which Loans (i) shall be made at any time and from time to time on and after the Closing Date and prior to the Termination Date, (ii) may, at the option of the Borrower, be incurred and maintained as, and/or converted into, ABR Loans or LIBOR Loans; provided that all Loans made by each of the Lenders pursuant to the same Borrowing shall, unless otherwise specifically provided herein, consist entirely of Loans of the same Type, (iii) may be repaid and reborrowed in accordance with the provisions hereof, (iv) shall not, for any Lender at any time, after giving effect thereto and to the application of the proceeds thereof, result in such Lender’s Total Exposure at such time exceeding such Lender’s Commitment Percentage at such time of the Loan Limit, and (v) shall not, after giving effect thereto and to the application of the proceeds thereof, result in the aggregate amount of all Lenders’ Total Exposures at such time exceeding the Loan Limit then in effect.

(ii) Each Lender may at its option make any LIBOR Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan, provided that (i) any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan and (ii) in exercising such option, such Lender shall use its reasonable efforts to minimize any increased costs to the Borrower resulting therefrom (which obligation of the Lender shall not require it to take, or refrain from taking, actions that it determines would result in increased costs for which it will not be compensated hereunder or that it determines would be otherwise disadvantageous to it and in the event of such request for costs for which compensation is provided under this Agreement, the provisions of Section 2.10 shall apply).

 

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(b) Subject to and upon the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Swingline Lender in its individual capacity agrees, at any time and from time to time on and after the Closing Date and prior to the Swingline Maturity Date, to make a loan or loans (each a “Swingline Loan” and, collectively, the “Swingline Loans”) to the Borrower in Dollars, which Swingline Loans (i) shall be ABR Loans, (ii) shall have the benefit of the provisions of Section 2.1(c), (iii) shall not exceed at any time outstanding the Swingline Commitment, (iv) shall not, after giving effect thereto and to the application of the proceeds thereof, result at any time in the aggregate amount of the Lenders’ Total Exposure at such time exceeding the Loan Limit then in effect, and (v) may be repaid and reborrowed in accordance with the provisions hereof. Each outstanding Swingline Loan shall be repaid in full on the earlier of (a) seven Business Days after such Swingline Loan is initially borrowed and (b) the Swingline Maturity Date. The Swingline Lender shall not make any Swingline Loan after receiving a written notice from the Borrower or the Administrative Agent stating that an Event of Default exists and is continuing until such time as the Swingline Lender shall have received written notice of (i) rescission of all such notices from the party or parties originally delivering such notices or (ii) the waiver of such Event of Default in accordance with the provisions of Section 13.1.

(c) On any Business Day, the Swingline Lender may, in its sole discretion, give notice to each Lender that all then-outstanding Swingline Loans shall be funded with a Borrowing of Loans, in which case Loans constituting ABR Loans (each such Borrowing, a “Mandatory Borrowing”) shall be made on the immediately succeeding Business Day by each Lender pro rata based on each Lender’s Commitment Percentage, and the proceeds thereof shall be applied directly to the Swingline Lender to repay the Swingline Lender for such outstanding Swingline Loans. Each Lender hereby irrevocably agrees to make such Loans upon one Business Days’ notice pursuant to each Mandatory Borrowing in the amount and in the manner specified in the preceding sentence and on the date specified to it in writing by the Swingline Lender notwithstanding (i) that the amount of the Mandatory Borrowing may not comply with the minimum amount for each Borrowing specified in Section 2.2, (ii) whether any conditions specified in Section 7 are then satisfied, (iii) whether a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, (iv) the date of such Mandatory Borrowing, (v) any reduction in the Total Commitment after any such Swingline Loans were made or (vi) any other event, circumstance or condition whatsoever, whether or not similar to the foregoing. In the event that, in the sole judgment of each Swingline Lender, any Mandatory Borrowing cannot for any reason be made on the date otherwise required above (including as a result of the commencement of a proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code in respect of the Borrower), each Lender hereby agrees that it shall forthwith purchase from the Swingline Lender (without recourse or warranty) such participation of the outstanding Swingline Loans as shall be necessary to cause the Lenders to share in such Swingline Loans ratably based upon their respective Commitment Percentages; provided that all principal and interest payable on such Swingline Loans shall be for the account of the Swingline Lender until the date the respective participation is purchased and, to the extent attributable to the purchased participation, shall be payable to such Lender purchasing same from and after such date of purchase.

 

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2.2 Minimum Amount of Each Borrowing; Maximum Number of Borrowings. The aggregate principal amount of each Borrowing shall be in a minimum amount of at least the Minimum Borrowing Amount for such Type of Loans and in a multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof and Swingline Loans shall be in a minimum amount of $100,000 and in a multiple of $10,000 in excess thereof (except that Mandatory Borrowings shall be made in the amounts required by Section 2.1(c) and Loans to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank with respect to any Unpaid Drawing shall be made in the amounts required by Section 3.3 or Section 3.4, as applicable). More than one Borrowing may be incurred on any date; provided, that at no time shall there be outstanding more than ten Borrowings of LIBOR Loans under this Agreement.

2.3 Notice of Borrowing.

(a) Whenever the Borrower desires to incur Loans (other than Swingline Loans, Mandatory Borrowings or borrowings to repay Unpaid Drawings), the Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Office, (i) written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) prior to 12:00 noon (New York City time) at least three Business Days prior to each Borrowing of Loans that are to be LIBOR Loans and (ii) written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) prior to 12:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date of each Borrowing of Loans that are to be ABR Loans. Such notice (together with each notice of a Borrowing of Swingline Loans pursuant to Section 2.3(b), a “Notice of Borrowing”) shall specify (A) the aggregate principal amount of the Loans to be made pursuant to such Borrowing, (B) the date of the Borrowing (which shall be a Business Day), and (C) whether the respective Borrowing shall consist of ABR Loans and/or LIBOR Loans and, if LIBOR Loans, the Interest Period to be initially applicable thereto (if no Interest Period is selected, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration). The Administrative Agent shall promptly give each applicable Lender written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) of each proposed Borrowing of Loans, of such Lender’s Commitment Percentage thereof and of the other matters covered by the related Notice of Borrowing.

(b) Whenever the Borrower desires to incur Swingline Loans hereunder, it shall give the Administrative Agent written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) of each Borrowing of Swingline Loans prior to 3:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date of such Borrowing. Each such notice shall specify (i) the aggregate principal amount of the Swingline Loans to be made pursuant to such Borrowing and (ii) the date of Borrowing (which shall be a Business Day). The Administrative Agent shall promptly give the Swingline Lender written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) of each proposed Borrowing of Swingline Loans and of the other matters covered by the related Notice of Borrowing.

(c) Mandatory Borrowings shall be made upon the notice specified in Section 2.1(c), with the Borrower irrevocably agreeing, by its incurrence of any Swingline Loan, to the making of Mandatory Borrowings as set forth in such Section.

(d) Borrowings to reimburse Unpaid Drawings shall be made upon the notice specified in Section 3.4(a).

 

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(e) Without in any way limiting the obligation of the Borrower to confirm in writing any notice it may give hereunder by telephone, the Administrative Agent may act prior to receipt of written confirmation without liability upon the basis of such telephonic notice believed by the Administrative Agent in good faith to be from an Authorized Officer of the Borrower.

2.4 Disbursement of Funds.

(a) No later than 1:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date specified in each Notice of Borrowing (including Mandatory Borrowings), each Lender will make available its pro rata portion of each Borrowing requested to be made on such date in the manner provided below; provided that on the Closing Date, such funds shall be made available by 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) or such earlier time as may be agreed among the Lenders, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent for the purpose of consummating the Transactions; provided, further, that all Swingline Loans shall be made available in the full amount thereof by the Swingline Lender no later than 4:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the date requested.

(b) Each Lender shall make available all amounts it is to fund to the Borrower under any Borrowing in immediately available funds to the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars, and the Administrative Agent will (except in the case of Mandatory Borrowings and Borrowings to repay Unpaid Drawings) make available to the Borrower, by depositing or wiring to an account as designated by the Borrower in the Notice of Borrowing to the Administrative Agent the aggregate of the amounts so made available in Dollars. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have been notified by any Lender prior to the date of any such Borrowing (or, with respect to an ABR Loan, the date of such Borrowing prior to 1:00 p.m. (New York City time)) that such Lender does not intend to make available to the Administrative Agent its portion of the Borrowing or Borrowings to be made on such date, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such amount available to the Administrative Agent on such date of Borrowing, and the Administrative Agent, in reliance upon such assumption, may (in its sole discretion and without any obligation to do so) make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. If such corresponding amount is not in fact made available to the Administrative Agent by such Lender and the Administrative Agent has made available such amount to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to recover such corresponding amount from such Lender. If such Lender does not pay such corresponding amount forthwith upon the Administrative Agent’s demand therefor the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Borrower shall immediately pay such corresponding amount to the Administrative Agent in Dollars. The Administrative Agent shall also be entitled to recover from such Lender or the Borrower, as the case may be, interest on such corresponding amount in respect of each day from the date such corresponding amount was made available by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower to the date such corresponding amount is recovered by the Administrative Agent, at a rate per annum equal to (i) if paid by such Lender, the Overnight Rate or (ii) if paid by the Borrower, the then-applicable rate of interest or fees, calculated in accordance with Section 2.8, for the respective Loans.

 

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(c) Nothing in this Section 2.4 shall be deemed to relieve any Lender from its obligation to fulfill its commitments hereunder or to prejudice any rights that the Borrower may have against any Lender as a result of any default by such Lender hereunder (it being understood, however, that no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to fulfill its commitments hereunder).

(d) If a payment or other transmittal of funds is made by the Administrative Agent (or one of its Affiliates) to a Lender or Issuing Bank in error (whether known to the applicable Lender or Issuing Bank or not) (as determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion) or if a Lender or Issuing Bank otherwise erroneously or mistakenly receives funds from the Administrative Agent (or one of its Affiliates), in each case in relation to this Agreement (as determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), then the Administrative Agent shall be entitled to recover such amount from such Lender or Issuing Bank, and such Lender or Issuing Bank shall forthwith upon the Administrative Agent’s written demand therefor (accompanied by a reasonably detailed calculation of the amount in question), repay to the Administrative Agent the portion of such payment or other transmittal of funds that was made in error or that was otherwise erroneously or mistakenly received by such Lender or Issuing Bank (as determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion) (such portion, an “Erroneous Payment”) in the amount and currency so received by such Lender or Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent (or its Affiliate) shall also be entitled to recover from such Lender or Issuing Bank interest thereon in respect of each day from and including the date such amount was made available by the Administrative Agent (or its Affiliate) to such Lender or Issuing Bank to the date such amount is recovered by the Administrative Agent (or its Affiliate) in Dollars at a rate per annum equal to the Overnight Rate. Each Lender or Issuing Bank party hereto waives any claim of discharge for value or any other claim of entitlement to any Erroneous Payment.

2.5 Repayment of Loans; Evidence of Debt.

(a) The Borrower agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the applicable Lenders, on the earlier of (X) the Termination Date and (Y) (i) on the Initial Maturity Date, the then outstanding Initial Loans, (ii) on the relevant maturity date for any Extended Class, all then outstanding Extended Loans in respect of such Extension Series, and (iii) on the Swingline Maturity Date, the then outstanding Swingline Loans.

(b) Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to the appropriate lending office of such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such lending office from time to time, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such lending office from time to time under this Agreement.

(c) The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain the Register pursuant to Section 13.6(b)(iv), and a subaccount for each Lender, in which Register and subaccounts (taken together) shall be recorded (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder (whether such Loan is an Initial Loan, an Extended Loan, or Swingline Loan, as applicable), the Type of each Loan made and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender or the Swingline Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder from the Borrower and each Lender’s share thereof.

 

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(d) The entries made in the Register and accounts and subaccounts maintained pursuant to clauses (b) and (c) of this Section 2.5 shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Requirements of Law, be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations of the Borrower therein recorded; provided, however, that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such account, such Register or such subaccount, as applicable, or any error therein, shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay (with applicable interest) the Loans made to the Borrower by such Lender in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

2.6 Conversions and Continuations.

(a) Subject to the penultimate sentence of this clause (a), (i) the Borrower shall have the option on any Business Day to convert all or a portion equal to at least the Minimum Borrowing Amount (and in multiples of $100,000 in excess thereof) of the outstanding principal amount of Loans of one Type into a Borrowing or Borrowings of another Type and (ii) the Borrower shall have the option on any Business Day to continue the outstanding principal amount of any LIBOR Loans as LIBOR Loans for an additional Interest Period; provided that (A) no partial conversion of LIBOR Loans shall reduce the outstanding principal amount of LIBOR Loans made pursuant to a single Borrowing to less than the Minimum Borrowing Amount, (B) ABR Loans may not be converted into LIBOR Loans if an Event of Default is in existence on the date of the conversion and the Administrative Agent has or the Majority Lenders have determined in its or their sole discretion not to permit such conversion, (C) LIBOR Loans may not be continued as LIBOR Loans for an additional Interest Period if an Event of Default is in existence on the date of the proposed continuation and the Administrative Agent has or the Majority Lenders have determined in its or their sole discretion not to permit such continuation, and (D) Borrowings resulting from conversions pursuant to this Section 2.6 shall be limited in number as provided in Section 2.2. Each such conversion or continuation shall be effected by the Borrower by giving the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Office prior to 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) at least (1) three Business Days’, in the case of a continuation of or conversion to LIBOR Loans or (2) the date of conversion, in the case of a conversion into ABR Loans, prior written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) (each, a “Notice of Conversion or Continuation”) specifying the Loans to be so converted or continued, the Type of Loans to be converted into or continued and, if such Loans are to be converted into or continued as LIBOR Loans, the Interest Period to be initially applicable thereto (if no Interest Period is selected, the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration). The Administrative Agent shall give each applicable Lender notice as promptly as practicable of any such proposed conversion or continuation affecting any of its Loans.

 

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(b) If any Event of Default is in existence at the time of any proposed continuation of any LIBOR Loans and the Administrative Agent has or the Majority Lenders have determined in its or their sole discretion not to permit such continuation, such LIBOR Loans shall be automatically converted on the last day of the current Interest Period into ABR Loans. If upon the expiration of any Interest Period in respect of LIBOR Loans, the Borrower has failed to elect a new Interest Period to be applicable thereto as provided in clause (a) above, the Borrower shall be deemed to have elected to continue such Borrowing of LIBOR Loans into a Borrowing of LIBOR Loans having an interest period of one month, effective as of the expiration date of such current Interest Period.

(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Borrower may deliver a Notice of Conversion or Continuation pursuant to which the Borrower elects to irrevocably continue the outstanding principal amount of any Loan subject to an interest rate Hedge Agreement as LIBOR Loans for each Interest Period until the expiration of the term of such applicable Hedge Agreement; provided that any Notice of Conversion or Continuation delivered pursuant to this Section 2.6(c) shall include a schedule attaching the relevant interest rate Hedge Agreement or related trade confirmation.

2.7 Pro Rata Borrowings. Each Borrowing of Loans under this Agreement, shall be made by the Lenders pro rata on the basis of their then applicable Commitment Percentages with respect to the applicable Class. Each Borrowing of Extended Loans under this Agreement shall be granted by the Lenders of the relevant Extension Series thereof pro rata on the basis of their then-applicable Extended Commitments for the applicable Extension Series. It is understood that (a) no Lender shall be responsible for any default by any other Lender in its obligation to make Loans hereunder and that each Lender severally but not jointly shall be obligated to make the Loans provided to be made by it hereunder, regardless of the failure of any other Lender to fulfill its commitments hereunder and (b) failure by a Lender to perform any of its obligations under any of the Credit Documents shall not release any Person from performance of its obligation under any Credit Document.

2.8 Interest.

(a) The unpaid principal amount of each ABR Loan shall bear interest from the date of the Borrowing thereof until maturity (whether by acceleration or otherwise) at a rate per annum that shall at all times be the Applicable Margin plus the ABR, in each case, in effect from time to time.

(b) The unpaid principal amount of each LIBOR Loan shall bear interest from the date of the Borrowing thereof until maturity thereof (whether by acceleration or otherwise) at a rate per annum that shall at all times be the Applicable Margin plus the relevant LIBOR Rate, in each case, in effect from time to time.

(c) If all or a portion of (i) the principal amount of any Loan or (ii) any other amount payable under the Credit Documents (including, without limitation, interest payable thereon and premium, if any) shall not be paid when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise), such overdue amount shall bear interest at a rate per annum that is (the “Default Rate”) (A) in the case of overdue principal, the rate that would otherwise be applicable thereto plus 2.0%, (B) in the case of any overdue interest, to the extent permitted by applicable Requirements of Law, the rate described in

 

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Section 2.8(a) plus 2.0% from and including the date of such non-payment to the date on which such amount is paid in full (after as well as before judgment) and (C) in the case of any overdue amount not specified in subclause (A) or (B) above, a rate per annum equal to the rate per annum otherwise payable at such time on ABR Loans.

(d) Interest on each Loan shall accrue from and including the date of any Borrowing to but excluding the date of any repayment thereof and shall be payable in Dollars; provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same date on which it is made shall bear interest for one day. Except as provided below, interest shall be payable (i) in respect of each ABR Loan, quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, (ii) in respect of each LIBOR Loan, on the last day of each Interest Period applicable thereto and, in the case of an Interest Period in excess of three months, on each date occurring at three-month intervals after the first day of such Interest Period, (iii) in respect of each Loan, (A) on any prepayment (on the amount prepaid), (B) at maturity (whether by acceleration or otherwise) and (C) after such maturity, on demand.

(e) All computations of interest hereunder shall be made in accordance with Section 5.5.

(f) The Administrative Agent, upon determining the interest rate for any Borrowing of LIBOR Loans, shall promptly notify the Borrower and the relevant Lenders thereof. Each such determination shall, absent clearly demonstrable error, be final and conclusive and binding on all parties hereto.

2.9 Interest Periods. At the time the Borrower gives a Notice of Borrowing or Notice of Conversion or Continuation in respect of the making of, or conversion into or continuation as, a Borrowing of LIBOR Loans in accordance with Section 2.6(a), the Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) of the Interest Period applicable to such Borrowing, which Interest Period shall, at the option of the Borrower be (i) a one-, two-, three- or six- or (if available to all the Lenders making such LIBOR Loans as determined by such Lenders in good faith based on prevailing market conditions) a twelve-month period or (ii) any period shorter than one month (if available to all the Lenders making such LIBOR Loans as determined by such Lenders in good faith based on prevailing market conditions) as requested by the Borrower.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained above:

(a) the initial Interest Period for any Borrowing of LIBOR Loans shall commence on the date of such Borrowing (including the date of any conversion from a Borrowing of ABR Loans) and each Interest Period occurring thereafter in respect of such Borrowing shall commence on the day on which the next preceding Interest Period expires;

(b) if any Interest Period relating to a Borrowing of LIBOR Loans begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month or begins on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period, such Interest Period shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period;

 

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(c) if any Interest Period would otherwise expire on a day that is not a Business Day, such Interest Period shall expire on the next succeeding Business Day; provided that, if any Interest Period in respect of a LIBOR Loan would otherwise expire on a day that is not a Business Day, but is a day of the month after which no further Business Day occurs in such month, such Interest Period shall expire on the next preceding Business Day; and

(d) the Borrower shall not be entitled to elect any Interest Period in respect of any LIBOR Loan if such Interest Period would extend beyond the Maturity Date.

2.10 Increased Costs, Illegality, Etc.

(a) In the event that (x) in the case of clause (i) below, the Majority Lenders or (y) in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) below, any Lender, shall have reasonably determined (which determination shall, absent clearly demonstrable error, be final and conclusive and binding upon all parties hereto):

(i) on any date for determining the LIBOR Rate for any Interest Period that (A) deposits in the principal amounts of the Loans comprising such LIBOR Borrowing are not generally available in the relevant market or (B) by reason of any changes arising on or after the Closing Date affecting the interbank LIBOR market, adequate and fair means do not exist for ascertaining the applicable interest rate on the basis provided for in the definition of LIBOR Rate; or

(ii) that a Change in Law occurring at any time after the Closing Date shall (A) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender, (B) subject any Lender (including any Issuing Bank and any Swingline Lender) and the Administrative Agent to any Tax (other than (i) Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes indemnifiable under Section 5.4, or (ii) Excluded Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto, or (C) impose on any Lender or the London interbank market any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or LIBOR Loans made by such Lender, which results in the cost to such Lender of making, converting into, continuing or maintaining LIBOR Loans or participating in Letters of Credit (in each case hereunder) increasing by an amount which such Lender reasonably deems material or the amounts received or receivable by such Lender hereunder with respect to the foregoing shall be reduced; or

(iii) at any time, that the making or continuance of any LIBOR Loan has become unlawful as a result of compliance by such Lender in good faith with any Requirement of Law (or would conflict with any such Requirement of Law not having the force of law even though the failure to comply therewith would not be unlawful);

 

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then, and in any such event, such Lenders (or the Administrative Agent, in the case of clause (i) above) shall within a reasonable time thereafter give notice (if by telephone, confirmed in writing) to the Borrower and to the Administrative Agent of such determination (which notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly transmit to each of the other Lenders). Thereafter (x) in the case of clause (i) above, LIBOR Loans shall no longer be available until such time as the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice by the Administrative Agent no longer exist (which notice the Administrative Agent agrees to give at such time when such circumstances no longer exist), and any Notice of Borrowing or Notice of Conversion given by the Borrower with respect to LIBOR Loans that have not yet been incurred shall be deemed rescinded by the Borrower, (y) in the case of clause (ii) above, the Borrower shall pay to such Lender, promptly (but no later than fifteen days) after receipt of written demand therefor such additional amounts as shall be required to compensate such Lender for such increased costs or reductions in amounts receivable hereunder (it being agreed that a written notice as to the additional amounts owed to such Lender, showing in reasonable detail the basis for the calculation thereof, submitted to the Borrower by such Lender shall, absent clearly demonstrable error, be final and conclusive and binding upon all parties hereto and (z) in the case of clause (iii) above, the Borrower shall take one of the actions specified in Section 2.10(b) as promptly as possible and, in any event, within the time period required by applicable Requirements of Law.

(b) At any time that any LIBOR Loan is affected by the circumstances described in Section 2.10(a)(ii) or (iii), the Borrower may (and in the case of a LIBOR Loan affected pursuant to Section 2.10(a)(iii) shall) either if the affected LIBOR Loan is then being made pursuant to a Borrowing, cancel such Borrowing by giving the Administrative Agent telephonic notice (confirmed promptly in writing) thereof on the same date that the Borrower was notified by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.10(a)(ii) or (iii) or if the affected LIBOR Loan is then outstanding, upon at least three Business Days’ notice to the Administrative Agent, require the affected Lender to convert each such LIBOR Loan into an ABR Loan; provided that if more than one Lender are affected at any time, then all affected Lenders must be treated in the same manner pursuant to this Section 2.10(b).

(c) If, after the Closing Date, any Change in Law relating to capital adequacy or liquidity requirements of any Lender or compliance by any Lender or its parent with any Change in Law relating to capital adequacy or liquidity requirements occurring after the Closing Date, has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or its parent’s capital or assets as a consequence of such Lender’s commitments or obligations hereunder to a level below that which such Lender or its parent could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or its parent’s policies with respect to capital adequacy or liquidity requirements), then from time to time, promptly (but in any event no later than fifteen days) after written demand by such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or its parent for such reduction, it being understood and agreed, however, that a Lender shall not be entitled to such compensation as a result of such Lender’s compliance with, or pursuant to any request or directive to comply with, any applicable Requirement of Law as in effect on the Closing Date. Each Lender, upon determining in good faith that any additional amounts will be payable pursuant to this Section 2.10(c), will give prompt written notice thereof to the

 

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Borrower, which notice shall set forth in reasonable detail the basis of the calculation of such additional amounts, although the failure to give any such notice shall not, subject to Section 2.13, release or diminish the Borrower’s obligations to pay additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.10(c) upon receipt of such notice.

2.11 Compensation. If (a) any payment of principal of any LIBOR Loan is made by the Borrower to or for the account of a Lender other than on the last day of the Interest Period for such LIBOR Loan as a result of a payment or conversion pursuant to Section 2.5, 2.6, 2.10, 5.1, 5.2 or 13.7, as a result of acceleration of the maturity of the Loans pursuant to Section 11 or for any other reason, (b) any Borrowing of LIBOR Loans is not made on the date specified in a Notice of Borrowing, (c) any ABR Loan is not converted into a LIBOR Loan on the date specified in a Notice of Conversion or Continuation, (d) any LIBOR Loan is not continued as a LIBOR Loan on the date specified in a Notice of Conversion or Continuation or (e) any prepayment of principal of any LIBOR Loan is not made as a result of a withdrawn notice of prepayment pursuant to Section 5.1 or 5.2, the Borrower shall after the Borrower’s receipt of a written request by such Lender (which request shall set forth in reasonable detail the basis for requesting such amount), pay to the Administrative Agent (within fifteen days after such request) for the account of such Lender any amounts required to compensate such Lender for any additional losses, costs or expenses that such Lender may reasonably incur as a result of such payment, failure to convert, failure to continue or failure to prepay, including any loss, cost or expense (excluding loss of anticipated profits) actually incurred by reason of the liquidation or reemployment of deposits or other funds acquired by any Lender to fund or maintain such LIBOR Loan.

2.12 Change of Lending Office. Each Lender agrees that, upon the occurrence of any event giving rise to the operation of Section 2.10(a)(ii), 2.10(a)(iii), 2.10(c), 3.11 or 5.4 with respect to such Lender, it will, if requested by the Borrower use reasonable efforts (subject to overall policy considerations of such Lender) to designate another lending office for any Loans affected by such event; provided that such designation does not cause such Lender or its lending office to suffer any economic, legal or regulatory disadvantage, with the object of avoiding the consequence of the event giving rise to the operation of any such Section. Nothing in this Section 2.12 shall affect or postpone any of the obligations of the Borrower or the right of any Lender provided in Section 2.10, 3.11 or 5.4.

2.13 Notice of Certain Costs. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent any notice required by Section 2.10, 2.11 or 5.4 is given by any Lender more than 180 days after such Lender has knowledge (or should have had knowledge) of the occurrence of the event giving rise to the additional cost, reduction in amounts, loss, Tax or other additional amounts described in such Sections, such Lender shall not be entitled to compensation under Section 2.10, 2.11 or 5.4, as the case may be, for any such amounts incurred or accruing prior to the 181st day prior to the giving of such notice to the Borrower; provided that if the circumstance giving rise to such claim is retroactive, then such 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.

 

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2.14 Borrowing Base.

(a) Initial Borrowing Base. For the period from and including the Closing Date to but excluding the first Redetermination Date, the Borrowing Base shall be equal to $350,000,000. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrowing Base may be subject to further adjustments from time to time pursuant to Section 2.14(e), (f) and (h) and may be otherwise amended pursuant to Section 13.1;.

(b) Scheduled and Interim Redeterminations. The Borrowing Base shall be redetermined semi-annually in accordance with this Section 2.14 (a “Scheduled Redetermination”), and, subject to Section 2.14(d), such redetermined Borrowing Base shall become effective and applicable to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders on or about April 1st and October 1st of each year (or as promptly as possible thereafter), commencing on or about October 1, 2021. In addition, the Borrower may at any time (including prior to the first Scheduled Redetermination date of October 1, 2021), by notifying the Administrative Agent thereof not more than once during any fiscal year (provided that such limitation shall not apply to any redetermination requested by the Borrower in connection with any Incremental Increase pursuant to Section 2.16), and the Administrative Agent, following the first Scheduled Redetermination date of October 1, 2021, may, at the direction of the Required Lenders, by notifying the Borrower thereof, one time during any fiscal year, in each case, elect to cause the Borrowing Base to be redetermined between Scheduled Redeterminations (an “Interim Redetermination”) in accordance with this Section 2.14. In addition to, and not including and/or limited by the annual Interim Redeterminations allowed above, the Borrower may, by notifying the Administrative Agent thereof, at any time between Scheduled Redeterminations, request additional Interim Redeterminations of the Borrowing Base in the event that a Credit Party acquires Oil and Gas Properties which are to be Borrowing Base Properties with Proved Reserves having a PV-9 value (calculated at the time of acquisition) in excess of five percent (5.0%) of the Borrowing Base in effect immediately prior to such acquisition (and for purposes of the foregoing, the designation of an Unrestricted Subsidiary owning Oil and Gas Properties with Proved Reserves as a Restricted Subsidiary shall be deemed to constitute an acquisition by a Credit Party of Oil and Gas Properties with Proved Reserves).

(c) Scheduled and Interim Redetermination Procedure.

(i) Each Scheduled Redetermination and each Interim Redetermination shall be effectuated as follows: Upon receipt by the Administrative Agent of the Reserve Report, the Reserve Report Certificate, the information provided pursuant to Section 9.14(c) and such other related reports, data and supplemental information as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may reasonably request (the Reserve Report, such Reserve Report Certificate and such other related reports, data and information being the “Engineering Reports”), the Administrative Agent shall evaluate the information contained in the Engineering Reports and shall in good faith propose a new Borrowing Base (the “Proposed Borrowing Base”) based upon such information and such other related information (including the status of title information with respect to the Borrowing Base Properties as described in the Engineering Reports and the existence of any Hedge Agreements) in good faith in accordance with its usual and customary oil and gas lending criteria as they exist at the particular time.

 

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(ii) The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the Proposed Borrowing Base (the “Proposed Borrowing Base Notice”):

(A) in the case of a Scheduled Redetermination, (1) if the Administrative Agent shall have received the Engineering Reports required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 9.14(a) and (c) in a timely manner, within ten (10) Business Days following its receipt of the Engineering Reports or (2) if the Administrative Agent shall not have received the Engineering Reports required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 9.14(a) and (c) in a timely manner, then promptly after the Administrative Agent has received complete Engineering Reports from the Borrower and has had a reasonable opportunity to determine the Proposed Borrowing Base in accordance with Section 2.14(c)(i); and

(B) in the case of an Interim Redetermination, promptly, and in any event, within 15 days after the Administrative Agent has received the required Engineering Reports.

(iii) [Reserved].

(iv) Any Proposed Borrowing Base that would increase the Borrowing Base then in effect must be approved by each Lender in each such Lender’s sole discretion and consistent with each such Lender’s normal and customary oil and gas lending criteria as they exist at the particular time as provided in this Section 2.14(c)(iv) and any Proposed Borrowing Base that would decrease or maintain the Borrowing Base then in effect must be approved or be deemed to have been approved by Lenders constituting at least the Required Lenders in each such Lender’s sole discretion and consistent with each such Lender’s normal and customary oil and gas lending criteria as they exist at the particular time as provided in this Section 2.14(c)(iv). Upon receipt of the Proposed Borrowing Base Notice, each Lender shall have, in the case of any Scheduled Redetermination, 15 Business Days, and in the case of any Interim Redetermination, 10 Business Days, in either case, to agree with the Proposed Borrowing Base or disagree with the Proposed Borrowing Base by proposing an alternate Borrowing Base. If, at the end of such 15-Business Day period or 10-Business Day period (as applicable), all of the Lenders, in the case of an Proposed Borrowing Base that would increase the Borrowing Base then in effect, or the Required Lenders, in the case of an Proposed Borrowing Base that would decrease or maintain the Borrowing Base then in effect, have approved, as aforesaid, then the Proposed Borrowing Base shall become the new Borrowing Base, effective on the date specified in Section 2.14(d). If, however, at the end of such 15-Business Day period or 10-Business Day period (as applicable), all of the Lenders or the Required Lenders, as applicable, have not approved, as aforesaid, then the Administrative Agent shall promptly thereafter poll the Lenders to ascertain the highest Borrowing Base then acceptable to (a) in the case of any increase to the Borrowing Base, all of the Lenders or (b) in the case of a decrease or reaffirmation, a number of Lenders sufficient to constitute the Required Lenders, effective on the date specified in Section 2.14(d).

 

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(d) Effectiveness of a Redetermined Borrowing Base. Subject to Section 2.14(h), after a redetermined Borrowing Base is approved by each Lender or the Required Lenders, as applicable, pursuant to Section 2.14(c)(iv), the Administrative Agent shall promptly thereafter notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the amount of the redetermined Borrowing Base (the “New Borrowing Base Notice”), and such amount shall become the new Borrowing Base, effective and applicable to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders:

(i) in the case of a Scheduled Redetermination, (A) if the Administrative Agent shall have received the Engineering Reports required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 9.14(a) and (c) in a timely and complete manner, on the April 1 or October 1, as applicable, following such notice, or (B) if the Administrative Agent shall not have received the Engineering Reports required to be delivered by the Borrower pursuant to Sections 9.14(a) and (c) in a timely and complete manner, then on the Business Day next succeeding delivery of such New Borrowing Base Notice; and

(ii) in the case of an Interim Redetermination, on the Business Day next succeeding delivery of such New Borrowing Base Notice.

Such amount shall then become the Borrowing Base until the next Scheduled Redetermination Date, the next Interim Redetermination Date or the next adjustment to the Borrowing Base under Section 2.14(e), (f), or (h), whichever occurs first. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Scheduled Redetermination or Interim Redetermination shall become effective until the New Borrowing Base Notice related thereto is delivered to the Borrower in accordance with Section 13.2.

(e) Reduction of Borrowing Base Upon Incurrence of Borrowing Base Reduction Debt. The Borrowing Base shall be reduced upon the issuance or incurrence of any Borrowing Base Reduction Debt (other than Borrowing Base Reduction Debt constituting Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness) by an amount equal to the product of 0.25 (or such lesser multiple as the Required Lenders may agree) multiplied by the stated principal amount of such Borrowing Base Reduction Debt (without regard to any original issue discount), and the Borrowing Base as so reduced shall become the new Borrowing Base immediately upon the date of such issuance or incurrence, effective and applicable to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders on such date until the next redetermination or modification thereof hereunder.

(f) Reduction of Borrowing Base Upon Termination of Hedge Positions and Asset Dispositions.

(i) If the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall (A) Liquidate any commodity hedge positions (whether evidenced by a floor, put or Hedge Agreement) or (B) Dispose of any Equity Interests in any Restricted Subsidiary or Minority Investment holding commodity hedge positions, upon which, in either case, the Lenders relied in determining the most recent redetermination of the Borrowing Base or adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f), and/or

 

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(ii) If the Borrower or one of the other Credit Parties Disposes of Borrowing Base Properties or Disposes of any Equity Interests in any Restricted Subsidiary or Minority Investment owning Borrowing Base Properties, and

(iii) the sum of (x) the Swap PV of such Liquidated commodity hedge positions (after taking into account any other Hedge Agreement executed (a) contemporaneously with the taking of such actions or (b) subsequent to the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f)) plus (y) the aggregate Eligible PV-9 value of all such Borrowing Base Properties Disposed of (including pursuant to a Disposition of any Equity Interests in any Restricted Subsidiary or Minority Investment owning Borrowing Base Properties) (after giving effect to any acquisitions of and other investments in Oil and Gas Properties by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries since the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f) with respect to which the Borrower has delivered a Reserve Report in accordance with Section 9.14(b)), in each case, since the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment of the Borrowing Base made pursuant to this Section 2.14(f) exceeds 5% of the then-effective Borrowing Base, then the Administrative Agent shall have the right to adjust the Borrowing Base in an amount equal to the sum of (1) the Borrowing Base Value, if any, attributable to such Liquidated hedge positions in the calculation of the then-effective Borrowing Base (after taking into account any other Hedge Agreement executed (a) contemporaneously with the taking of such actions or (b) subsequent to the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f)) and (2) an amount equal to the Borrowing Base Value, if any, attributable to such Disposed Borrowing Base Properties (including pursuant to a Disposition of any Equity Interests in any Restricted Subsidiary or Minority Investment owning Borrowing Base Properties) in the calculation of the then-effective Borrowing Base (after giving effect to any acquisitions of and other investments in Oil and Gas Properties by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries since the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f) with respect to which the Borrower has delivered a Reserve Report in accordance with Section 9.14(b)) and the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders in writing of the Borrowing Base Value, if any, attributable to such Liquidated hedge positions and Disposed of Borrowing Base Properties in the calculation of the then-effective Borrowing Base and, upon receipt of such notice, the Borrowing Base shall be simultaneously reduced by such amount (or, in the case of an adjustment pursuant to this Section 2.14(f), that gives effect to acquisition of and other investments in Oil and Gas Properties as described above), after five Business Days if the Administrative Agent shall not have received within five Business Days of the date of such notice, a written notice from the Required Lenders stating that the Required Lenders object to such calculation.

 

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(iv) For the purposes of this Section 2.14(f), a “Disposition” of Oil and Gas Properties and a “Liquidation” of commodity hedges shall include the designation of a Restricted Subsidiary owning Oil and Gas Properties or holding commodity hedge positions as an Unrestricted Subsidiary and the Disposition or other transfer of Oil and Gas Properties, commodity hedge positions, or the Equity Interests in any Restricted Subsidiary or Minority Investment owning Oil and Gas Properties or holding commodity hedge positions to an Unrestricted Subsidiary.

(g) [Reserved].

(h) Borrower’s Right to Elect Reduced Borrowing Base. Within three Business Days of its receipt of an Proposed Borrowing Base Notice, the Borrower may provide written notice to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that specifies for the period from the effective date of the Proposed Borrowing Base Notice until the next succeeding Scheduled Redetermination Date, the Borrowing Base will be a lesser amount than the amount set forth in such Proposed Borrowing Base Notice, whereupon such specified lesser amount (the “Draw Limit”) will become the new Borrowing Base. The Borrower’s notice under this Section 2.14(h) shall be irrevocable, but without prejudice to its rights to initiate Interim Redeterminations.

(i) Administrative Agent Data. The Administrative Agent hereby agrees to provide, promptly, and in any event within three (3) Business Days, following its receipt of a request by the Borrower, an updated Bank Price Deck. In addition, the Administrative Agent agrees, upon request, to meet with the Borrower to discuss its evaluation of the reservoir engineering of the Oil and Gas Properties included in the Reserve Report and their respective methodologies for valuing such properties and the other factors considered in calculating the Borrowing Base.

2.15 Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:

(a) Commitment Fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 4.1(a);

(b) The Commitment and Total Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether all Lenders, the Majority Lenders or the Required Lenders or each affected Lender have taken or may take any action hereunder (including any consent to any amendment or waiver pursuant to Section 13.1); provided that (i) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders pursuant to Section 13.1 (other than clause (x of the second proviso to Section 13.1(a)) or requiring the consent of each affected Lender pursuant to Section 13.1(i) or (ix) shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender (which for the avoidance of doubt would include any change to the Maturity Date applicable to such Defaulting Lender, decreasing or forgiving any

 

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principal or interest due to such Defaulting Lender, any decrease of any interest rate applicable to Loans made by such Defaulting Lender (other than the waiving of post-default interest rates) and any increase in or extension of such Defaulting Lender’s Commitment) and (ii) any redetermination, whether an increase, decrease or affirmation, of the Borrowing Base shall occur without the participation of a Defaulting Lender, but the Commitment (i.e., the Commitment Percentage of the Borrowing Base) of a Defaulting Lender may not be increased without the consent of such Defaulting Lender;

(c) If any Swingline Exposure or Letter of Credit Exposure exists at the time a Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then (i) all or any part of such Swingline Exposure and Letter of Credit Exposure of such Defaulting Lender will, subject to the limitation in the first proviso below, automatically be reallocated (effective on the day such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender) among the Non-Defaulting Lenders pro rata in accordance with their respective Commitment Percentages; provided that (A) each Non-Defaulting Lender’s Total Exposure may not in any event exceed the Commitment Percentage of the Loan Limit of such Non-Defaulting Lender as in effect at the time of such reallocation and (B) neither such reallocation nor any payment by a Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant thereto will constitute a waiver or release of any claim the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks or any other Lender may have against such Defaulting Lender or cause such Defaulting Lender to be a Non-Defaulting Lender, (ii) to the extent that all or any portion (the “unreallocated portion”) of the Defaulting Lender’s Swingline Exposure or Letter of Credit Exposure cannot, or can only partially, be so reallocated to Non-Defaulting Lenders, whether by reason of the first proviso in Section 2.15(c)(i) or otherwise, the Borrower shall within two Business Days following notice by the Administrative Agent (x) first, prepay such Swingline Exposure and (y) second, Cash Collateralize for the benefit of the applicable Issuing Bank only the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure (after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (i) above), in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 3.7 for so long as such Letter of Credit Exposure is outstanding, (iii) if the Borrower Cash Collateralizes any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure pursuant to this Section 2.15(c), the Borrower shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 4.1(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure is Cash Collateralized (and such fees shall be payable to the Issuing Banks), (iv) if the Letter of Credit Exposure of the Non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to this Section 2.15(c), then the Letter of Credit Fees payable for the account of the Lenders pursuant to Section 4.1(b) shall be adjusted in accordance with such Non-Defaulting Lenders’ Commitment Percentages and the Borrower shall not be required to pay any Swingline Loan fees (if any) or Letter of Credit Fees to the Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 4.1(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure during the period that such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure is reallocated, or (v) if any Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure is neither Cash Collateralized nor reallocated pursuant to this Section 2.15(c), then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of any Issuing Bank or any Lender hereunder, all Letter of Credit Fees payable under Section 4.1(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s Letter of Credit Exposure shall be payable to such Issuing Bank until such Letter of Credit Exposure is Cash Collateralized and/or reallocated;

 

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(d) So long as any Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and no Issuing Bank will be required to issue any new Letter of Credit or amend any outstanding Letter of Credit to increase the Stated Amount thereof, alter the drawing terms thereunder or extend the expiry date thereof, unless each Issuing Bank is reasonably satisfied that any exposure that would result from the exposure to such Defaulting Lender is eliminated or fully covered by the Commitments of the Non-Defaulting Lenders or by Cash Collateralization or a combination thereof in accordance with clause (c) above or otherwise in a manner reasonably satisfactory to such Issuing Bank, and participating interests in any such newly issued or increased Letter of Credit or newly made Swingline Loan shall be allocated among Non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.15(c)(i) (and Defaulting Lenders shall not participate therein);

(e) If the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank agree in writing in their discretion that a Lender that is a Defaulting Lender should no longer be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon, as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein, such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender and will be a Non-Defaulting Lender and any applicable Cash Collateral shall be promptly returned to the Borrower and any Letter of Credit Exposure of such Lender reallocated pursuant to Section 2.15(c) shall be reallocated back to such Lender; provided that, except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Non-Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from such Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender; and

(f) Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of that Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Section 11 or otherwise, and including any amounts made available to the Administrative Agent by that Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 13.8), shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by that Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by that Defaulting Lender to each Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender hereunder; third, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which that Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fourth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a non-interest bearing deposit account and released in order to satisfy obligations of that Defaulting Lender to fund Loans under this Agreement; fifth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, each Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender as a result of any final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, such Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender against that Defaulting Lender as a result of that Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; sixth, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against that Defaulting Lender as a result of that Defaulting Lender’s

 

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breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and seventh, to that Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or Unpaid Drawings, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the relevant Loans of, and Unpaid Drawings owed to, the relevant non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied in the manner set forth in this Section 2.15(f). Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 3.7 shall be deemed paid to and redirected by that Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.

2.16 Increase of Total Commitment.

(a) Subject to the conditions set forth in Section 2.16(b), the Borrower may increase the Total Commitment then in effect (any such increase an “Incremental Increase”) by increasing the Commitment of a Lender (an “Increasing Lender”) or by causing a Person that at such time is not a Lender to become a Lender (an “Additional Lender”).

(b) Any increase in the Total Commitment shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

(i) such increase shall not be less than $5,000,000 (and increments of $1,000,000 above that minimum) unless the Administrative Agent otherwise consents;

(ii) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing immediately after giving effect to such increase;

(iii) no Lender’s Commitment may be increased without the consent of such Lender;

(iv) the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank must consent to the increase in Commitments of an Increasing Lender and the addition of any Additional Lender, in each case, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed;

(v) the maturity date of such increase shall be the same as the Maturity Date;

(vi) for the avoidance of doubt, such increase shall be subject to the Borrowing Base (which may, subject to and in accordance with Section 2.14(b), be redetermined at the Borrower’s option immediately after giving effect to any acquisition of Borrowing Base Properties);

(vii) the increase shall be on the exact same terms and pursuant to the exact same documentation applicable to this Agreement (other than with respect to any arrangement, structuring, upfront or other fees or discounts payable in connection with such Incremental Increase) (provided that the Applicable Margin of the Facility shall be increased to be consistent with that for such Incremental Increases);

 

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(viii) the Borrower may seek commitments in respect of an Incremental Increase, in its sole discretion, from either existing Lenders (each of which shall be entitled to agree or decline to participate in its sole discretion) or from additional banks, financial institutions or other institutional lenders or investors who will become Lenders hereunder with the consent of the Administrative Agent, each Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank (in each case, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); and

(ix) the Total Commitment shall not exceed $750,000,000.

(c) Any increase in the Total Commitment shall be implemented using customary documentation (any such documentation, an “Incremental Agreement”). Each of the parties hereto hereby agrees that this Agreement and the other Credit Documents may be amended pursuant to an Incremental Agreement, without the consent of Lenders other than the Lenders providing such Incremental Increase, to the extent necessary to (i) reflect the existence and terms of an Incremental Facility, (ii) address technical issues relating to funding and payments and (iii) effect such other amendments to this Agreement and the other Credit Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Administrative Agent and of the Borrower, to effect the provisions of Section 2.16(c) and Section 11.12, and the Required Lenders hereby expressly authorize the Administrative Agent to enter into any such Incremental Agreement.

(d) On the date on which an Incremental Increase becomes effective in accordance with this Section 2.16 (such date, the “Incremental Increase Effective Date”), the Commitment of each Lender and the amount of all outstanding Loans and participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans of each Lender shall automatically, without further action by any Person, be reallocated among the Lenders in accordance with their respective Commitments, so that, after giving effect thereto, the Loans outstanding and participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders (including each Increasing Lender and each Additional Lender) pro rata based on their Commitments after giving effect to such Incremental Increase. To effect such reallocations, each Lender whose percentage of the Commitments is reduced as a result of such Incremental Increase (each an “Assignor Lender”) shall be deemed irrevocably to sell and assign to each Increasing Lender and each Additional Lender (each such Increasing Lender and Additional Lender, collectively, the “Assignee Lenders”), and each Assignee Lender shall be deemed irrevocably to purchase and assume from such Assignor Lender, as of the Incremental Increase Effective Date, (A) all of such Assignor Lender’s rights and obligations in its capacity as a Lender under the Credit Agreement and any other documents or instruments delivered pursuant thereto, to the extent related to such amount and such percentage interest of all of such outstanding rights and obligations of such Assignor Lender (including any Letters of Credit, guarantees, and Swingline Loans), so that, after giving effect thereto, the Loans outstanding and participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders (including each Increasing Lender and each

 

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Additional Lender) pro rata based on their Commitments after giving effect to such Incremental Increase and (B) to the extent permitted to be assigned under applicable law, all claims, suits, causes of action and any other right of such Assignor Lender (in its capacity as a Lender) against any Person, whether known or unknown, arising under or in connection with the Credit Agreement, any other documents or instruments delivered pursuant thereto or the loan transactions governed thereby or in any way based on or related to any of the foregoing, including contract claims, tort claims, malpractice claims, statutory claims and all other claims at law or in equity related to the rights and obligations sold and assigned pursuant to clause (A) above (the rights and obligations sold and assigned pursuant to clauses (A) and (B) above being referred to herein collectively as the “Assigned Interest”). On the Incremental Increase Effective Date, each Assignee Lender shall pay to each Assignor Lender for its Assigned Interest an amount equal to 100% of the principal amount of outstanding Loans assigned by such Assignor Lender to such Assignee Lender pursuant to the preceding sentence. Such sale and assignment (x) shall be deemed to have been effected by way of, and subject to the terms and conditions of, an Assignment and Assumption without the payment of any related assignment fee, and, except for replacement promissory notes to be provided to any Additional Lender or Increasing Lender in the principal amount of their respective Commitments after giving effect to such Incremental Increase, if applicable, no other documents or instruments shall be, or shall be required to be, executed in connection with such assignments and (y) is without recourse to such Assignor Lender and, except as expressly provided in such Assignment and Assumption, without representation or warranty by such Assignor Lender. The Administrative Agent, the Borrower, each Swingline Lender, each Issuing Bank and each Lender hereby consent and agree to such reallocation. On each Incremental Increase Effective Date, the Administrative Agent shall distribute to the Borrower and the Lenders (including each Additional Lender) a revised Schedule 1.1(a) that shall amend and restate and supersede and replace Schedule 1.1(a) to this Agreement as in effect immediately prior to such Incremental Increase Effective Date. Each Assignor Lender and each Additional Lender and/or Increasing Lender (as applicable) shall make such cash settlements among themselves, through the Administrative Agent, as the Administrative Agent may direct (after giving effect to any netting effected by the Administrative Agent) with respect to such reallocations and assignments.

2.17 Extension Offers.

(a) The Borrower may, at any time and from time to time request that all or a portion of the Commitments and related Loans of a given Class be amended to extend the scheduled Maturity Date thereof and to provide for other terms consistent with this Section 2.17. In order to establish an Extended Class, the Borrower shall provide a notice to the Administrative Agent (who shall provide a copy of such notice to each of the Lenders under the Existing Class from which such Extended Class is to be amended) (each, a “Loan Extension Request”) setting forth the proposed terms of the Extended Class to be established, which shall (x) be identical as offered to each Lender under such Existing Class (including as to the proposed interest rates and fees payable, but excluding any arrangement, structuring or other similar fees payable in connection therewith that are not generally shared with all relevant Lenders) and offered pro rata to each Lender under such Existing Class and (y) be identical to the Commitments and Loans under the applicable

 

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Specified Existing Commitment Class, except that: (i) the fees with respect to the Extended Commitments of any Extended Class may be different than the fees for the Commitments of such Existing Class, in each case to the extent provided in the applicable Extension Amendment, (ii) the yield with respect to the Extended Loans of any Extended Class (whether in the form of interest rate margin, upfront fees, original issue discount or otherwise) may be different than the yield for the Loans of such Existing Class, in each case, to the extent provided in the applicable Extension Amendment; (iii) the Extension Amendment may provide for other covenants and terms that apply solely to any period after the Latest Maturity Date that is in effect on the effective date of the Extension Amendment (immediately prior to the establishment of such Extended Class); provided that (A) in no event shall the final Maturity Date of any Extended Class of a given Extension Series at the time of establishment thereof be earlier than the Maturity Date of the Existing Class, (B) all documentation in respect of such Extension Amendment shall be consistent with the foregoing and (C) any Extended Loans of an Extended Class may participate on a pro rata basis or less than or greater than pro rata basis in any voluntary repayments or prepayments of principal of the Loans hereunder and on a pro rata basis or less than a pro rata basis (but not greater than a pro rata basis) in any mandatory repayments or prepayments of Loans hereunder, in each case as specified in the respective Loan Extension Request. Any Class of Loans and Commitments amended pursuant to any Loan Extension Request, as applicable, shall be designated a series (each, an “Extension Series”) of Extended Commitments and Extended Loans for all purposes of this Agreement; provided that any Extended Commitments and Extended Loans amended from an Existing Class may, to the extent provided in the applicable Extension Amendment, be designated as an increase in any previously established Extension Series with respect to an Existing Class. Each request, for an Extension Series of Extended Commitments and Extended Loans proposed to be incurred under this Section 2.17 shall be in an aggregate principal amount that is not less than $10,000,000 (it being understood that the actual principal amount thereof provided by the applicable Lenders may be lower than such minimum amount) and the Borrower may impose an Extension Minimum Condition with respect to any Loan Extension Request, which may be waived by the Borrower in its sole discretion.

(b) The Borrower shall provide the applicable Loan Extension Request at least five Business Days (or such shorter period as may be agreed by the Administrative Agent) prior to the date on which Lenders under the Existing Class are requested to respond, and shall agree to such procedures, if any, as may be established by, or acceptable to, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, in each case acting reasonably to accomplish the purposes of this Section 2.17. No Lender shall have any obligation to agree to have any of its Commitments and Loans of any Existing Class amended into an Extended Class pursuant to any Loan Extension Request. Any Lender holding a Commitment or Loan under an Existing Class (each, an “Extending Lender”) wishing to have all or a portion of its Commitments and Loans under the Existing Class subject to such Loan Extension Request amended into Extended Commitments and Extended Loans shall notify the Administrative Agent (each, an “Extension Election”) on or prior to the date specified in such Loan Extension Request of the amount of its Commitments and Loans under the Existing Class, which it has elected to request be amended into an Extended Class (subject to any minimum denomination requirements imposed by the Administrative Agent). In the event that the aggregate principal amount of Commitments and Loans under the

 

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Existing Class in respect of which applicable Lenders shall have accepted the relevant Loan Extension Request exceeds the amount of Extended Commitments and Extended Loans requested to be extended pursuant to the Loan Extension Request, Commitments and Loans subject to Extension Elections shall be amended to Extended Commitments and Extended Loans on a pro rata basis (subject to rounding by the Administrative Agent) based on the aggregate principal amount of Commitments and Loans included in each such Extension Election. Notwithstanding the conversion of any Existing Commitment into an Extended Commitment, such Extended Commitment shall be treated identically to all Existing Commitments of the Specified Existing Commitment Class for purposes of the obligations of a Lender in respect of Swingline Loans under Section 2.1(c) and Letters of Credit under Section 3, except that the applicable Extension Amendment may provide that the Swingline Maturity Date and/or the last day for issuing Letters of Credit may be extended and the related obligations to make Swingline Loans and issue Letters of Credit may be continued (pursuant to mechanics to be specified in the applicable Extension Amendment) so long as the applicable Swingline Lender and/or the applicable Issuing Bank, as applicable, have consented to such extensions. For the avoidance of doubt, neither the Swingline Maturity Date and/or the last day for issuing Letters of Credit may be extended (and the related obligations to make Swingline Loans or issue Letters of Credit may not be continued) without the express consent of the Swingline Lender or applicable Issuing Bank, as applicable.

(c) Extended Commitments and Extended Loans shall be established pursuant to an amendment (each, a “Extension Amendment”) to this Agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and each Extending Lender providing an Extended Commitment and Extended Loan thereunder (and the Swingline Lender and Issuing Bank, if applicable), which shall be consistent with the provisions set forth in Sections 2.17(a), (b), (c) and (d) above (but which shall not require the consent of any other Lender). The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender as to the effectiveness of each Extension Amendment. Each of the parties hereto hereby agrees that this Agreement and the other Credit Documents may be amended pursuant to an Extension Amendment, without the consent of any other Lenders, to the extent (but only to the extent) necessary to (i) reflect the existence and terms of the Extended Commitment and Extended Loans incurred pursuant thereto, (ii) modify the prepayments set forth in Section 5.2 to reflect the existence of the Extended Commitments and Extended Loans and the application of prepayments with respect thereto, (iii) address technical issues relating to funding and payments and (iv) effect such other amendments to this Agreement and the other Credit Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of counsel to the Administrative Agent and of the Borrower, to effect the provisions of this Section 2.17, and the Required Lenders hereby expressly authorize the Administrative Agent to enter into any such Extension Amendment. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Agreement, no Extension Amendment shall be effective unless (i) all Letter of Credit Exposure will be covered on terms reasonably acceptable to the Issuing Bank, (ii) all Swingline Exposure will be covered on terms reasonably acceptable to the Swingline Lender and (iii) the Available Commitment shall not exceed the Borrowing Base.

 

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(d) No conversion of Commitments and Loans pursuant to any Extension in accordance with this Section 2.17 shall constitute a voluntary or mandatory payment or prepayment for purposes of this Agreement.

SECTION 3. LETTERS OF CREDIT

3.1 Letters of Credit.

(a) Subject to and upon the terms and conditions herein set forth, at any time and from time to time on and after the Closing Date and prior to the L/C Maturity Date, each Issuing Bank, severally, and not jointly, agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Lenders set forth in this Section 3, to issue upon the request of the Borrower and for the direct or indirect benefit of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, a standby letter of credit or standby letters of credit (the “Letters of Credit” and each, a “Letter of Credit”) in such form and with such Issuer Documents as may be approved by the applicable Issuing Bank in its reasonable discretion; provided that the Borrower shall be a co-applicant of, and jointly and severally liable with respect to, each Letter of Credit issued for the account of a Restricted Subsidiary.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) no Letter of Credit shall be issued the Stated Amount of which, when added to the Letters of Credit Outstanding at such time, would exceed the Letter of Credit Commitment then in effect, (ii) no Letter of Credit shall be issued the Stated Amount of which would cause the aggregate amount of all Lenders’ Total Exposures at such time to exceed the Loan Limit then in effect, (iii) each Letter of Credit shall have an expiration date occurring no later than one year after the date of issuance or such longer period of time as may be agreed by the applicable Issuing Bank, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Issuing Bank or as provided under Section 3.2(b); provided that any Letter of Credit may provide for automatic renewal thereof for additional periods of up to 12 months or such longer period of time as may be agreed upon by the applicable Issuing Bank, subject to the provisions of Section 3.2(b); provided, further, that in no event shall such expiration date occur later than the L/C Maturity Date unless arrangements which are reasonably satisfactory to the applicable Issuing Bank to Cash Collateralize (or backstop) such Letter of Credit have been made, (iv) no Letter of Credit shall be issued if it would be illegal under any applicable Requirement of Law for the beneficiary of the Letter of Credit to have a Letter of Credit issued in its favor, (v) no Letter of Credit shall be issued by an Issuing Bank after it has received a written notice from the Administrative Agent or the Majority Lenders stating that a Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing until such time as such Issuing Bank shall have received a written notice (A) of rescission of such notice from the party or parties originally delivering such notice, (B) of the waiver of such Default or Event of Default in accordance with the provisions of Section 13.1 or (C) that such Default or Event of Default is no longer continuing, and (vi) without the consent of the applicable Issuing Bank, no Letter of Credit shall be issued in any currency other than Dollars.

 

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(c) Upon at least one Business Day’s prior written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) to the Administrative Agent and the applicable Issuing Bank (which notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly transmit to each of the applicable Lenders), the Borrower shall have the right, on any day, permanently to terminate or reduce the Letter of Credit Commitment in whole or in part; provided that, after giving effect to such termination or reduction, the Letters of Credit Outstanding shall not exceed the Letter of Credit Commitment.

3.2 Letter of Credit Applications.

(a) Whenever the Borrower desires that a Letter of Credit be issued, amended or renewed for its account on its own behalf, or on behalf of its Restricted Subsidiaries, the Borrower shall hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit by electronic communication, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the applicable Issuing Bank) to the applicable Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent a Letter of Credit application, amendment request or any such document in the Issuing Bank’s customary form or, if the relevant Issuing Bank does not maintain such a form, in such form as may be approved by the applicable Issuing Bank (each, a “Letter of Credit Application”). Upon receipt of any Letter of Credit Application or amendment request, the applicable Issuing Bank will issue such Letter of Credit or amendment on the second Business Day after the relevant Letter of Credit Application is received, so long as such Letter of Credit Application is received no later than 3:00 p.m. (New York City time) on such Business Day, or if received after such time or on a day that is not a Business Day, the third Business Day next succeeding receipt of such Letter of Credit Application. No Issuing Bank shall issue any Letters of Credit unless such Issuing Bank shall have received notice from the Administrative Agent that the conditions to such issuance have been met.

(b) If the Borrower so requests in any applicable Letter of Credit Application, the applicable Issuing Bank may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to issue a Letter of Credit that has automatic extension provisions (each, an “Auto-Extension Letter of Credit”); provided that any such Auto-Extension Letter of Credit must permit such Issuing Bank to prevent any such extension at least once in each 12-month period (commencing with the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit) by giving prior notice to the beneficiary thereof not later than a day (the “Non-Extension Notice Date”) in each such 12-month period to be agreed upon at the time such Letter of Credit is issued. Unless otherwise directed by the applicable Issuing Bank, the Borrower shall not be required to make a specific request to such Issuing Bank for any such extension. Once an Auto-Extension Letter of Credit has been issued, the Lenders shall be deemed to have authorized (but may not require) the applicable Issuing Bank to permit the extension of such Letter of Credit at any time to an expiry date not later than the L/C Maturity Date; provided, however, that such Issuing Bank shall not permit any such extension if (i) such Issuing Bank has determined that it would not be permitted, or would have no obligation, at such time to issue such Letter of Credit in its revised form (as extended) under the terms hereof (by reason of the provisions of clause (b) of Section 3.1 or otherwise), or (ii) it has received notice (which may be by telephone or in writing) on or before the day that is five Business Days before the Non-Extension Notice Date from the Administrative Agent that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 7 are not then satisfied, and in each such case directing such Issuing Bank not to permit such extension.

 

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(c) Each Issuing Bank (other than the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates) shall provide the Administrative Agent with a reasonably detailed notice upon its issuance or amendment of any Letter of Credit, or upon any drawing under any Letter of Credit issued by it; provided that, upon written request from the Administrative Agent, such Issuing Bank shall promptly provide the Administrative Agent with a list of all Letters of Credit issued by it that are outstanding at such time.

3.3 Letter of Credit Participations.

(a) Immediately upon the issuance by an Issuing Bank of any Letter of Credit, such Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have sold and transferred to each Lender (each such Lender, in its capacity under this Section 3.3, an “L/C Participant”), and each such L/C Participant shall be deemed irrevocably and unconditionally to have purchased and received from such Issuing Bank, without recourse or warranty, an undivided interest and participation (each an “L/C Participation”), to the extent of such L/C Participant’s Commitment Percentage, in each Letter of Credit, each substitute therefor, each drawing made thereunder and the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement with respect thereto, and any security therefor or guaranty pertaining thereto.

(b) In determining whether to pay under any Letter of Credit, the relevant Issuing Bank shall have no obligation relative to the L/C Participants other than to confirm that (i) any documents required to be delivered under such Letter of Credit have been delivered, (ii) such Issuing Bank has examined the documents with reasonable care and (iii) the documents appear to comply on their face with the requirements of such Letter of Credit. Any action taken or omitted to be taken by the relevant Issuing Bank under or in connection with any Letter of Credit issued by it, if taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), shall not create for such Issuing Bank any resulting liability.

(c) In the event that an Issuing Bank makes any payment under any Letter of Credit issued by it and the Borrower shall not have repaid such amount in full to such Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 3.4(a), such Issuing Bank shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify each L/C Participant) of such failure, and each such L/C Participant shall promptly and unconditionally pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Bank, the amount of such L/C Participant’s Commitment Percentage of such unreimbursed payment in Dollars and in immediately available funds. Each L/C Participant shall make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the relevant Issuing Bank such L/C Participant’s Commitment Percentage of the amount of such payment no later than 1:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the first Business Day after the date notified by such Issuing Bank in immediately available funds. If and to the extent such L/C Participant shall not have so made its Commitment Percentage of the amount of such payment available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the relevant Issuing Bank, such L/C Participant agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Bank, forthwith on demand, such amount, together with interest thereon for each day from such date until the date such amount is paid to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Bank at a rate per annum equal to the Overnight Rate from time to time then in effect, plus any administrative, processing or

 

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similar fees customarily charged by such Issuing Bank in connection with the foregoing. The failure of any L/C Participant to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Issuing Bank its Commitment Percentage of any payment under any Letter of Credit shall not relieve any other L/C Participant of its obligation hereunder to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Bank its Commitment Percentage of any payment under such Letter of Credit on the date required, as specified above, but no L/C Participant shall be responsible for the failure of any other L/C Participant to make available to the Administrative Agent such other L/C Participant’s Commitment Percentage of any such payment.

(d) Whenever an Issuing Bank receives a payment in respect of an unpaid reimbursement obligation as to which the Administrative Agent has received for the account of such Issuing Bank any payments from the L/C Participants pursuant to clause (c) above, such Issuing Bank shall pay to the Administrative Agent and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to each L/C Participant that has paid its Commitment Percentage of such reimbursement obligation, in Dollars and in immediately available funds, an amount equal to such L/C Participant’s share (based upon the proportionate aggregate amount originally funded by such L/C Participant to the aggregate amount funded by all L/C Participants) of the principal amount so paid in respect of such reimbursement obligation and interest thereon accruing after the purchase of the respective L/C Participations at the Overnight Rate.

(e) The obligations of the L/C Participants to make payments to the Administrative Agent for the account of an Issuing Bank with respect to Letters of Credit shall be irrevocable and not subject to counterclaim, set-off or other defense or any other qualification or exception whatsoever and shall be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement under all circumstances, including under any of the following circumstances:

(i) any lack of validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any of the other Credit Documents;

(ii) the existence of any claim, set-off, defense or other right that the Borrower or any other Person (including an L/C Participant) may have at any time against a beneficiary named in a Letter of Credit, any transferee of any Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such transferee may be acting), the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank, any Lender or other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, any Letter of Credit, the transactions contemplated herein or any unrelated transactions (including any underlying transaction between the Borrower and the beneficiary named in any such Letter of Credit);

(iii) any draft, certificate or any other document presented under any Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect;

(iv) the surrender or impairment of any security for the performance or observance of any of the terms of any of the Credit Documents; or

 

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(v) the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default; or

(vi) any other event, condition of circumstance, whether or not similar to the foregoing.

3.4 Agreement to Repay Letter of Credit Drawings.

(a) The Borrower hereby agrees to reimburse the relevant Issuing Bank by making payment in Dollars or to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Issuing Bank (whether with its own funds or with proceeds of the Loans) in immediately available funds, for any payment or disbursement made by such Issuing Bank under any Letter of Credit issued by it (each such amount so paid until reimbursed, an “Unpaid Drawing”) (i) within one Business Day of the date of such payment or disbursement if such Issuing Bank provides notice to the Borrower of such payment or disbursement prior to 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) on such next succeeding Business Day (from the date of such payment or disbursement) or (ii) if such notice is received after such time, on the next Business Day following the date of receipt of such notice (such required date for reimbursement under clause (i) or (ii), as applicable, on such Business Day (the “Reimbursement Date”)), with interest on the amount so paid or disbursed by such Issuing Bank, from and including the date of such payment or disbursement to but excluding the Reimbursement Date, at the per annum rate for each day equal to the rate described in Section 2.8(a); provided that, notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, with respect to any Letter of Credit, (i) unless the Borrower shall have notified the Administrative Agent and such Issuing Bank prior to 11:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the Reimbursement Date that the Borrower intends to reimburse such Issuing Bank for the amount of such drawing with funds other than the proceeds of Loans, the Borrower shall be deemed to have given a Notice of Borrowing requesting that the Lenders make Loans (which shall be ABR Loans) on the Reimbursement Date in an amount equal to the amount at such drawing, and (ii) the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each L/C Participant of such drawing and the amount of its Loan to be made in respect thereof, and each L/C Participant shall be irrevocably obligated to make a Loan to the Borrower in the manner deemed to have been requested in the amount of its Commitment Percentage of the applicable Unpaid Drawing by 12:00 noon (New York City time) on such Reimbursement Date by making the amount of such Loan available to the Administrative Agent. Such Loans made in respect of such Unpaid Drawing on such Reimbursement Date shall be made without regard to the Minimum Borrowing Amount and without regard to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 7. The Administrative Agent shall use the proceeds of such Loans solely for purpose of reimbursing the relevant Issuing Bank for the related Unpaid Drawing. In the event that the Borrower fails to Cash Collateralize any Letter of Credit that is outstanding on the L/C Maturity Date, the full amount of the Letters of Credit Outstanding in respect of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be an Unpaid Drawing subject to the provisions of this Section 3.4 except that such Issuing Bank shall hold the proceeds received from the Lenders as contemplated above as cash collateral for such Letter of Credit to reimburse any Drawing under such Letter of Credit and shall use such proceeds first, to reimburse itself for any Drawings made in respect of such Letter of Credit following the L/C Maturity Date, second, to the extent such Letter of Credit expires or is returned undrawn while any such cash collateral remains, to the repayment of

 

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obligations in respect of any Loans that have not paid at such time and third, to the Borrower or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this Section 3.4(a) shall affect the Borrower’s obligation to repay all outstanding Loans when due in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

(b) The obligations of the Borrower under this Section 3.4 to reimburse the relevant Issuing Bank with respect to Unpaid Drawings (including, in each case, interest thereon) shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable under any and all circumstances and irrespective of any set-off, counterclaim or defense to payment that the Borrower or any other Person may have or have had against such Issuing Bank, the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including in its capacity as an L/C Participant), including any defense based upon (i) the failure of any drawing under a Letter of Credit (each a “Drawing”) to conform to the terms of the Letter of Credit, (ii) any non-application or misapplication by the beneficiary of the proceeds of such Drawing, (iii) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein, (iv) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect or (v) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section 3.4, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against, the Borrower’s obligations hereunder; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse the relevant Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by such Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care pursuant to the applicable ICC Rule or applicable law when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The Borrower agrees that any action taken or omitted to be taken by an Issuing Bank under or in connection with any Letter of Credit or the related drafts or documents, if done in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), shall be binding on the Borrower and shall not result in any liability of such Issuing Bank to the Borrower; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse such Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages suffered by the Borrower that are caused by such Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care, when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof as determined by a final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. In furtherance of the foregoing, the parties hereto agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the Issuing Bank that issued such Letter of Credit may in its sole discretion either accept or make payment upon such documents without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit (unless the Borrower shall consent to payment thereon not withstanding such lack of strict compliance).

 

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3.5 New or Successor Issuing Bank.

(a) Any Issuing Bank may resign as an Issuing Bank upon 30 days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Borrower. The Borrower may replace any Issuing Bank for any reason upon written notice to such Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent and may add Issuing Banks at any time upon notice to the Administrative Agent. If an Issuing Bank shall resign or be replaced, or if the Borrower shall decide to add a new Issuing Bank under this Agreement, then the Borrower may appoint from among the Lenders (who have agreed to act as successor issuer of Letters of Credit or a new Issuing Bank) a successor issuer of Letters of Credit or a new Issuing Bank, as the case may be, or, with the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld) and such new Issuing Bank, another successor or new issuer of Letters of Credit, whereupon such successor issuer shall succeed to the rights, powers and duties of the replaced or resigning Issuing Bank under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, or such new issuer of Letters of Credit shall be granted the rights, powers and duties of an Issuing Bank hereunder, and the term “Issuing Bank” shall mean such successor or such new issuer of Letters of Credit effective upon such appointment. The acceptance of any appointment as an Issuing Bank hereunder whether as a successor issuer or new issuer of Letters of Credit in accordance with this Agreement, shall be evidenced by an agreement entered into by such new or successor issuer of Letters of Credit, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and, from and after the effective date of such agreement, such new or successor issuer of Letters of Credit shall become an “Issuing Bank” hereunder. After the resignation or replacement of an Issuing Bank hereunder, the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents with respect to Letters of Credit issued by it prior to such resignation or replacement, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit. In connection with any resignation or replacement pursuant to this clause (a) (but, in case of any such resignation, only to the extent that a successor issuer of Letters of Credit shall have been appointed), either (i) the Borrower, the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank and the successor issuer of Letters of Credit shall arrange to have any outstanding Letters of Credit issued by the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank replaced with Letters of Credit issued by the successor issuer of Letters of Credit or (ii) the Borrower shall cause the successor issuer of Letters of Credit, if such successor issuer is reasonably satisfactory to the replaced or resigning Issuing Bank, to issue “back-stop” Letters of Credit naming the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank as beneficiary for each outstanding Letter of Credit issued by the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank, which new Letters of Credit shall have a Stated Amount equal to the Letters of Credit being back-stopped and the sole requirement for drawing on such new Letters of Credit shall be a drawing on the corresponding back- stopped Letters of Credit. After any resigning or replaced Issuing Bank’s resignation or replacement as Issuing Bank, the provisions of this Agreement relating to an Issuing Bank shall inure to its benefit as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it (A) while it was an Issuing Bank under this Agreement or (B) at any time with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank.

(b) To the extent that there are, at the time of any resignation or replacement as set forth in clause (a) above, any outstanding Letters of Credit, nothing herein shall be deemed to impact or impair any rights and obligations of any of the parties hereto with respect to such outstanding Letters of Credit (including any obligations related to the payment of fees or the reimbursement or funding of amounts drawn), except that the Borrower, the resigning or replaced Issuing Bank and the successor issuer of Letters of Credit shall have the obligations regarding outstanding Letters of Credit described in clause (a) above.

 

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3.6 Role of Issuing Bank. Each Lender and the Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, no Issuing Bank shall have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of the Issuing Banks, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective affiliates nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of any Issuing Bank shall be liable to any Lender for (a) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Majority Lenders, (b) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct or (c) the due execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or Issuer Document. The Borrower hereby assumes all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the Borrower’s pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. None of the Issuing Banks, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective affiliates nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of any Issuing Bank shall be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in Section 3.3(e); provided that anything in such Section to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower may have a claim against an Issuing Bank, and such Issuing Bank may be liable to the Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages suffered by the Borrower which the Borrower proves were caused by such Issuing Bank’s willful misconduct or gross negligence (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction) or such Issuing Bank’s unlawful failure (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction) to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, any Issuing Bank may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and no Issuing Bank shall be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring or assigning or purporting to transfer or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason.

3.7 Cash Collateral.

(a) Upon the request of the Majority Lenders if, as of the L/C Maturity Date, there are any Letters of Credit Outstanding, the Borrower shall immediately Cash Collateralize the Letters of Credit Outstanding.

(b) If any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing and the Loans shall have been accelerated in accordance with Section 11, the Majority Lenders may require that the L/C Obligations be Cash Collateralized; provided that, upon the occurrence of an Event of Default referred to in Section 11.5 with respect to the Borrower, the Borrower shall immediately Cash Collateralize the Letters of Credit then outstanding and no notice or request by or consent from the Majority Lenders shall be required.

 

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(c) For purposes of this Agreement, “Cash Collateralize” shall mean to (i) pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Issuing Banks and the Lenders, as collateral for the L/C Obligations, cash or deposit account balances in an amount equal to the amount of the Letters of Credit Outstanding required to be Cash Collateralized (the “Required Cash Collateral Amount”) or (ii) if the relevant Issuing Bank benefiting from such collateral shall agree in its reasonable discretion, other forms of credit support (including any backstop letter of credit) in a face amount equal to 103% of the Required Cash Collateral Amount from an issuer reasonably satisfactory to such Issuing Bank, in each case under clause (i) and (ii) above pursuant to documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the relevant Issuing Bank (which documents are hereby consented to by the Lenders). Derivatives of such term have corresponding meanings. The Borrower hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Issuing Banks and the L/C Participants, a security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein and all proceeds of the foregoing. Such cash Collateral shall be maintained in blocked, interest bearing deposit accounts established by and in the name of the Borrower, but under the “control” (as defined in Section 9-104 of the UCC) of the Administrative Agent.

3.8 Applicability of ISP and UCP. The Borrower agrees that any Issuing Bank may issue Letters of Credit hereunder subject to the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) Publication Nos. 600 (2007 Revision) (“UCP 600”) or, at such Issuing Bank’s option, such later revision thereof in effect at the time of issuance of the Letter of Credit or the International Standby Practices 1998, ICC Publication No. 590 or, at such Issuing Bank’s option, such later revision thereof in effect at the time of issuance of any such Letter of Credit (“ISP 98”, and each of the UCP 600 and the ISP 98, an “ICC Rule”). Each Issuing Bank’s privileges, rights and remedies under such ICC Rules shall be in addition to, and not in limitation of, its privileges, rights and remedies expressly provided for herein. The Borrower agrees for matters not addressed by the chosen ICC Rule, each Letter of Credit shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the State of New York and applicable United States Federal laws; provided that if at Borrower’s request, a Letter of Credit chooses a state or country law other than New York State law and United States Federal law or is silent with respect to the choice of an ICC Rule or a governing law, the Issuing Bank shall not be liable for any payment, cost, expense or loss resulting from any action or inaction taken by the Issuing Bank if such action or inaction is or would be justified under an ICC Rule, New York law or applicable United States Federal law, and Borrower shall indemnify Issuing Bank for all such payments, costs, expenses or losses.

3.9 Conflict with Issuer Documents. In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any Issuer Document, the terms hereof shall control.

3.10 Letters of Credit Issued for Restricted Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Restricted Subsidiary, the Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse the relevant Issuing Bank hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the account of Restricted Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Restricted Subsidiaries.

 

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3.11 Increased Costs. If, after the Closing Date, the adoption of any Change in Law shall either (a) impose, modify or make applicable any reserve, deposit, capital adequacy or similar requirement against Letters of Credit issued by any Issuing Bank, or any L/C Participant’s L/C Participation therein, or (b) impose on any Issuing Bank or any L/C Participant any other conditions, costs or expenses affecting its obligations under this Agreement in respect of Letters of Credit or L/C Participations therein or any Letter of Credit or such L/C Participant’s L/C Participation therein, and the result of any of the foregoing is to increase the cost to such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant of issuing, maintaining or participating in any Letter of Credit, or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant hereunder (other than (i) Taxes indemnifiable under Section 5.4, or (ii) Excluded Taxes) in respect of Letters of Credit or L/C Participations therein, then, promptly (and in any event no later than 15 days) after receipt of written demand to the Borrower by such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant, as the case may be (a copy of which notice shall be sent by such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall pay to such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant for such increased cost or reduction, it being understood and agreed, however, that no Issuing Bank or L/C Participant shall be entitled to such compensation as a result of such Person’s compliance with, or pursuant to any request or directive to comply with, any such Requirement of Law as in effect on the Closing Date. A certificate submitted to the Borrower by the relevant Issuing Bank or an L/C Participant, as the case may be (a copy of which certificate shall be sent by such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant to the Administrative Agent), setting forth in reasonable detail the basis for the determination of such additional amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Issuing Bank or such L/C Participant as aforesaid shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrower absent clearly demonstrable error.

3.12 Independence. The Borrower acknowledges that the rights and obligations of each Issuing Bank under each Letter of Credit issued by it are independent of the existence, performance or nonperformance of any contract or arrangement underlying such Letter of Credit, including contracts or arrangements between such Issuing Bank and the Borrower (other than the Credit Documents and the Issuer Documents) and between the Borrower and the relevant beneficiary.

SECTION 4. FEES; COMMITMENTS.

4.1 Fees.

(a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent in Dollars, for the account of each Lender (in each case pro rata according to the respective Commitment Percentages of the Lenders), a commitment fee (the “Commitment Fee”) for each day from the Closing Date until but excluding the Termination Date. Each Commitment Fee shall be payable by the Borrower quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December (for the three-month period (or portion thereof) ended on such day for which no payment has been received) and on the Termination Date (for the period ended on such date for which no payment has been received pursuant to clause (i) above), and shall be computed for each day during such period at a rate per annum equal to the Commitment Fee Rate in effect on such day on the Available Commitment (assuming for this purpose that there is no reference to “Swingline Exposure” in the definition of Total Exposure) in effect on such day.

 

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(b) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent in Dollars for the account of the Lenders pro rata on the basis of their respective Letter of Credit Exposure, a fee in respect of each Letter of Credit (the “Letter of Credit Fee”), for the period from the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit until the termination or expiration date of such Letter of Credit computed at the per annum rate for each day equal to the Applicable Margin for LIBOR Loans on the average daily Stated Amount of such Letter of Credit. Such Letter of Credit Fees shall be due and payable (i) quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and (ii) on the Termination Date (for the period for which no payment has been received pursuant to clause (i) above).

(c) The Borrower agrees to pay to each Issuing Bank a fee in respect of each Letter of Credit issued by it (the “Fronting Fee”), for the period from the date of issuance of such Letter of Credit to the termination or expiration date of such Letter of Credit, computed at the rate for each day equal to 0.150% per annum (or such other amount as may be agreed in a separate writing between the Borrower and the relevant Issuing Bank) on the average daily Stated Amount of such Letter of Credit (or at such other rate per annum as agreed in writing between the Borrower and the relevant Issuing Bank). Such Fronting Fees shall be due and payable by the Borrower (i) quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and (ii) on the Termination Date (for the period for which no payment has been received pursuant to clause (i) above).

(d) The Borrower agrees to pay directly to each Issuing Bank upon each issuance of, drawing under, and/or amendment of, a Letter of Credit issued by it such amount as the relevant Issuing Bank and the Borrower shall have agreed upon for issuances of, drawings under or amendments of, letters of credit issued by it.

(e) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent the administrative agent fees in the amounts and on the dates as set forth in writing from time to time between the Administrative Agent and the Borrower.

4.2 Voluntary Reduction of Commitments.

(a) Upon at least two Business Days’ prior written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) to the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Office (which notice the Administrative Agent shall promptly transmit to each of the Lenders), the Borrower shall have the right, without premium or penalty, on any day, permanently to terminate or reduce the Commitments of any Class, as determined by the Borrower, in whole or in part; provided that (a) with respect to the Commitments, any such termination or reduction shall apply proportionately and permanently to reduce the Commitments of each of the Lenders of such Class, except that, notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) the Borrower may allocate any termination or reduction of Commitments among Classes of Commitments either (A) ratably among Classes or (B) first to the Commitments with respect to any Existing Commitments and second to any Extended

 

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Commitments and (2) in connection with the establishment on any date of any Extended Commitments pursuant to Section 2.17, (i) the Existing Commitments of each Lender providing any such Extended Commitments on such date shall be reduced in an amount equal to the amount of Specified Existing Commitments so extended on such date by such Lender and (ii) the Existing Commitments of any Lender not providing such Extended Commitments shall be reduced, solely to the extent elected to be reduced by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.17, among the Class or Classes of Commitments elected by the Borrower (provided that (x) after giving effect to any such reduction and to the repayment of any Loans made on such date, the Total Exposure of any such Lender does not exceed the Commitment of such Lender (such Total Exposure and Commitment in the case of an Extending Lender being determined for purposes of this proviso, for the avoidance of doubt, exclusive of such Extending Lender’s Extended Commitment and any exposure in respect thereof) and (y) for the avoidance of doubt, any such repayment of Loans contemplated by the preceding clause (x) shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 5.3(a) with respect to the ratable allocation of payments hereunder, with such allocation being determined after giving effect to any conversion pursuant to Section 2.17 of Existing Commitments and Existing Loans into Extended Commitments and Extended Loans respectively, and prior to any reduction being made to the Commitment of any other Lender), (b) any partial reduction pursuant to this Section 4.2 shall be in the amount of at least $1,000,000 and (c) after giving effect to such termination or reduction and to any prepayments of Loans or cancellation or Cash Collateralization of Letters of Credit made on the date thereof in accordance with this Agreement, the aggregate amount of the Lenders’ Total Exposures shall not exceed the Loan Limit.

(b) The Borrower may terminate the unused amount of the Commitment of a Defaulting Lender upon not less than two (2) Business Days’ prior notice to the Administrative Agent (which will promptly notify the Lenders thereof), and in such event the provisions of Section 2.15(f) will apply to all amounts thereafter paid by the Borrower for the account of such Defaulting Lender under this Agreement (whether on account of principal, interest, fees, indemnity or other amounts), provided that such termination will not be deemed to be a waiver or release of any claim the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank, the Swingline Lender or any Lender may have against such Defaulting Lender.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, any such notice of commitment termination pursuant to Section 4.2 may state that it is conditioned upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of any event specified therein (including the effectiveness of other credit facilities), in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by written notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied.

4.3 Mandatory Termination of Commitments.

(a) The Total Commitment shall terminate at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Termination Date.

 

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(b) The Swingline Commitment shall terminate at 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the earlier of (x) the Swingline Maturity Date and (y) the Termination Date.

SECTION 5. PAYMENTS.

5.1 Voluntary Prepayments. The Borrower shall have the right to prepay Loans and Swingline Loans, in each case, without premium or penalty, in whole or in part from time to time on the following terms and conditions:

(a) the Borrower shall give the Administrative Agent at the Administrative Agent’s Office written notice (or telephonic notice promptly confirmed in writing) of its intent to make such prepayment, the amount of such prepayment and (in the case of LIBOR Loans) the specific Borrowing(s) being prepaid, which notice shall be given by the Borrower no later than 1:00 p.m. (New York City time) (i) in the case of LIBOR Loans, two (2) Business Days prior to the date of such prepayment and (ii) in the case of ABR Loans on the date of such prepayment and shall promptly be transmitted by the Administrative Agent to each of the Lenders;

(b) each partial prepayment of (i) LIBOR Loans shall be in a minimum amount of $500,000 and in multiples of $100,000 in excess thereof or a lesser amount to the extent such lesser amount represents the entire aggregate outstanding LIBOR Loans at such time, and (ii) any ABR Loans shall be in a minimum amount of $500,000 and in multiples of $100,000 in excess thereof or a lesser amount to the extent such lesser amount represents the entire aggregate outstanding ABR Loans at such time; provided that no partial prepayment of LIBOR Loans made pursuant to a single Borrowing shall reduce the outstanding LIBOR Loans made pursuant to such Borrowing to an amount less than the applicable Minimum Borrowing Amount for such LIBOR Loans; and

(c) any prepayment of LIBOR Loans pursuant to this Section 5.1 on any day other than the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto shall be subject to compliance by the Borrower with the applicable provisions of Section 2.11.

Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment and the Type and Class of Loans to be prepaid. At the Borrower’s election in connection with any prepayment pursuant to this Section 5.1, such prepayment shall not be applied to any Loans of a Defaulting Lender.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, any such notice of prepayment pursuant to Section 5.1 may state that it is conditioned upon the occurrence or non-occurrence of any event specified therein (including the effectiveness of other credit facilities), in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by written notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied.

5.2 Mandatory Prepayments.

(a) Repayment following Optional Reduction of Commitments. If, after giving effect to any termination or reduction of the Commitments pursuant to Section 4.2(a), the aggregate Total Exposures of all Lenders exceeds the Loan Limit (as reduced), then the Borrower shall on the same Business Day (i) prepay the Swingline Loans and, after all

 

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Swingline Loans have been paid in full, the remaining Loans on the date of such termination or reduction in an aggregate principal amount equal to such excess and (ii) if any excess remains after prepaying all of the Loans as a result of any Letter of Credit Exposure, pay to the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Issuing Banks and the L/C Participants an amount in cash or otherwise Cash Collateralize an amount equal to such excess as provided in Section 3.7.

(b) Repayment of Loans Following Redetermination or Adjustment of Borrowing Base.

(i) Upon the effectiveness of a redetermination of the Borrowing Base in accordance with Section 2.14(c), if a Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, then the Borrower shall, within ten (10) Business Days after its receipt of a New Borrowing Base Notice indicating such Borrowing Base Deficiency, inform the Administrative Agent that it intends to take one or more of the following actions (provided that, if the Borrower fails to inform the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after its receipt of a New Borrowing Base Notice, Borrower shall be deemed to have elected (B) below): (A) within 30 days following such election prepay the Loans in an aggregate principal amount equal to such excess, (B) prepay the Loans in six equal monthly installments, commencing on the 30th day following such election with each payment being equal to l/6th of the aggregate principal amount of such excess, (C) within 30 days following such election, provide engineering reports reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent with respect to Borrowing Base Properties acquired by the Credit Parties since the most recently delivered Reserve Report or not otherwise included in the most recently delivered Reserve Report (which shall become Mortgaged Properties within the time period prescribed by Section 9.11(d) regardless of whether the Collateral Coverage Minimum is then satisfied) that have a Borrowing Base Value (as proposed by the Administrative Agent and approved by the Required Lenders in good faith in accordance with their respective usual and customary oil and gas lending criteria as they exist at the particular time) sufficient, after giving effect to any other actions taken pursuant to this Section 5.2(b)(i) to eliminate any such excess, or (D) undertake a combination of clauses (A), (B), and (C); provided that if, because of Letter of Credit Exposure, a Borrowing Base Deficiency remains after prepaying all of the Loans, the Borrower shall Cash Collateralize such remaining Borrowing Base Deficiency as provided in Section 3.7; provided further, that any Borrowing Base Deficiency must be cured on or prior to the Termination Date.

(ii) Upon any adjustment to the Borrowing Base pursuant to Section 2.14(e), (f), or (h), if a Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, then the Borrower shall (A) prepay the Loans in an aggregate principal amount equal to such excess and (B) if any excess remains after prepaying all of the Loans as a result of any Letter of Credit Exposure, Cash Collateralize such excess as provided in Section 3.7. Upon any Disposition pursuant to Section 10.4(m) when (A) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or (B) a Borrowing Base Deficiency exists or would result therefrom, the Borrower shall prepay the Loans in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate net cash proceeds of all such

 

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Dispositions in excess of $10,000,000 in any fiscal year, or, if no Event of Default exists, such lesser amount as is sufficient to cure any Borrowing Base Deficiency existing at the time of receipt of net cash proceeds from such Disposition. The Borrower shall be obligated to make such prepayment and/or deposit of cash collateral no later than three Business Days following the date it receives written notice from the Administrative Agent of the adjustment of the Borrowing Base and the resulting Borrowing Base Deficiency; provided that all payments required to be made pursuant to this clause (ii) must be made on or prior to the Termination Date.

(c) Application to Loans. With respect to each prepayment of Loans elected under Section 5.1 or required by Section 5.2, the Borrower may designate (i) the Types and Class of Loans that are to be prepaid and the specific Borrowing(s) being repaid and (ii) the Loans to be prepaid; provided that (A) each prepayment of any Loans made pursuant to a Borrowing shall be applied pro rata among such Loans, and (B) notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding clause (A), no prepayment of Loans shall be applied to the Loans of any Defaulting Lender unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Borrower. In the absence of a designation by the Borrower as described in the preceding sentence, the Administrative Agent shall, subject to the limitations in the proviso above, make such designation in its reasonable discretion with a view, but no obligation, to minimize breakage costs owing under Section 2.11.

(d) LIBOR Interest Periods. In lieu of making any payment pursuant to this Section 5.2 in respect of any LIBOR Loan, other than on the last day of the Interest Period thereof so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Borrower at its option may deposit, on behalf of the Borrower, with the Administrative Agent an amount equal to the amount of the LIBOR Loan to be prepaid and such LIBOR Loan shall be repaid on the last day of the Interest Period therefor in the required amount. Such deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent in a corporate time deposit account established on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, earning interest at the then customary rate for accounts of such type. The Borrower hereby grants to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, a security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein and all proceeds of the foregoing. Such deposit shall constitute cash collateral for the LIBOR Loans to be so prepaid; provided that the Borrower may at any time direct that such deposit be applied to make the applicable payment required pursuant to this Section 5.2.

(e) Application of Proceeds. The application of proceeds pursuant to this Section 5.2 shall not reduce the aggregate amount of Commitments under the Facility and amounts prepaid may be reborrowed subject to the Available Commitment.

5.3 Method and Place of Payment.

(a) Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, all payments under this Agreement shall be made by the Borrower without set-off, counterclaim or deduction of any kind, to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the Lenders entitled thereto or the Issuing Banks or the Swingline Lender entitled thereto, as the case may be, not later than 2:00 p.m. (New York City time), in each case, on the date when due and shall be made

 

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in immediately available funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office or at such other office as the Administrative Agent shall specify for such purpose by notice to the Borrower, it being understood that written or facsimile notice by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent to make a payment from the funds in the Borrower’s account at the Administrative Agent’s Office shall constitute the making of such payment to the extent of such funds held in such account. All repayments or prepayments of any Loans (whether of principal, interest or otherwise) hereunder and all other payments under each Credit Document shall be made in Dollars. The Administrative Agent will thereafter cause to be distributed on the same day (if payment was actually received by the Administrative Agent prior to 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) or, otherwise, on the next Business Day in the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent) like funds relating to the payment of principal or interest or fees ratably to the Lenders or the Issuing Banks, as applicable, entitled thereto.

(b) For purposes of computing interest or fees, any payments under this Agreement that are made later than 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) shall be deemed to have been made on the next succeeding Business Day in the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent. Whenever any payment to be made hereunder shall be stated to be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the due date thereof shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day and, with respect to payments of principal, interest shall be payable during such extension at the applicable rate in effect immediately prior to such extension.

5.4 Net Payments.

(a) Any and all payments made by or on behalf of the Borrower or any Guarantor under this Agreement or any other Credit Document shall be made free and clear of, and without deduction or withholding for or on account of, any Taxes; provided that if the Borrower, any Guarantor or the Administrative Agent or any other applicable withholding agent shall be required by applicable Requirements of Law to deduct or withhold any Taxes from such payments, then (i) the applicable withholding agent shall make such deductions or withholdings as are reasonably determined by the applicable withholding agent to be required by any applicable Requirement of Law, (ii) the applicable withholding agent shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable Requirements of Law, and (iii) to the extent withholding or deduction is required to be made on account of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes, the sum payable by the Borrower or such Guarantor shall be increased as necessary so that after all required deductions and withholdings have been made (including deductions or withholdings of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 5.4) the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, or the applicable Lender, as the case may be, receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions or withholdings been made. After any payment of Taxes by any Credit Party or the Administrative Agent to a Governmental Authority as provided in this Section 5.4, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent or the Administrative Agent shall deliver to the Borrower, as the case may be, the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return required by law to report such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be.

 

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(b) The Borrower shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable Requirements of Law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for, any Other Taxes (whether or not such Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority).

(c) The Borrower shall indemnify and hold harmless the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and each Lender within 15 Business Days after written demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed on the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent or such Lender, as the case may be (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 5.4), and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the basis and calculation of the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent (as applicable) on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error and shall constitute a required notice for purposes of Section 2.13.

(d) Each Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation and such other information reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, to determine (A) whether or not any payments made hereunder or under any other Credit Document are subject to Taxes, (B) if applicable, the required rate of withholding or deduction, and (C) such Lender’s entitlement to any available exemption from, or reduction of, applicable Taxes in respect of any payments to be made to such Lender by any Credit Party pursuant to any Credit Document or otherwise to establish such Lender’s status for withholding tax purposes in the applicable jurisdiction. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 5.4(e)(i)(A), (B) and (C), (h) and (i) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.

 

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(e) Without limiting the generality of Section 5.4(d), each Non-U.S. Lender with respect to any Loan made to the Borrower shall, to the extent it is legally eligible to do so:

(i) deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement, two copies of (A) in the case of a Non-U.S. Lender claiming exemption from U.S. federal withholding tax under Section 871(h) or 881(c) of the Code with respect to payments of “portfolio interest”, United States Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or any applicable successor form) (together with a certificate (substantially in the form of Exhibit K hereto) representing that such Non-U.S. Lender is not a bank for purposes of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, is not a “10-percent shareholder” (within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code) of the Borrower, is not a CFC described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code) and the interest payments in question are not effectively connected with the conduct by such Lender of a trade or business within the United States), (B) IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8ECI or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or any applicable successor form), in each case properly completed and duly executed by such Non-U.S. Lender claiming complete exemption from, or reduced rate of, U.S. federal withholding tax on payments by the Borrower under this Agreement, (C) IRS Form W-8IMY (or any applicable successor form) and all necessary attachments (including the forms described in clauses (A) and (B) above, provided that if the Non-U.S. Lender is a partnership and not a participating Lender, and one or more of the partners is claiming portfolio interest treatment, a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit K hereto may be provided by such Non-U.S. Lender on behalf of such partners) or (D) any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax duly completed together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and

(ii) deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent two further copies of any such form or certification (or any applicable successor form) promptly after such form or certification expires or becomes obsolete or invalid, after the occurrence of any event requiring a material change in the most recent form previously delivered by it to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and from time to time thereafter if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent or promptly notify in writing the Borrower and the Administrative Agent of such non-U.S. Lender’s inability to do so.

(iii) Each Person that shall become a Participant pursuant to Section 13.6 or a Lender pursuant to Section 13.6 shall, upon the effectiveness of the related transfer, be required to provide all the forms and statements required pursuant to this Section 5.4(e) or Sections 5.4(d), (h) or (i); provided that in the case of a Participant such Participant shall furnish all such required forms and statements to the Person from which the related participation shall have been purchased.

 

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(f) In addition, to the extent it is legally eligible to do so, each Agent shall deliver to the Borrower (x)(I) prior to the date on which the first payment by the Borrower is due hereunder or (II) prior to the first date on or after the date on which such Agent becomes a successor Agent pursuant to Section 12.9 on which payment by the Borrower is due hereunder, as applicable, two copies of a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-9 certifying its exemption from U.S. Federal backup withholding or a properly completed and executed applicable IRS Form W-8 certifying its non-U.S. status and its entitlement to any treaty benefits and its status as a qualified intermediary or withholding foreign partnership, and (y) on or before the date on which any such previously delivered documentation expires or becomes obsolete or invalid, after the occurrence of any event requiring a change in the most recent documentation previously delivered by it to the Borrower, and from time to time if reasonably requested by the Borrower, two further copies of such documentation.

(g) If any Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, as applicable, determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of an Indemnified Tax or Other Tax for which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 5.4 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 5.4), then the Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, as the case may be, shall reimburse the Borrower or such Guarantor for such amount (net of all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of such Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, as the case may be, and without interest other than any interest received thereon from the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund) as the Lender, Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, as the case may be, determines in its sole discretion exercised in good faith to be the proportion of the refund as will leave it, after such reimbursement, in no less favorable net after-Tax position (taking into account expenses or any taxes imposed on the refund) than it would have been in if the payment had not been required; provided that the Borrower or such Guarantor, upon the request of the Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, agrees to repay the amount paid over to the Borrower or such Guarantor (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent in the event the Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. In such event, such Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, as the case may be, shall, at the Borrower’s request, provide the Borrower with a copy of any notice of assessment or other evidence of the requirement to repay such refund received from the relevant Governmental Authority (provided that such Lender, the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent may delete any information therein that it deems confidential). No Lender nor the Administrative Agent nor the Collateral Agent shall be obliged to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to any Credit Party in connection with this clause (g) or any other provision of this Section 5.4.

(h) Each U.S. Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent two IRS Forms W-9 (or substitute or successor form), properly completed and duly executed, certifying that such U.S. Lender is exempt from United States federal backup withholding (i) on or prior to the Closing Date (or on or prior to the date it becomes a party to this Agreement), (ii) on or before the date that such form expires or becomes obsolete or invalid, (iii) after the occurrence of a change in the U.S. Lender’s circumstances requiring a change in the most recent form previously delivered by it to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, and (iv) from time to time thereafter if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent.

 

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(i) If a payment made to any Lender or any Agent under this Agreement or any other Credit Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender or such Agent were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender or such Agent shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA, to determine whether such Lender has or has not complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount, if any, to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 5.4(i), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.

(j) For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this Section 5.4, the term “Lender” includes any Issuing Bank and any Swingline Lender and the term “applicable law” or “Requirement of Law” includes FATCA.

(k) The agreements in this Section 5.4 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

5.5 Computations of Interest and Fees.

(a) Except as provided in the next succeeding sentence, interest on LIBOR Loans and ABR Loans shall be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year for the actual days elapsed. Interest on ABR Loans in respect of which the rate of interest is calculated on the basis of the Administrative Agent’s prime rate and interest on overdue interest shall be calculated on the basis of a 365- (or 366-, as the case may be) day year for the actual days elapsed.

(b) Fees and the average daily Stated Amount of Letters of Credit shall be calculated on the basis of a 360-day year for the actual days elapsed.

5.6 Limit on Rate of Interest.

(a) No Payment Shall Exceed Lawful Rate. Notwithstanding any other term of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be obligated to pay any interest or other amounts under or in connection with this Agreement or otherwise in respect to any of the Obligations in excess of the amount or rate permitted under or consistent with any applicable law, rule or regulation.

 

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(b) Payment at Highest Lawful Rate. If the Borrower is not obliged to make a payment that it would otherwise be required to make, as a result of Section 5.6(a), the Borrower shall make such payment to the maximum extent permitted by or consistent with applicable laws, rules and regulations.

(c) Adjustment if Any Payment Exceeds Lawful Rate. If any provision of this Agreement or any of the other Credit Documents would obligate the Borrower or any other Credit Party to make any payment of interest or other amount payable to any Lender in an amount or calculated at a rate that would be prohibited by any applicable Requirement of Law, then notwithstanding such provision, such amount or rate shall be deemed to have been adjusted with retroactive effect to the maximum amount or rate of interest, as the case may be, as would not be so prohibited by applicable Requirements of Law, such adjustment to be effected, to the extent necessary, by reducing the amount or rate of interest required to be paid by the Borrower to the affected Lender under Section 2.8.

(d) Rebate of Excess Interest. Notwithstanding the foregoing, and after giving effect to all adjustments contemplated thereby, if any Lender shall have received from the Borrower an amount in excess of the maximum permitted by any applicable Requirement of Law, then the Borrower shall be entitled, by notice in writing to the Administrative Agent to obtain reimbursement from that Lender in an amount equal to such excess, and pending such reimbursement, such amount shall be deemed to be an amount payable by that Lender to the Borrower.

SECTION 6. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO INITIAL BORROWING.

The initial Borrowing under this Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent on or prior to April 16, 2021, except as otherwise agreed or waived pursuant to Section 13.1.

(a) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received from the Borrower (i) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party or (ii) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include e-mail transmission of a signed signature page of this Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement.

(b) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received, on behalf of itself, the Collateral Agent and the Lenders, written opinions of (i) Kirkland & Ellis LLP, counsel to the Credit Parties and (ii) Jones Walker, as special Louisiana counsel to the Credit Parties, in each case, (i) dated the Closing Date, (ii) addressed to the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, the Lenders and each Issuing Bank and (iii) in form and substance customary for transactions of this type. The Borrower, the other Credit Parties and the Administrative Agent hereby instruct such counsel to deliver such legal opinions.

(c) The Administrative Agent shall have received, in the case of each Credit Party, each of the items referred to in subclauses (i) and (ii), and, in the case of the Borrower, the item referred to in subclause (iii) below:

 

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(i) a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation or certificate of formation, including all amendments thereto, of each Credit Party, in each case, certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State (or other similar official) of the jurisdiction of its organization, and a certificate as to the good standing (to the extent such concept or a similar concept exists under the laws of such jurisdiction) of each such Credit Party as of a recent date from such Secretary of State (or other similar official);

(ii) a certificate of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or similar officer of each Credit Party dated the Closing Date and certifying:

(A) that attached thereto is a true and complete copy of the bylaws (or limited liability company agreement or other equivalent governing documents) of such Credit Party as in effect on the Closing Date and at all times since a date prior to the date of the resolutions described in clause (B) below,

(B) that attached thereto is a true and complete copy of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors (or managing member or equivalent) of such Credit Party authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of the Credit Documents to which such person is a party and, in the case of the Borrower, the borrowings hereunder, and that such resolutions have not been modified, rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect on the Closing Date,

(C) that the certificate or articles of incorporation or certificate of formation of such Credit Party has not been amended since the date of the last amendment thereto disclosed pursuant to subclause (i) above,

(D) as to the incumbency and specimen signature of each officer executing any Credit Document or any other document delivered in connection herewith on behalf of such Credit Party, and

(E) a certificate of a director or an officer as to the incumbency and specimen signature of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or similar officer executing the certificate pursuant to subclause (ii) above.

(iii) a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower to the effect that (x) no Default or Event of Default exists and (y) since December 31, 2019, no event has occurred and is continuing, individually or in the aggregate, that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect and which certificate shall set forth the calculations demonstrating that, as of the Closing Date (i) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries were in compliance with a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio of no more than 2.25:1.00 and (ii) after giving effect to the Closing Date Loans, the Liquidity of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries is no less than $250,000,000.

 

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(d) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received executed copies of the Guarantee, executed by each Person which will be a Guarantor on the Closing Date, and of a joinder to the Intercreditor Agreement, executed by the Administrative Agent as collateral agent for the Secured Parties.

(e) (i) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received copies of the Collateral Agreement, Mortgages on at least 90% of the PV-9 of the Credit Parties’ total Proved Reserves included in the Initial Reserve Report and each other Security Document that is required to be executed on the Closing Date, duly executed by each Credit Party party thereto, together with evidence that all other actions, recordings and filings required by the Security Documents as of the Closing Date subject to the last paragraph of this Section 6 or that the Collateral Agent may deem reasonably necessary to (A) create the Liens intended to be created by any Security Document and perfect such Liens to the extent required by, and with the priority required by, such Security Document shall have been delivered to the Collateral Agent for filing, registration or recording and (B) comply with Section 9.11, in each case shall have been taken, completed or otherwise provided for in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(ii) All Equity Interests of each wholly-owned Material Subsidiary directly owned by the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor, in each case as of the Closing Date, shall have been pledged pursuant to Collateral Agreement (except that such Credit Parties shall not be required to pledge any Excluded Equity Interests) and the Collateral Agent shall have received all certificates, if any, representing such securities pledged under the Collateral Agreement, accompanied by instruments of transfer and/or undated powers endorsed in blank.

(iii) The Administrative Agent shall have received customary UCC lien searches with respect to the Borrower and the Guarantors in their applicable jurisdictions of organization.

(f) The Acquisition shall have been consummated, or shall be consummated substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement, in accordance with the terms of the Contribution Agreement. The Contribution Agreement shall not have been amended or waived in any material respect by PubCo and PubCo shall not have granted any material consent under the Contribution Agreement in a manner materially adverse to the Lenders (in their capacity as such) without the consent of the Lead Arrangers (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed). Upon the consummation of the Acquisition, the Borrower and Restricted Subsidiaries shall own at least 98% of the PV-9 value set forth in the Initial Reserve Report.

(g) All representations and warranties made by any Credit Party contained herein or in the other Credit Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the date of such Credit Event (except where such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties shall have been true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date and except that any representation and warranty that is qualified as to “materiality,” “Material Adverse Effect” or similar language shall be true and correct (after giving effect to any qualification therein) in all respects on such respective dates) and the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of an authorized officer of the borrower certifying as to the satisfaction of such condition.

 

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(h) The Closing Date IPO shall have been successfully consummated, or shall be consummated substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement, and gross proceeds of no less than $300,000,000 shall have been contributed, or shall be contributed substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement, to the Borrower.

(i) The Second Lien Credit Agreement shall have been amended to establish a “First Lien Facility Cap” (as defined therein) of $350,000,000, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

(j) [reserved].

(k) On the Closing Date, the Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received a solvency certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit J hereto and signed by a Financial Officer of the Borrower.

(l) The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence that the Borrower shall have made commercially reasonable efforts to (i) obtain and effect all insurance required to be maintained pursuant to the Credit Documents and (ii) cause the Administrative Agent to be named as loss payee and/or additional insured under each insurance policy with respect to such insurance as to which the Administrative Agent shall have requested to be so named.

(m) All fees and expenses required to be paid hereunder and invoiced at least three (3) Business Days before the Closing Date (or such shorter period as may be reasonably agreed by the Borrower) shall have been paid in full in cash or netted from the proceeds of the initial funding under the Facility.

(n) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Closing Date all documentation and other information (including a Beneficial Ownership Certification) required by regulatory authorities under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Beneficial Ownership Regulation and the Patriot Act, that has been requested by the Administrative Agent in writing at least ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date.

(o) The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received (i) the Initial Reserve Report and (ii) satisfactory title information (including customary title opinions, information or reports or other documents) consistent with usual and customary standards for the geographic regions in which the Borrowing Base Properties are located, taking into account the size, scope and number of leases and wells of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, with respect to not less than 85% of the PV-9 value of the Borrowing Base Properties on the Closing Date (provided that the Administrative Agent may waive the

 

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requirements of the preceding clause (ii) in its reasonable discretion so long as the Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received satisfactory title information (including customary title opinions, information or reports or other documents) consistent with usual and customary standards for the geographic regions in which the Borrowing Base Properties are located, taking into account the size, scope and number of leases and wells of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, with respect to not less than 50% of the PV-9 value of the Borrowing Base Properties on the Closing Date).

(p) The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence reasonably satisfactory to it that (i) the Existing Vine RBL Credit Agreement (ii) the Third Lien Credit Agreement and (iii) the Existing Brix Credit Agreement have been terminated, or shall be terminated substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement, that all related outstanding obligations (however defined) have been discharged or released. or shall be discharged or released substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement, and Liens securing such agreements and obligations shall have been terminated and/or released, or shall be terminated and/or released substantially concurrently with the initial Borrowing under this Agreement,.

Without limiting the generality of the provisions of Section 12.4, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specific in this Section 6, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matters required under this Section 6 to be consented or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

SECTION 7. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO ALL SUBSEQUENT CREDIT EVENTS.

The agreement of each Lender to make any Loan requested to be made by it on any date after the Closing Date (excluding Mandatory Borrowings and Loans required to be made by the Lenders in respect of Unpaid Drawings pursuant to Sections 3.3 and 3.4 and subject, in the case of clause (a) below, to the provisions set forth in Section 1.12(a)), and the obligation of any Issuing Bank to issue Letters of Credit on any date after the Closing Date, is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a) At the time of each such Credit Event and also after giving effect thereto, (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (ii) all representations and warranties made by any Credit Party contained herein or in the other Credit Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects with the same effect as though such representations and warranties had been made on and as of the date of such Credit Event (except where such representations and warranties expressly relate to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties shall have been true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date and except that any representation and warranty that is qualified as to “materiality,” “Material Adverse Effect” or similar language shall be true and correct (after giving effect to any qualification therein) in all respects on such respective dates) and (iii) if the Borrower has delivered a compliance certificate pursuant to Section 9.1(c) notifying the Administrative Agent of a failure to comply with the Financial Performance Covenants, the Borrower shall have cured such failure pursuant to Section 11.13(a).

 

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(b) Prior to the making of each Loan (other than any Loan made pursuant to Section 3.4(a)) and each Swingline Loan, the Administrative Agent shall have received a Notice of Borrowing (whether in writing or by telephone) meeting the requirements of Section 2.3(a).

(c) Prior to the issuance of each Letter of Credit, the Administrative Agent and the applicable Issuing Bank shall have received a Letter of Credit Application meeting the requirements of Section 3.2(a).

(d) No later than the date of any Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower to the effect that, after giving effect to the proceeds of such Borrowing, the Consolidated Cash Balance is less than $50,000,000 (after giving effect to any permitted use of proceeds within 5 Business Days of such Credit Event).

The acceptance of the benefits of each Credit Event after the Closing Date shall constitute a representation and warranty by each Credit Party to each of the Lenders that all the applicable conditions specified in Section 7 above have been satisfied as of that time.

SECTION 8. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREEMENTS

In order to induce the Lenders to enter into this Agreement, to make the Loans and issue or participate in Letters of Credit as provided for herein, the Borrower makes, on the date of each Credit Event, the following representations and warranties to, and agreements with, the Lenders, all of which shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the making of the Loans and the issuance of the Letters of Credit:

8.1 Existence, Qualification and Power. Each of the Borrower and each Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower (a) is duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and has the corporate or other organizational power and authority to own its property and assets and to transact its business as now conducted and (b) has duly qualified and is authorized to do business and is in good standing (if applicable) in all jurisdictions where it is required to be so qualified, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.2 Corporate Power and Authority; Enforceability; Binding Effect. Each Credit Party has the corporate or other organizational power and authority to execute, deliver and carry out the terms and provisions of the Credit Documents to which it is a party and has taken all necessary corporate or other organizational action to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of the Credit Documents to which it is a party. Each Credit Party has duly executed and delivered each Credit Document to which it is a party and each such Credit Document constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Credit Party enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and general principles of equity (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law).

 

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8.3 No Violation. None of the execution, delivery or performance by any Credit Party of the Credit Documents to which it is a party will (a) contravene any Requirement of Law, except to the extent such contravention would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (b) result in any breach of any of the terms, covenants, conditions or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of (or the obligation to create or impose) any Lien upon any of the property or assets of such Credit Party or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries (other than Liens created under the Credit Documents and Permitted Liens) pursuant to the terms of any indenture, loan agreement, lease agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, agreement or other instrument to which such Credit Party or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of its property or assets is bound (any such term, covenant, condition or provision, a “Contractual Requirement”) except to the extent such breach, default or Lien that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect or (c) violate any provision of the Organization Documents of such Credit Party or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries.

8.4 Litigation. Except as set forth on Schedule 8.4, there are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened in writing, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that either individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.5 Margin Regulations. Neither the making of any Loan hereunder nor the use of the proceeds thereof will violate the provisions of Regulation T, Regulation U or Regulation X of the Board.

8.6 Governmental Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of each Credit Document do not require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or other action by, any Governmental Authority or any other Person, except for (a) such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (b) filings and recordings in respect of the Liens created pursuant to the Security Documents and (c) such consents, approvals, registrations, filings or actions the failure of which to obtain or make would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.7 Investment Company Act. No Credit Party is required to be registered as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

8.8 True and Complete Disclosure.

(a) All written factual information delivered on or prior to the Closing Date (other than the (i) the Projections and (ii) estimates and information of a general economic nature or general industry nature) (the “Information”) prepared by or on behalf of the foregoing or their representatives and made available to any Lenders or the Administrative Agent in connection with the Transactions or the other transactions contemplated hereby (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished), when taken as a whole,

 

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was true and correct in all material respects, as of the Closing Date and did not, taken as a whole, contain any untrue statement of a material fact as of the Closing Date or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements contained therein, taken as a whole, not materially misleading in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made.

(b) The Projections (i) have been prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed by the Borrower to be reasonable as of the date thereof (it being understood that actual results may vary materially from the Projections), as of the date such Projections were furnished to the Lenders (with respect to any such Projections provided prior to the Closing Date) and as of the Closing Date and (ii) as of the Closing Date, have not been modified in any material respect by the Borrower.

(c) As of the Closing Date, to the knowledge of the Borrower, the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered, on or prior to the Closing Date, to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all material respects.

8.9 Tax Matters. Except as would not, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each of the Credit Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries have filed all tax returns required to be filed, and have paid all Taxes payable by it (including in their capacity as a withholding agent), except those that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings.

8.10 Compliance with ERISA.

(a) Except as set forth on Schedule 8.10(a) or as would not, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, each Pension Plan maintained by a Credit Party or ERISA Affiliate is in compliance with the applicable provisions of ERISA and the Code and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder and other federal or state Laws.

(b) (i) No ERISA Event has occurred during the six year period prior to the date on which this representation is made or deemed made or is reasonably expected to occur; (ii) neither any Credit Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to any Pension Plan (other than premiums due and not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA); (iii) neither any Credit Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability (and no event has occurred which, with the giving of notice under Section 4219 of ERISA, would result in such liability) under Sections 4201 or 4243 of ERISA with respect to a Multiemployer Plan; and (iv) neither any Credit Party nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Sections 4069 or 4212(c) of ERISA, except, with respect to each of the foregoing clauses of this Section 8.10(b), as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(c) With respect to each Pension Plan, the adjusted funding target attainment percentage, as determined under Sections 436(j) and 430(d)(2) of the Code, would not reasonably be expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Effect.” Neither any Credit Party nor any ERISA Affiliate maintains or contributes to a Pension Plan that is, or is expected to be, in at-risk status (as defined in Section 303(i)(4) of ERISA or Section 430(i)(4) of the Code) in each case, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.11 Subsidiaries. Schedule 8.11 lists each Subsidiary of the Borrower (and the direct and indirect ownership interest of the Borrower therein), in each case existing on the Closing Date (after giving effect to the Transactions). Each Guarantor, Material Subsidiary and Unrestricted Subsidiary as of the Closing Date (after giving effect to the Transactions) has been so designated on Schedule 8.11.

8.12 Intellectual Property. The Borrower and each of the Restricted Subsidiaries own or have obtained valid rights to use all intellectual property, free from any burdensome restrictions, that to the knowledge of the Borrower is reasonably necessary for the operation of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted, except where the failure to obtain any such rights would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.13 Environmental Laws. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Credit Parties and each of their respective Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws, which compliance includes obtaining, maintaining in full force and effect, and complying with all applicable Environmental Permits; (ii) neither the Credit Parties nor any of their respective Subsidiaries have received written notice of any Environmental Claim; (iii) neither the Credit Parties nor any of their respective Subsidiaries are currently conducting or have been ordered by a Governmental Authority to conduct any investigation, removal, remedial or other corrective action pursuant to any Environmental Law related to Hazardous Materials contamination at any location; and (iv) neither the Credit Parties nor any of their respective Subsidiaries, to their knowledge, have treated, stored, transported, Released or disposed or arranged for disposal or transport for disposal of Hazardous Materials at, on, under or from any currently or formerly owned, leased or operated facility in a manner that would reasonably be expected to give rise to liability of the Credit Parties or any of their respective Subsidiaries under Environmental Law.

8.14 Properties.

(a) Assuming that all applicable Governmental Authorities have granted approvals, made recordations and taken such other actions as are necessary in connection with the Transactions and any assignments made in connection therewith, except as set forth on Schedule 8.14 hereto or in an exhibit to any Reserve Report Certificate delivered hereunder, each Credit Party has good and defensible title to the Borrowing Base Properties evaluated in the most recently delivered Reserve Report (other than those (i) Disposed of in compliance with this Agreement since delivery of such Reserve Report, (ii) leases that have expired in accordance with their terms and (iii) with title defects disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent), and valid title to all its material personal properties, in each case, free and clear of all Liens other than Liens permitted by Section 10.2, except in each case where the failure to have such title would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect. After giving full effect to the

 

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Liens permitted by Section 10.2, the Borrower or the Restricted Subsidiary specified as the owner owns the working interests and net revenue interests attributable to the Hydrocarbon Interests as such working interests and net revenue interests are reflected in the most recently delivered Reserve Report, and the ownership of such properties shall not in any material respect obligate the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary to bear the costs and expenses relating to the maintenance, development and operations of each such property in an amount in excess of the working interest of each property set forth in the most recently delivered Reserve Report that is not offset by a corresponding proportionate increase in the Borrower’s or such Restricted Subsidiary’s net revenue interest in such property.

(b) All material leases and agreements necessary for the conduct of the business of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries are valid and subsisting, in full force and effect, except to the extent that any such failure to be valid or subsisting would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(c) The rights and properties presently owned, leased or licensed by the Credit Parties including all easements and rights of way, include all rights and properties necessary to permit the Credit Parties to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted, except to the extent any failure to have any such rights or properties would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(d) All of the properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries that are reasonably necessary for the operation of their businesses are in good working condition and are maintained in accordance with prudent business standards, except to the extent any failure to satisfy the foregoing would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.15 Solvency. On the Closing Date, after giving effect to the Transactions, the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, are Solvent.

8.16 Security Documents. The Security Documents create in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, a legal, valid and enforceable Lien or security interest in the respective Collateral described therein as security for the Obligations to the extent that a legal, valid, binding and enforceable Lien or security interest in such Collateral may be created under any applicable Requirement of Law, which Lien or security interest, upon the filing of financing statements, recordation of the Mortgages or the obtaining of possession or “control,” in each case, as applicable, with respect to the relevant Collateral as required under the applicable UCC or applicable local law, will constitute a fully perfected Lien on, and security interest in, all right, title and interest of the Borrower and each other Credit Party thereunder in such Collateral, in each case prior and superior (except as otherwise provided for in the relevant Security Document) in right to any other Person (other than Permitted Liens), in each case to the extent that a security interest may be perfected by the filing of a financing statement under the applicable UCC, recordation of the Mortgages under applicable local law or by obtaining possession or “control.”

 

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8.17 Gas Imbalances. On the Closing Date, except as set forth on Schedule 8.17, and thereafter, except as set forth in the most recently delivered certificate delivered under Section 9.14(c), on a net basis, there are no gas imbalances, take or pay or other prepayments exceeding 2.5% of the Credit Parties’ average monthly production of Hydrocarbon volumes, with respect to the Credit Parties’ Oil and Gas Properties that would require any Credit Party to deliver Hydrocarbons either generally or produced from their Borrowing Base Properties at some future time without then or thereafter receiving full payment therefor.

8.18 Marketing of Production. On the Closing Date, except as set forth on Schedule 8.18, and thereafter, except as set forth in the most recently delivered certificate delivered in Section 9.14(c), no material agreements exist (which are not cancelable on 60 days’ notice or less without penalty or detriment) for the sale of production of the Credit Parties’ Hydrocarbons at a fixed non-index price (including calls on, or other rights to purchase, production, whether or not the same are currently being exercised) that (i) represent in respect of such agreements 2.5% or more of the Credit Parties’ average monthly production of Hydrocarbon volumes and (ii) have a maturity or expiry date of longer than six months from the Closing Date.

8.19 Financial Statements.

(a) On and after the first date of delivery of financial statements pursuant to Section 9.1(a), the most recent financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 9.1(a) fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein.

(b) On and after the first date of delivery of financial statements pursuant to Section 9.1(b), the most recent financial statements delivered pursuant to Section 9.1(b) fairly present in all material respects the financial condition of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except for customary year-end adjustments and the absence of complete footnotes and as otherwise expressly noted therein.

(c) Since the Closing Date, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

8.20 OFAC; USA PATRIOT Act; FCPA.

(a) To the extent applicable, each of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries is in compliance, in all material respects, with (i) the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended, Sanctions, the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended and other applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, and (ii) the USA PATRIOT Act. Neither the Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Borrower and the other Credit Parties, any director, officer, employee, agent or controlled affiliate of the Borrower or any Subsidiary is, or is owned or controlled by Persons that are currently the subject of any Sanctions, nor is the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries located, organized or resident in any country or territory that is the subject of comprehensive Sanctions, (at the time of this Agreement, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and the Crimea region of Ukraine).

 

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(b) No part of the proceeds of the Loans will be used, directly or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, indirectly, by the Borrower (i) in violation of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, (ii) for the purpose of financing any activities or business (x) of or with any Person that, at the time of such financing, is the subject of any Sanctions, or (y) in any country or territory that is the subject of comprehensive Sanctions, or (iii) in violation of Anti-Money Laundering Laws.

(c) The Borrower and its Subsidiaries, and, to the knowledge of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, all of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates currently engaged by them and carrying out activities on their behalf, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and Anti-Money Laundering Laws. No Loan, Letter of Credit, use of proceeds or other transaction contemplated by this Agreement will, to the knowledge of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, violate any Anti-Corruption Law or any Anti-Money Laundering Laws.

8.21 Hedge Agreements. Schedule 8.21 sets forth, as of the Closing Date, a true and complete list of all material commodity Hedge Agreements of each Credit Party, the terms thereof relating to the type, term, effective date, termination date and notional amounts or volumes, the net mark to market value thereof, all credit support agreements relating thereto (including any margin required or supplied) and the counterparty to each such agreement.

8.22 No Default. No Default, Event of Default or Borrowing Base Deficiency has occurred and is continuing.

8.23 Insurance. The properties of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries are insured in the manner contemplated by Section 9.3.

8.24 Minimum Volume Commitments. Schedule 8.24 sets forth, as of the Closing Date, all Minimum Volume Commitments of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries and indicates which Minimum Volume Commitment have an acreage dedication associated therewith.

8.25 Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will use the proceeds of the Loans and will request the issuance of Letters of Credit only for the purposes specified in Section 9.12.

8.26 Compliance with Laws. Each Credit Party is in compliance with all Requirements of Law applicable to it and all agreements and other instruments binding upon it, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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SECTION 9. AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

The Borrower hereby covenants and agrees that on the Closing Date and thereafter, until Payment in Full has occurred:

9.1 Information Covenants. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly make such information available to the Lenders in accordance with its customary practice):

(a) Annual Financial Statements. Within 120 days after the end of each such fiscal year, the audited consolidated balance sheets of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries and, if different, the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows (or, in lieu of such audited financial statements of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, a reconciliation, reflecting such financial information for the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the Borrower and the Subsidiaries, on the other hand, reflecting adjustments necessary to eliminate the accounts of Unrestricted Subsidiaries (if any) from such consolidated financial statements) prepared in accordance with GAAP, and, except with respect to such reconciliation, certified by independent certified public accountants whose opinion shall not be materially qualified with a scope of audit or any “going concern” explanatory paragraph or like qualification or exception (other than an emphasis of matter paragraph) (other than with respect to, or resulting from, (x) the occurrence of an upcoming maturity date of any Indebtedness or (y) any prospective or actual default in the Financial Performance Covenants). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligations in this Section 9.1(a) may be satisfied with respect to financial information of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries by furnishing (A) the applicable financial statements of any Parent Entity or (B) the Borrower’s (or any Parent Entity’s), as applicable, filing of a Form 10-K with the SEC; provided that, with respect to each of clauses (A) and (B), (i) to the extent such information relates to a Parent Entity, such information is accompanied by consolidating information that explains in reasonable detail the differences between the information relating to such Parent Entity and its consolidated Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the information relating to the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries and the Borrower and its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries on a standalone basis, on the other hand and (ii) to the extent such information is in lieu of information required to be provided under the first sentence of this Section 9.1(a), such materials are accompanied by an opinion of independent certified public accountants whose opinion shall not be materially qualified with a scope of audit or any “going concern” explanatory paragraph or like qualification or exception (other than an emphasis of matter paragraph) (other than with respect to, or resulting from, (x) the occurrence of an upcoming maturity date of any Indebtedness or (y) any prospective or actual default in the Financial Performance Covenants).

(b) Quarterly Financial Statements. With respect to each of the first three quarterly accounting periods in each fiscal year of the Borrower, on or before the date that is 60 days after the end of each such quarterly accounting period, the consolidated balance sheets of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries and, if different, the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, in each case as at the end of such quarterly period and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows, and, beginning with the financial statements for the quarterly period ending June 30, 2022, setting forth comparative consolidated figures for the related periods in the prior fiscal year or, in the case of such consolidated balance sheet, for the last day of such periods in the prior fiscal year (or, in lieu of such unaudited financial statements of the Borrower and the Restricted

 

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Subsidiaries, a reconciliation reflecting such financial information for the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the Borrower and the Subsidiaries, on the other hand, reflecting adjustments necessary to eliminate the accounts of Unrestricted Subsidiaries (if any) from such consolidated financial statements), all of which shall be certified by a Financial Officer of the Borrower as fairly presenting in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows, of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject to changes resulting from audit and normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligations in this Section 9.1(b) may be satisfied with respect to financial information of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries by furnishing (A) the applicable financial statements of any Parent Entity or (B) the Borrower’s (or any Parent Entity’s), as applicable, Form 10-Q filed with the SEC; provided that, with respect to each of clauses (A) and (B), to the extent such information relates to a parent of the Borrower, such information is accompanied by consolidating information that explains in reasonable detail the differences between the information relating to such parent and its consolidated Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the information relating to the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries and the Borrower and its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries on a standalone basis, on the other.

(c) Officer’s Certificates. Not later than five (5) days after the delivery of the financial statements provided for in Section 9.1(a) and Section 9.1(b), a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower to the effect that no Default or Event of Default exists or, if any Default or Event of Default does exist, specifying the nature and extent thereof, which certificate shall set forth (i) beginning with the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2021, the calculations required to establish whether the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries were in compliance with the Financial Performance Covenants as at the end of such fiscal year or period, as the case may be, (ii) reasonably detailed calculations of Free Cash Flow for such fiscal quarter most recently ended (iii) set forth any change in the identity of the Restricted Subsidiaries, Material Subsidiaries, Guarantors and Unrestricted Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year or period, as the case may be, from the Restricted Subsidiaries, Material Subsidiaries, Guarantors and Unrestricted Subsidiaries, respectively, provided to the Lenders on the Closing Date or the most recent fiscal year or period, as the case may be and (iv) solely to the extent that any such policy has been renewed or newly entered into, an ACORD evidence of insurance certificate of such insurance coverage from the insurer providing such insurance in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, together with copies of all such policies, provided that such evidence shall only be required to be included in connection with the certificate delivered pursuant to this Section 9.1(a) following the delivery of financial statements provided for in Section 9.1(a).

(d) Notices. Promptly after an Authorized Officer of the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries obtains actual knowledge thereof, notice of (i) the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default, which notice shall specify the nature thereof and what action the Borrower proposes to take with respect thereto, (ii) any litigation or governmental proceeding pending against the Borrower or any of the Subsidiaries that would reasonably be expected to be determined adversely and, if so determined, to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and (iii) the occurrence of any ERISA Event that would reasonably be expected to result in a Lien or otherwise have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(e) Environmental Matters. Promptly after obtaining actual knowledge of any one or more of the following environmental matters, unless such environmental matters would not, individually, or when aggregated with all other such matters, be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, notice of:

(i) any Environmental Claim brought, filed or threatened in writing against any Credit Party; and

(ii) the actual Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Material on, at, under or from any facility owned or leased by a Credit Party in violation of Environmental Laws or as would reasonably be expected to result in liability under Environmental Laws or the conduct of any investigation, or any removal, remedial or other corrective action under Environmental Laws in response to the actual or alleged Release or threatened Release of any Hazardous Material on, at, under or from any facility owned or leased by a Credit Party.

All such notices shall describe in reasonable detail the nature of the claim, investigation, removal or remedial action.

(f) Cash Flow Forecast. Within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal year ending on or about December 31, 2021, of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries a forecast of (i) projected cash flows of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries and (ii) projected capital expenditures of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries (it being understood and agreed that such financial projections are forward looking statements prepared in good faith based on assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time prepared, and that actual results may vary materially from those financial projections).

(g) Other Information. With reasonable promptness, but subject to the limitations set forth in the last sentences of Section 9.2(a) and Section 13.6, such other information regarding the operations, business affairs and the financial condition of the Borrower or the Restricted Subsidiaries as the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of any Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent) may reasonably request in writing from time to time.

(h) Budget. Within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021) of the Borrower, a reasonably detailed consolidated budget for the following fiscal year as customarily prepared by management of the Borrower (including a projected consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the end of the following fiscal year, the related consolidated statements of projected cash flow and projected income and a summary of the material underlying assumptions applicable thereto) (collectively, the “Budget”), which Budget shall in each case be accompanied by a certificate of an Authorized Officer stating that such Budget has been prepared in good faith on the basis of the assumptions stated therein, which assumptions were believed to be reasonable at the time of preparation of such Budget, it being understood that actual results may vary from such Budget and that such variations may be material.

 

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(i) Notice of Casualty Events. Prompt written notice after an Authorized Officer of the Borrower obtains actual knowledge of the occurrence of any Casualty Event or the commencement of any action or proceeding that would reasonably be expected to result in a Casualty Event having a fair market value in excess of $50,000,000.

(j) Sales and Dispositions and Hedge Unwinds.

(i) In the event the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary intends to Dispose of any Borrowing Base Properties, or Equity Interests in any Person owning Borrowing Base Properties, in each case, with a PV-9 in excess of 3.0% of the then-effective Borrowing Base in a single transaction or in multiple transactions since the later of (A) the last Scheduled Redetermination Date and (B) the last adjustment of the Borrowing Base made pursuant to Section 2.14(f) when combined with the Swap PV of any Hedge Agreements Liquidated by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary during such time period (for the avoidance of doubt, excluding any novation of any Hedge Agreements with respect to which the Borrower or applicable Restricted Subsidiary remains a party), written notice (which, for the avoidance of doubt, may be delivered by email) within two (2) Business Days (or such longer time period agreed by the Administrative Agent) after the date of consummation of such Disposition, the Borrowing Base Properties that are the subject of such Disposition, the price thereof and any other details thereof reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

(ii) In the event that the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary intends to Liquidate Hedge Agreements or Dispose of Equity Interests in any Person owning Hedge Agreements with respect to which the Borrower reasonably believes the Swap PV of which (after taking into account the economic effect (including with respect to tenor) of any other Hedge Agreement executed contemporaneously with the taking of such actions and including any anticipated decline in the mark-to market value thereof) is in excess of 3.0% of the then-effective Borrowing Base in a single transaction or in multiple transactions since the later of (A) the last Scheduled Redetermination Date and (B) the last adjustment of the Borrowing Base made pursuant to Section 2.14(f) when combined with the Borrowing Base Value of any Disposition of any Borrowing Base Properties, or Equity Interests in any Person owning Borrowing Base Properties made during such time period, written notice (which, for the avoidance of doubt, may be delivered by email) of the foregoing no later than two (2) Business Days following such Liquidation, including the anticipated decline in the mark-to-market value thereof or net cash proceeds therefrom and any other details thereof reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent.

(k) Liquidity. During any period in which Section 10.11(c) applies, on or before the third Business Day following any date of determination of Liquidity pursuant to Section 10.11(c), a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower setting forth the calculations required to establish compliance with Section 10.11(c).

 

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It is understood that documents required to be delivered pursuant to Sections 9.1(a) through (n) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 13.2, (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Borrower’s behalf on IntraLinks, Debtdomain or another relevant website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent) or (iii) on which such documents are transmitted by electronic mail to the Administrative Agent; provided that: (i) upon written request by the Administrative Agent, the Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents delivered pursuant to Sections 9.1(a), 9.1(b), 9.1(c) and 9.1(f) to the Administrative Agent for further distribution to each Lender until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent and (ii) the Borrower shall notify (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. Each Lender shall be solely responsible for timely accessing posted documents or requesting delivery of paper copies of such documents from the Administrative Agent and maintaining its copies of such documents.

9.2 Books, Records and Inspections.

(a) The Borrower will, and will cause each Restricted Subsidiary to, maintain books of record and account that permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP.

(b) The Borrower will, and will cause each of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, permit designated representatives of the Administrative Agent and designated representatives of the Majority Lenders (as accompanied by the Administrative Agent) to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its financial and operating records, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its officers, and independent public accountants (subject to such accountants’ customary policies and procedures), all at the reasonable expense of the Borrower and at such reasonable times during normal business hours and as often as may be reasonably desired, upon reasonable advance notice to the Borrower; provided that, excluding any such visits and inspections during the continuation of an Event of Default, only the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders may exercise rights of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders under this Section 9.2(b) and the Administrative Agent shall not exercise such rights more often than two times during any calendar year and only one (1) such time shall be at the Borrower’s expense; provided, further, that when an Event of Default exists, the Administrative Agent or any representative of the Majority Lenders (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Borrower at any time during normal business hours and upon reasonable advance notice. The Administrative Agent and the Majority Lenders shall give the Borrower the opportunity to participate in any discussions with the Borrower’s independent public accountants. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 9.2(b), none of the Borrower nor any Restricted Subsidiary shall be required to disclose, permit the inspection, examination or making copies or abstracts of, or discussion of, any document, information or other matter that (i) constitutes non-financial trade secrets or non-financial proprietary information, (ii) in respect of which disclosure to the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or their respective representatives or contractors) is prohibited by any Requirement of Law or (iii) is subject to attorney-client or similar privilege or constitutes attorney work-product.

 

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9.3 Maintenance of Insurance.

(a) The Borrower will, and will cause each Restricted Subsidiary to, at all times maintain in full force and effect, pursuant to self-insurance arrangements or with insurance companies that the Borrower believes (in the good faith judgment of the management of the Borrower) are financially sound and reputable at the time the relevant coverage is placed or renewed, insurance in at least such amounts (after giving effect to any self-insurance which the Borrower believes (in the good faith judgment of management of the Borrower) is reasonable and prudent in light of the size and nature of its business) and against at least such risks (and with such risk retentions) as the Borrower believes (in the good faith judgment of management of the Borrower) is reasonable and prudent in light of the size and nature of its business; and will furnish to the Administrative Agent, upon written request from the Administrative Agent, information presented in reasonable detail as to the insurance so carried. The Secured Parties shall be the additional insureds on any such liability insurance as their interests may appear and, if property insurance is obtained, the Collateral Agent shall be the loss payee under any such property insurance; provided that, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is then continuing, the Secured Parties will provide any proceeds of such property insurance to the Borrower.

(b) With respect to each Mortgaged Property, obtain flood insurance in such total amount as the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders may from time to time reasonably require, if at any time the area in which any material improvements included as Collateral and located on any land subject to a Mortgage is designated a “flood hazard area” in any Flood Insurance Rate Map published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or any successor agency), and otherwise comply with the National Flood Insurance Program as set forth in the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended from time to time. Following the Closing Date, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent annual renewals of each flood insurance policy or annual renewals of each force-placed flood insurance policy, as applicable. In connection with any amendment to this Agreement pursuant to which any increase, extension, or renewal of Loans is contemplated, the Borrower shall cause to be delivered to the Administrative Agent for any Mortgaged Property with respect to which buildings or mobile homes are included as Collateral, a completed “life of the loan” Federal Emergency Management Agency Standard Flood Hazard Determination, duly executed and acknowledged by the appropriate Credit Parties, and evidence of flood insurance, as applicable.

9.4 Payment of Taxes. The Borrower shall, and shall cause each Restricted Subsidiary to, pay, discharge or otherwise satisfy its obligations in respect of all Tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges, before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (i) the amount or validity thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and the Borrower or a Subsidiary thereof has set aside on its books adequate reserves therefor in accordance with GAAP or (ii) the failure to make payment could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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9.5 Preservation of Existence, Etc. The Borrower will do, and will cause each Restricted Subsidiary to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its legal existence, corporate rights and authority, except to the extent that the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; provided, however, that the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may consummate any transaction permitted under Section 10.3, 10.4 or 10.5.

9.6 Compliance with Requirements of Law. The Borrower will, and will cause each Restricted Subsidiary to, comply with all Requirements of Law applicable to it or its property, except if the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

9.7 [Reserved].

9.8 Maintenance of Properties. The Borrower will, and will cause each of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, except in each case, where the failure to so comply would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (it being understood that this Section 9.8 shall not restrict any transaction otherwise permitted by Section 10.3, 10.4 or 10.5):

(a) operate its Oil and Gas Properties and other material properties or cause such Oil and Gas Properties and other material properties to be operated in accordance with the practices of the industry and in compliance with all applicable Contractual Requirements and all applicable Requirements of Law, including applicable proration requirements and Environmental Laws;

(b) keep and maintain all property material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and preserve, maintain and keep in good repair, working order and efficiency (ordinary wear and tear excepted) all of its material Oil and Gas Properties consisting of equipment, machinery and facilities; and

(c) to the extent a Credit Party is not the operator of any property, the Borrower shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the operator to operate such property in accordance with customary industry practices.

9.9 Transactions with Affiliates. The Borrower will conduct, and cause each of the Restricted Subsidiaries to conduct, all transactions involving aggregate payments or consideration in excess of $10,000,000 with any of its Affiliates (other than the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries or any entity that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction) on terms that are substantially as favorable to the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary as it would obtain at the time in a comparable arm’s-length transaction with a Person that is not an Affiliate, as determined by the board of directors or managers of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary in good faith; provided that the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to:

(a) the consummation of the Transactions, including the payment of Transaction Expenses;

 

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(b) the issuance of Equity Interests of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity thereof) to any officer, director, employee or consultant of any of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or the Sponsor (or any Parent Entity thereof) or any of its Subsidiaries;

(c) equity issuances, repurchases, retirements, redemptions or other acquisitions or retirements of Equity Interests by the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) permitted under Section 10.6;

(d) loans, advances and other transactions between or among the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any joint venture (regardless of the form of legal entity) in which the Borrower or any Subsidiary has invested (and which Subsidiary or joint venture would not be an Affiliate of the Borrower or such Subsidiary, but for the Borrower’s or such Subsidiary’s ownership of Equity Interests in such joint venture or such Subsidiary) to the extent permitted under Section 10;

(e) employment and severance arrangements and health, disability and similar insurance or benefit plans between the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) and the Subsidiaries and their respective future, current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants (including management and employee benefit plans or agreements, subscription agreements or similar agreements pertaining to the repurchase of Equity Interests pursuant to put/call rights or similar rights with future, current or former employees, officers, directors or consultants and equity option or incentive plans and other compensation arrangements) in the ordinary course of business or as otherwise approved by the board of directors or managers of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity);

(f) transactions pursuant to agreements in existence on the Closing Date and to the extent involving aggregate consideration in excess of $1,000,000 individually, set forth on Schedule 9.9 or any amendment thereto or arrangement similar thereto to the extent such amendment or arrangement is not adverse, taken as a whole, to the Lenders in any material respect (as determined by the Borrower in good faith);

(g) Restricted Payments, redemptions, repurchases and other actions permitted under Section 10.6;

(h) payments (including reimbursement of fees and expenses) by the Borrower and any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to the Sponsor made for any financial advisory, financing, underwriting or placement services or in respect of other investment banking activities (including in connection with acquisitions or divestitures, whether or not consummated), which payments are approved by the majority of the members of the board of directors or managers or a majority of the disinterested members of the board of directors or managers of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity), in good faith;

(i) any issuance of Equity Interests or other payments, awards or grants in cash, securities, Equity Interests or otherwise pursuant to, or the funding of, employment arrangements, equity options and equity ownership plans approved by the board of directors or board of managers of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity);

 

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(j) transactions with joint ventures for the purchase or sale of goods, equipment and services entered into in the ordinary course of business and in a manner consistent with prudent business practice followed by companies in the Oil and Gas Business;

(k) sales or conveyances of net profits interests or other royalty interests for cash at Fair Market Value allowed under Section 10.4;

(l) the issuance, sale or transfer of Equity Interests of the Borrower to any Parent Entity in connection with capital contributions by such Parent Entity to the Borrower;

(m) any transaction in respect of which the Borrower delivers to the Administrative Agent a letter addressed to the board of directors or managers of the Borrower from an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm, in each case of nationally-recognized standing that is in the good faith determination of the Borrower qualified to render such letter, which letter states that such transaction is (i) fair, from a financial point of view, to the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary or (ii) on terms, taken as a whole, that are no less favorable to the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, than would be obtained in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a person that is not an Affiliate;

(n) customary agreements and arrangements with oil and gas royalty trusts and master limited partnership agreements that comply with the affiliate transaction provisions of such royalty trust or master limited partnership agreement;

(o) payments and distributions by any Parent Entity (and any direct or indirect parent thereof) and the Subsidiaries to the extent such payments are permitted under Sections 10.6(f)(i) and (v);

(p) the payment of customary fees and reasonable out-of-pocket costs to, and indemnities provided on behalf of, future, current or former directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries or any Parent Entity;

(q) Investments permitted under Section 10.5 (other than Sections 10.5(k), (m), (w) and (y) thereof);

(r) transactions with customers, clients, joint venture partners, suppliers or purchasers or sellers of goods or services, in each case in the ordinary course of business and otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Agreement that are fair to the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, in the reasonable determination of the Board of Directors or the senior management of the Borrower, or are on terms at least as favorable as might reasonably have been obtained at such time from an unaffiliated party;

(s) transactions between the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries and any Person that is an Affiliate solely because a director of such Person is also a director of the Borrower or any Parent Entity; provided, however, that such director abstains from voting as a director of the Borrower or such Parent Entity, as the case may be, on any matter involving such other Person;

 

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(t) payments or loans (or cancellation of loans) to officers, directors, employees or consultants which are approved by a majority of the Board of Directors of the Borrower in good faith;

(u) any lease entered into between the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, as lessee and any Affiliate of the Borrower, as lessor, which is approved by a majority of the disinterested members of the Board of Directors in good faith or, any lease entered into between the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, as lessee, and any Affiliate of the Borrower, as lessor, in the ordinary course of business;

(v) Permitted Intercompany Activities;

(w) the formation and maintenance of any consolidated group or subgroup for tax, accounting or cash pooling or management purposes in the ordinary course of business; and

(x) a joint venture which would constitute a transaction with an Affiliate solely as a result of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary owning an equity interest or otherwise controlling such joint venture or similar entity.

9.10 Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Borrower will, and will cause each of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, except, in each case, to the extent that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, (a) comply, and take all commercially reasonable actions to cause all lessees and other Persons operating or occupying its properties to comply, with all applicable Environmental Laws and Environmental Permits; (b) obtain, maintain and renew all Environmental Permits required for its operations and properties; and (c) in each case to the extent the Credit Parties or Subsidiaries are required by a Governmental Authority or legally obligated to a third party, conduct any investigation, remedial or other corrective action required to address Hazardous Materials at any property or facility in compliance with applicable Environmental Laws.

9.11 Additional Guarantors, Grantors and Collateral.

(a) Subject to any applicable limitations set forth in the Guarantee or the Security Documents, the Borrower will cause (i) any direct or indirect Domestic Subsidiary (other than any Excluded Subsidiary) formed or otherwise purchased or acquired after the Closing Date (including pursuant to a Permitted Acquisition) and (ii) any Domestic Subsidiary of the Borrower that ceases to be an Excluded Subsidiary, in each case within 45 days from the date of such formation, acquisition or cessation, as applicable (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in its reasonable discretion) to (A) execute (x) a supplement to the Guarantee, substantially in the form of Exhibit I thereto, in order to become a Guarantor, (y) a supplement to the Collateral Agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit I thereto, in order to become a grantor and a pledgor thereunder and (z) a counterpart to the Intercompany Note, (B) if reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent, within forty-five (45) days after such request (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in writing in its discretion), deliver to the Administrative Agent a signed copy of an opinion, addressed to the

 

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Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lenders, of counsel for the Credit Parties reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent as to such matters set forth in this Section 9.11 as the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent may reasonably request, and (C) as promptly as practicable after the request therefor by the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, deliver to the Collateral Agent with respect to each Mortgaged Property, any existing nonprivileged title reports, abstracts or environmental assessment reports, to the extent available and in the possession or control of the Credit Parties or their respective Subsidiaries; provided, however, that there shall be no obligation to deliver to the Administrative Agent any existing environmental assessment report whose disclosure to the Administrative Agent would require the consent of a Person other than the Credit Parties or one of their respective Subsidiaries, where, despite the commercially reasonable efforts of the Credit Parties or their respective Subsidiaries to obtain such consent, such consent cannot be obtained.

(b) Subject to any applicable limitations set forth in the Collateral Agreement, the Borrower will pledge, and, if applicable, will cause each other Subsidiary Guarantor (or Person required to become a Subsidiary Guarantor pursuant to Section 9.11(a)) to pledge, to the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, (i) all of the Equity Interests (other than any Excluded Equity Interests) of each Restricted Subsidiary directly owned by the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor (or Person required to become a Guarantor pursuant to Section 9.11(a)), in each case, formed or otherwise purchased or acquired after the Closing Date, pursuant to supplements to the Collateral Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit I, thereto and (ii) except with respect to intercompany Indebtedness, all evidences of Indebtedness for borrowed money in a principal amount in excess of $10,000,000 (individually) that is owing to the Borrower or any Guarantor (or Person required to become a Guarantor pursuant to Section 9.11(a)), in each case pursuant to supplements to the Collateral Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit I thereto.

(c) [Reserved].

(d) In connection with each redetermination of the Borrowing Base and each other adjustment of the Borrowing Base pursuant to Section 2.14(f), the Borrower shall review the applicable Reserve Report, if any, and the list of current Mortgaged Properties (as described in Section 9.14(c)), to ascertain whether the PV-9 of the Mortgaged Properties (calculated at the time of redetermination) meets the Collateral Coverage Minimum after giving effect to exploration and production activities, acquisitions, Dispositions and production. In the event that the PV-9 of the Mortgaged Properties (calculated at the time of redetermination or such adjustment) does not meet the Collateral Coverage Minimum, then the Borrower shall, and shall cause the Credit Parties to, grant, within 75 days of delivery of the certificate required under Section 9.14(c) or the date of the relevant adjustment pursuant to Section 2.14(f), as applicable (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in its reasonable discretion), to the Collateral Agent as security for the Obligations a Lien (subject to Liens permitted by Section 10.2) on additional Oil and Gas Properties not already subject to a Lien of the Security Documents such that, after giving effect thereto, the PV-9 of the Mortgaged Properties (calculated at the time of redetermination) meets the Collateral Coverage Minimum. All such Liens will be created and perfected by and in accordance with the provisions of the Security

 

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Documents, including, if applicable, any additional Mortgages. In order to comply with the foregoing, if any Restricted Subsidiary places a Lien on its property and such Restricted Subsidiary is not a Guarantor, then it shall become a Guarantor and comply with the provisions of Sections 9.11(a) and (b).

(e) Without limitation of clause (a), (b) or (d) above, substantially simultaneously with the delivery of any Mortgage on any Oil and Gas Property for the benefit of any other secured parties securing Indebtedness that is subject to the Intercreditor Agreement, the Borrower shall, or shall cause the relevant Credit Party to, grant to the Collateral Agent as security for the Obligations a Lien on such Oil and Gas Property. All such Liens will be created and perfected by and in accordance with the provisions of the Security Documents, including, if applicable, any additional Mortgages. In order to comply with the foregoing, if any Restricted Subsidiary places a Lien on its property and such Subsidiary is not a Guarantor, then it shall become a Guarantor and comply with the provisions of Sections 9.11(a) and (b).

9.12 Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will use the proceeds of the Loans and any Letters of Credit to complete the Closing Date Refinancing, for the acquisition, development and exploration of oil and gas properties, to provide for the working capital needs of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries and for other general corporate purposes permitted by this Agreement (including using Letters of Credit to support deposits under purchase agreements and backstopping contractual obligations).

9.13 Further Assurances.

(a) Subject to the applicable limitations set forth in the Security Documents, unless otherwise provided hereunder, the Borrower will, and will cause each other Credit Party to, execute any and all further documents, financing statements, agreements and instruments, and take all such further actions (including the filing and recording of financing statements, fixture filings, assignments of as-extracted collateral arising from the Borrowing Base Properties, mortgages, deeds of trust and other documents) that the Collateral Agent or the Required Lenders may reasonably request, in order to grant, preserve, protect and perfect the validity and priority of the security interests created or intended to be created by the applicable Security Documents, all at the expense of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries.

(b) [Reserved].

(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if the Collateral Agent and the Borrower reasonably determine in writing that the cost of creating or perfecting any Lien on any property is excessive in relation to the benefits afforded to the Lenders thereby, then such property may be excluded from the Collateral for all purposes of the Credit Documents. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Collateral Agreement, or any other Credit Document, (i) the Administrative Agent may grant extensions of time for or waivers of the requirements of the creation or perfection of security interests in or the obtaining of title opinions or other title information, legal opinions, appraisals, flood insurance and surveys with respect to particular assets

 

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(including extensions beyond the Closing Date for the perfection of security interests in the assets of the Credit Parties on such date) where it reasonably determines, in consultation with the Borrower, that perfection or obtaining of such items is not required by law or cannot be accomplished without undue effort or expense by the time or times at which it would otherwise be required by this Agreement or the other Credit Documents, (ii) Liens required to be granted from time to time pursuant to this Agreement and the Security Documents shall be subject to exceptions and limitations set forth in the Security Documents and (iii) the Administrative Agent and the Borrower may make such modifications to the Security Documents, and execute and/or consent to such easements, covenants, rights of way or similar instruments (and Administrative Agent may agree to subordinate the lien of any mortgage to any such easement, covenant, right of way or similar instrument or record or may agree to recognize any tenant pursuant to an agreement in a form and substance reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent), as are reasonable or necessary and otherwise permitted by this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, in each case under this clause (iii) other than with respect to covenants running with the land and acreage dedications in connection with Minimum Volume Commitments.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9.13 or anything in this Agreement or any other Credit Document to the contrary: (A) Liens required to be granted from time to time shall be subject to exceptions and limitations set forth in the Collateral Agreement and the other Credit Documents; (B) the Collateral shall not include any Excluded Assets; (C) except as provided in Section 3.7 hereof, no deposit account control agreement, securities account control agreement, commodity account control agreement or other control agreements or control arrangements shall be required with respect to any deposit account, securities account, commodity account or other asset specifically requiring perfection through control agreements; and (D) no actions in any jurisdiction outside of the United States or that are necessary to comply with any Requirement of Law of any jurisdiction outside of the United States shall be required in order to create any security interest in assets located, titled, registered or filed outside of the United States or to perfect such security interests (it being understood that there shall be no collateral agreements, security agreements, pledge agreements, or share charge (or mortgage) agreements governed under the laws of any jurisdiction outside of the United States; provided that nothing in this Section 9.13 or any other provision of the Credit Documents shall affect or impair the Borrower’s obligation to meet the Collateral Coverage Minimum.

9.14 Reserve Reports.

(a) On or before March 1 and September 1 of each year, commencing September 1, 2021, the Borrower shall furnish to the Administrative Agent a Reserve Report evaluating, as of the immediately preceding December 31 (or January 1) and June 30 (or July 1), respectively, the Proved Reserves of the Borrower and the Credit Parties located within the geographic boundaries of the United States of America and other applicable Oil and Gas Properties of the Credit Parties that the Borrower desires to have included in any calculation of the Borrowing Base. Each Reserve Report (i) as of December 31 (or January 1) shall be prepared by one or more Approved Petroleum Engineers and (ii) June 30 (or July 1) shall, at the sole election of the Borrower, (x) be

 

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prepared by one or more Approved Petroleum Engineers or (y) be prepared by or under the supervision of the chief engineer of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary in accordance with the procedures used in the immediately preceding December 31 Reserve Report or the Initial Reserve Report, if no December 31 Reserve Report has been delivered.

(b) In the event of an Interim Redetermination, the Borrower shall furnish to the Administrative Agent a Reserve Report prepared by one or more Approved Petroleum Engineers or prepared under the supervision of the chief engineer of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary. For any Interim Redetermination pursuant to Section 2.14(b), the Borrower shall provide such Reserve Report with an “as of” date as required by the Administrative Agent, as soon as possible, but in any event no later than 45 days, in the case of any Interim Redetermination requested by the Borrower or 60 days, in the case of any Interim Redetermination requested by the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, following the receipt of such request.

(c) With the delivery of each Reserve Report, the Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent a Reserve Report Certificate from an Authorized Officer of the Borrower certifying that in all material respects:

(i) in the case of Reserve Reports prepared by or under the supervision of the chief engineer of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary, such Reserve Report has been prepared, except as otherwise specified therein, in accordance with the procedures used in the immediately preceding December 31 Reserve Report or the Initial Reserve Report, if no December 31 Reserve Report has been delivered;

(ii) as of a recent date of determination,, a true and complete list of all material commodity Hedge Agreements of the Borrower and each Credit Party, the material terms thereof (in respect of the type, term, effective date, termination date and notional amounts or volumes), the net mark-to-market value thereof (as of such recent date of determination and for which a mark-to-market value is reasonably available);

(iii) for each calendar month during the then current fiscal year to date, the volume of production of Hydrocarbons and sales attributable to production of Hydrocarbons (and the prices at which such sales were made and the revenues derived from such sales) for each such calendar month from the Borrowing Base Properties, and setting forth the related ad valorem, severance and production taxes and lease operating expenses attributable thereto for each such calendar month;

(iv) the information contained in the Reserve Report and any other information delivered in connection therewith is true and correct in all material respects;

(v) assuming that all applicable Governmental Authorities have granted approvals, made recordations and taken such other actions as are necessary in connection with the Transactions and any assignments made in connection therewith, except as set forth in an exhibit to such certificate, the Borrower or

 

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another Credit Party has good and defensible title to the Borrowing Base Properties evaluated in such Reserve Report (other than those (w) to be acquired in connection with an acquisition, (x) Disposed of since delivery of such Reserve Report, (y) leases that have expired in accordance with their terms and (z) with title defects disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent) and such Borrowing Base Properties are free (or will be at the time of the acquisition thereof) of all Liens except for Liens permitted by Section 10.2;

(vi) except as set forth on an exhibit to such certificate, on a net basis there are no gas imbalances, take or pay or other prepayments in excess of the volume specified in Section 8.17 with respect to the Credit Parties’ Oil and Gas Property evaluated in such Reserve Report that would require the Borrower or any other Credit Party to deliver Hydrocarbons either generally or produced from such Oil and Gas Properties at some future time without then or thereafter receiving full payment therefor;

(vii) none of the Borrowing Base Properties have been Disposed of since the date of the last Borrowing Base determination except those Borrowing Base Properties listed on such certificate as having been Disposed of; and

(viii) the certificate shall also attach, as schedules thereto, a list of (1) all material marketing agreements (which are not cancellable on 60 days’ notice or less without penalty or detriment) entered into subsequent to the later of the Closing Date and the most recently delivered Reserve Report for the sale of production of the Credit Parties’ Hydrocarbons at a fixed non-index price (including calls on, or other parties rights to purchase, production, whether or not the same are currently being exercised) that represent in respect of such agreements 2.5% or more of the Credit Parties’ average monthly production of Hydrocarbon volumes and that have a maturity date or expiry date of longer than six months from the last day of such fiscal year or period, as applicable and (2) all Borrowing Base Properties evaluated by such Reserve Report that are Collateral and demonstrating compliance with (calculated at the time of delivery of such Reserve Report) the Collateral Coverage Minimum.

9.15 Change in Business. The Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, will not fundamentally and substantively alter the character of their business, taken as a whole, from (i) the business conducted by them on the Closing Date or (ii) any other business reasonably related, complementary, incidental, synergistic or ancillary thereto (including Industry Investments) or reasonable extensions thereof.

9.16 Title Information. On or before the date of delivery to the Administrative Agent of each Reserve Report required by Section 9.14(a) following the Closing Date, the Borrower will deliver title information (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) with respect to the Borrowing Base Properties consistent with usual and customary standards for the geographic regions in which the Borrowing Base Properties are located, taking into account the size, scope and number of leases and wells of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries as is required to demonstrate satisfactory title on 85% of the PV-9 value of the Borrowing Base Properties included in the most recent Reserve Report.

 

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9.17 Deposit Account, Securities Account and Commodity Account Control Agreements. The Borrower will, and will cause each Guarantor to, in connection with any Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account, in each case, other than (x) any Excluded Account for so long as it is an Excluded Account (a) held or maintained on the Closing Date by the Borrower or any such Guarantor, promptly but in any event within forty-five (45) days of the Closing Date (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion), enter into and deliver to the Collateral Agent a deposit account control agreement (a “Deposit Account Control Agreement”), securities account control agreement (a “Securities Account Control Agreement”) or commodity account control agreement (a “Commodity Account Control Agreement”), as applicable, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent and the account bank, securities intermediary or commodity intermediary, as applicable, for any such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account and (b) established on or after the Closing Date by the Borrower or any such Guarantor, promptly but in any event within forty-five (45) days of the establishment of such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion) enter into and deliver to the Collateral Agent a Deposit Account Control Agreement, Securities Account Control Agreement or Commodity Account Control Agreement, as applicable, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent and the account bank, securities intermediary or commodity intermediary, as applicable, for any such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account; provided that (x) the aggregate daily maximum balance for all such bank accounts excluded pursuant to this clause (b) on any day shall not exceed $5,000,000 and (y) the Borrower or such Guarantor shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this Section 9.17(b) with respect to any Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account that is acquired by the Borrower or such Guarantor as a result of a Permitted Acquisition, so long as, within forty-five (45) days after the date of such Permitted Acquisition (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion), the Borrower or such Guarantor (A) causes such account to be subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement, Securities Account Control Agreement or Commodity Account Control Agreement, as applicable, that satisfies the requirements of this Section 9.17(b) or (B) closes such account and transfers any funds therein to an account that satisfies the requirements of this Section 9.17(b); provided further that, solely in the case of the preceding clause (y), the Borrower or the applicable Guarantors, or any of their respective Affiliates, do not direct or redirect any funds into any such accounts acquired as a result of a Permitted Acquisition or during such forty-five (45) day period, unless a Deposit Account Control Agreement has been established with respect to the applicable account in accordance with this Section 9.17. After the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Collateral Agent may give instructions directing the disposition of funds credited to any Controlled Account and/or withhold any withdrawal rights from the Borrower or any Guarantor with respect to funds credited to any Controlled Account.

9.18 Minimum Hedged Volumes.

(a) The Borrower and/or other Credit Parties shall, within fifteen (15) days subsequent to the Effective Date, enter into (and thereafter maintain) Hedge Agreements in respect of Hydrocarbons establishing a “floor” price and entered into not for speculative

 

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purposes the notional volumes for which (when aggregated with other commodity Hedge Agreements then in effect, other than puts, floors and basis differential swaps on volumes already hedged pursuant to other Hedge Agreements) are no less than 80% of the reasonably anticipated Hydrocarbon production in respect of crude oil and natural gas from the Credit Parties’ total Proved Developed Producing Reserves (as forecast based on the Initial Reserve Report) for each month during the twenty-four (24) month period following the Effective Date.

(b) The Borrower and/or other Credit Parties shall, within 20 days subsequent to the date of delivery of each Reserve Report pursuant to Section 9.14(a), enter into (and thereafter maintain) Hedge Agreements in respect of Hydrocarbons establishing a “floor” price and entered into not for speculative purposes the notional volumes for which (when aggregated with other commodity Hedge Agreements then in effect, other than puts, floors and basis differential swaps on volumes already hedged pursuant to other Hedge Agreements) are no less than, as of the date the compliance certificate for calculating the Leverage Ratio Covenant is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 9.1(c), for each of the eight (8) fiscal quarters that follow such date of delivery, 70% of the reasonably anticipated Hydrocarbon production in respect of crude oil and natural gas from the Credit Parties’ total Proved Developed Producing Reserves (as forecast based upon the Initial Reserve Report or the most recent Reserve Report delivered pursuant to Section 9.14(a), as applicable).

(c) If the Borrower has made commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the required minimum hedging described in clauses (a) and (b) above, and has not received offers to provide such levels of Hydrocarbon hedging at quoted rates reflective of market bids and offers for similar secured transactions (as reasonably determined by the Borrower and certified to the Administrative Agent), the Borrower shall be deemed to have complied with the foregoing required minimum hedging in relation to the delivery of such Reserve Report to the extent that it enters into such available levels of commodity hedging at such quoted rates reflective of market bids and offers.

9.19 Minimum Volume Commitments. The Borrower and/or other Credit Parties shall, within five (5) Business Days of entry into any Minimum Volume Commitment arrangements, notify the Administrative Agent and provide copies of the definitive documentation governing such arrangements to the Administrative Agent.

9.20 Subordination of Operators Liens. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, have any of its Oil and Gas Properties operated by any of their respective Affiliates unless such Affiliate has entered into a subordination agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent subordinating the obligations of any Credit Party to such Affiliate to the Obligations and subordinating the Lien securing such obligations to any Lien securing the Obligations.

9.21 Post-Closing Covenants. Except as otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion, the Borrower shall, and shall cause each of the other Credit Parties to, deliver each of the documents, instruments and agreements and take each of the actions set forth on Schedule 9.21 within the time periods set forth therein (or such longer time periods as determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion).

 

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SECTION 10. NEGATIVE COVENANTS.

The Borrower hereby covenants and agrees that on the Closing Date and thereafter, until Payment in Full has occurred:

10.1 Limitation on Indebtedness. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness other than the following:

(a) Indebtedness arising under the Credit Documents (including pursuant to Sections 2.16 and 2.17);

(b) [Reserved];

(c) the Second Lien Credit Agreement, and any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness;

(d) Indebtedness of (i) the Borrower or any Guarantor owing to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that any such Indebtedness owing by a Credit Party to a Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor, to the extent permitted by Requirements of Law and not giving rise to material adverse tax consequences shall be subordinated to the Obligations pursuant to the Intercompany Note, (ii) any Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor owing to any other Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor and (iii) to the extent permitted by Section 10.5, any Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor owing to the Borrower or any Guarantor;

(e) Indebtedness in respect of any bankers’ acceptances, bank guarantees, letters of credit, warehouse receipts or similar instruments entered into in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or industry practice (including in respect of workers compensation claims, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance or self-insurance or other Indebtedness with respect to reimbursement-type obligations regarding workers compensation claims); provided that any reimbursement obligations in respect thereof are reimbursed within 30 days following the incurrence thereof;

(f) subject to compliance with Section 10.5, Guarantee Obligations incurred by (i) Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of Indebtedness or other obligations of the Borrower or other Restricted Subsidiaries that is permitted to be incurred under this Agreement (except that a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Credit Party may not, by virtue of this Section 10.1(f), guarantee Indebtedness that such Restricted Subsidiary could not otherwise itself incur under this Section 10.1) and (ii) the Borrower in respect of Indebtedness of Restricted Subsidiaries that is permitted to be incurred under this Agreement; provided that (A) if the Indebtedness being guaranteed under this Section 10.1(f) is subordinated to the Obligations, such Guarantee Obligations shall be subordinated to the Guarantee of the Obligations on terms at least as favorable to the

 

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Lenders as those contained in the subordination of such Indebtedness and (B) no guarantee by any Restricted Subsidiary of any Permitted Additional Debt, Indebtedness under clauses (c), (i), (k) or (q) of this Section 10.1 or other Junior Debt shall be permitted unless such Restricted Subsidiary shall have also provided a guarantee of the Obligations substantially on the terms set forth in the Guarantee;

(g) Guarantee Obligations (i) incurred in the ordinary course of business in respect of obligations of (or to) suppliers, customers, franchisees, lessors, licensees or sublicensees or (ii) otherwise constituting Investments permitted by Sections 10.5(d), (g), (h), (i), (j), (q), (r), (s) and (t);

(h) (i) Indebtedness (including Indebtedness arising under Capitalized Leases) incurred prior to or within 365 days following the acquisition, construction, lease, repair, replacement, expansion or improvement of assets (real or personal, and whether through the direct purchase of property or the Equity Interests of a Person owning such property) to finance the acquisition, construction, lease, repair, replacement expansion, or improvement of such assets (for the avoidance of doubt, the purchase date for any asset shall be the later of the date of completion of installation and the beginning of the full productive use of such asset); (ii) Indebtedness arising under Capitalized Leases, other than (A) Capitalized Leases in effect on the Closing Date and (B) Capitalized Leases entered into pursuant to subclause (i) above; and (iii) any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance any such Indebtedness; provided, that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness permitted by subclauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of this Section 10.1(h) shall not exceed at any time outstanding the greater of $65,000,000 and 3.5% of Consolidated Total Assets;

(i) Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and set forth on Schedule 10.1 and any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness;

(j) Indebtedness in respect of Hedge Agreements, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 10.10;

(k) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary (including, for the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness) (x) incurred in connection with any Permitted Acquisition or similar Investment permitted under Section 10.5 or (y) assumed in connection with any Permitted Acquisition or similar Investment permitted under Section 10.5 so long as, in the case of Indebtedness assumed pursuant to clause (y) hereof, such Indebtedness is not incurred in contemplation of such Permitted Acquisition or similar Investment; provided that, (A) after giving Pro Forma Effect to such Permitted Acquisition or similar Investment and the incurrence or assumption of such Indebtedness, the Borrower shall be in compliance with the Financial Performance Covenants on a Pro Forma Basis and (B) in the case of any such secured Indebtedness assumed pursuant to clause (y) hereof, the holders of such Indebtedness have no recourse to property other than the property so acquired and the property so acquired shall not constitute Borrowing Base Properties; provided, further that (i) in the case of Indebtedness incurred or assumed pursuant to

 

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clauses (x) and (y) hereof, any such Indebtedness shall have a maturity date that is after the Latest Maturity Date at the time such Indebtedness is incurred or assumed and have a Weighted Average Life to Maturity not shorter than the longest remaining Weighted Average Life to Maturity of the Facility; provided, further, that the requirements of this Section 10.1(k) shall not apply to any Indebtedness of the type that could have been incurred under Section 10.1(h);

(l) Indebtedness in respect of Minimum Volume Commitments (including obligations contained in firm transportation or supply agreements or other take or pay contracts), in each case arising in the ordinary course of business in an amount not to exceed 70% of projected production on a quarterly basis for each period set forth in the most recently delivered Reserve Report;

(m) Indebtedness arising from Permitted Intercompany Activities to the extent constituting an Investment permitted by Section 10.5;

(n) Indebtedness of a Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor; provided that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness outstanding at any time pursuant to this Section 10.1(n) shall not at the time of incurrence thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto and the use of proceeds thereof on a Pro Forma Basis exceed the greater of (i) $55,000,000 and (ii) 3.0% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date of incurrence of such Indebtedness based upon internally available financial statements); provided, further, that no Credit Party’s assets are used to secure any such Indebtedness and no Credit Party guarantees such Indebtedness;

(o) Indebtedness in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds and completion guarantees and similar obligations, and obligations in respect of letters of credit, bank guaranties or instruments related thereto, in each case provided in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or industry practice, including those incurred to secure health, safety and environmental obligations in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or industry practice;

(p) (i) other additional Indebtedness, provided that the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness outstanding at any time pursuant to this Section 10.1(p) shall not at the time of incurrence thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto and the use of proceeds thereof on a Pro Forma Basis exceed the greater of $65,000,000 and 3.5% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date of incurrence of such Indebtedness based upon the financial statements most recently available prior to such date) and (ii) any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness;

(q) Indebtedness in respect of (i) unsecured Permitted Additional Debt; provided that (x) immediately after giving effect to the incurrence or issuance thereof and the use of proceeds therefrom, (A) the Borrower shall be in compliance with the Financial Performance Covenants on a Pro Forma Basis, (B) no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (C) no Borrowing Base Deficiency shall result therefrom (after giving effect to any substantially contemporaneous application of the proceeds of such Indebtedness to cure any such Borrowing Base Deficiency), and (y) the Borrowing Base shall be adjusted to the extent required by Section 2.14(e), and (ii) any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness issued or incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness;

 

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(r) Cash Management Obligations, Cash Management Services and other Indebtedness in respect of netting services, automatic clearing house arrangements, employees’ credit or purchase cards, overdraft protections and similar arrangements;

(s) Indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business in respect of obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to pay the deferred purchase price of goods or services or progress payments in connection with such goods and services;

(t) Indebtedness arising from agreements of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary providing for indemnification, adjustment of purchase price or similar obligations (including earn-outs), in each case assumed or entered into in connection with the Transactions, any Permitted Acquisitions, other Investments permitted by Section 10.5 and the Disposition of any business, assets or Equity Interests not prohibited hereunder;

(u) Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary consisting of obligations to pay insurance premiums;

(v) Indebtedness representing deferred compensation to employees, consultants or independent contractors of the Borrower or, to the extent attributable to the ownership or operation of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries any Parent Entity and the Restricted Subsidiaries incurred in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practice or industry practice;

(w) Indebtedness consisting of promissory notes issued by the Borrower or any Guarantor to current or former officers, managers, consultants, directors and employees (or their respective spouses, former spouses, successors, executors, administrators, heirs, legatees or distributees) to finance the purchase or redemption of Equity Interests of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) permitted by Section 10.6;

(x) Indebtedness consisting of obligations of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries under deferred compensation or other similar arrangements incurred by such Person in connection with the Transactions, Permitted Acquisitions or any other Investment permitted hereunder;

(y) Indebtedness associated with bonds or surety obligations required by Requirements of Law or by Governmental Authorities in connection with the operation of Oil and Gas Properties in the ordinary course of business;

(z) [Reserved];

(aa) [Reserved];

 

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(bb) Indebtedness incurred on behalf of, or Guarantee Obligations in respect of the Indebtedness of, joint ventures (regardless of the form of legal entity) that are not Subsidiaries in principal amount, when aggregated with the outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clause (aa), not to exceed, at the time of incurrence thereof, the greater of $45,000,000 and 2.5% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date of incurrence of such Indebtedness based on the financial statements most recently available prior to such date);

(cc) (i) Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed 100% of the net cash proceeds received by the Borrower after the Closing Date from the issuance and sale of its Equity Interests or in connection with the contribution of cash to the capital of the Borrower (other than Disqualified Stock, Cure Amounts and amounts which serve to increase the Applicable Equity Amount); provided that such Indebtedness is incurred within 180 days after such contribution to the Borrower is made; provided further that such net cash proceeds shall not increase the Applicable Equity Amount and (ii) any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect of any such Indebtedness;

(dd) Indebtedness supported by a Letter of Credit, in a principal amount not to exceed the face amount of such Letter of Credit; and

(ee) all premiums (if any), interest (including post-petition interest), fees, expenses, charges, and additional or contingent interest on obligations described in clauses (a) through (dd) above.

For purposes of determining compliance with Section 10.1, in the event that an item of Indebtedness (or any portion thereof) at any time, whether at the time of incurrence or issuance or upon the application of all or a portion of the proceeds thereof or subsequently, meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of permitted Indebtedness described in Section 10.1(a) through (ee) above, the Borrower, in its sole discretion, will classify and may subsequently reclassify such item of Indebtedness (or any portion thereof) in any one or more of the types of Indebtedness described in Section 10.1(a) through (ee) and will only be required to include the amount and type of such Indebtedness in such of the above clauses as determined by the Borrower at such time. The Borrower will be entitled to divide and classify an item of Indebtedness in more than one of the types of Indebtedness described in clauses (a) through (ee) of Section 10.1 above.

The accrual of interest or dividends, the accretion of accreted value, the accretion or amortization of original issue discount, and the payment of interest or dividends in the form of additional Indebtedness of the same class, accretion or amortization of original issue discount or liquidation preference and increases in the amount of Indebtedness outstanding solely as a result of fluctuations in the exchange rate of currencies, will, in each case, not be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness for purposes of this Section 10.1. The principal amount of any Indebtedness incurred to refinance other Indebtedness, if incurred in a different currency from the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock, as applicable, being refinanced, shall be calculated based on the currency exchange rate applicable to the currencies in which such respective Indebtedness is denominated that is in effect on the date of such refinancing. The principal amount of any non-interest bearing Indebtedness or other discount security constituting Indebtedness at any date shall be the principal amount thereof that would be shown on a balance sheet of the Borrower dated such date prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

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10.2 Limitation on Liens. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any property or assets of any kind (real or personal, tangible or intangible) of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, except:

(a) Liens arising under the Credit Documents to secure the Obligations (including Liens in respect of any Letter of Credit or Letter of Credit Application or Liens contemplated by Section 3.7) or permitted in respect of any Mortgaged Property by the terms of the applicable Mortgage;

(b) Permitted Liens;

(c) (x) Liens (including liens arising under Capitalized Leases to secure obligations under any Capitalized Lease) securing Indebtedness permitted pursuant to Section 10.1(h); provided that (i) such Liens attach concurrently with or within 365 days after the acquisition, lease, repair, replacement, construction, expansion or improvement (as applicable) financed thereby, (ii) other than the property financed by such Indebtedness, such Liens do not at any time encumber any property, except for replacements thereof and accessions and additions to such property and the proceeds and the products thereof and customary security deposits and (iii) with respect to Capitalized Leases, such Liens do not at any time extend to or cover any assets (except for accessions and additions to such assets, replacements and products thereof and customary security deposits) other than the assets subject to, or acquired, constructed, repaired, replaced or improved with the proceeds of, such Indebtedness; provided that in each case individual financings provided by one lender may be cross collateralized to other financings provided by such lender (and its Affiliates) and (y) Liens on the assets of a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Credit Party and which assets do not constitute Collateral securing Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary that is permitted pursuant to Section 10.1;

(d) Liens existing on the date hereof; provided that any Lien securing Indebtedness in excess of $1,000,000 individually or in the aggregate (when taken together with all other Liens securing obligations outstanding in reliance on this clause (d) that are not listed on Schedule 10.2(d)) shall only be permitted to the extent such Lien is listed on Schedule 10.2(d) or would otherwise be permitted under this Section 10.2;

(e) Liens to secure any refinancing, refunding, extension, renewal or replacement (or successive refinancings, refundings, extensions, renewals or replacements) as a whole, or in part, of any Indebtedness secured by any Lien permitted by this Section 10.2; provided, however, that (x) such new Lien shall be limited to all or part of the same type of property that secured the original Indebtedness (plus improvements on and accessions to such property) (or upon or in after-acquired property (i) that is affixed or incorporated into the property covered by such Lien or (ii) if the terms of such Indebtedness require or include a pledge of after-acquired property (it being understood that such requirement shall not be permitted to apply to any property to which such requirement would not have applied but for such acquisition)), (y) the Indebtedness secured by such Lien at such time is not increased to any amount greater than the sum of (A) the outstanding principal amount or, if greater, committed amount of the applicable Indebtedness at the

 

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time the original Lien became a Lien permitted hereunder, and (B) an amount necessary to pay any fees and expenses, including premiums, related to such refinancing, refunding, extension, renewal or replacement and (z) on the date of the incurrence of the Indebtedness secured by such Liens, the grantors of any such Liens shall comprise only the same Persons or a subset of such Persons that were the grantors of the Liens securing the debt being refinanced, refunded, extended, renewed or replaced;

(f) Liens existing on the assets of any Person that becomes a Subsidiary, or existing on assets acquired (other than Liens on the Equity Interests of any Person that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary), pursuant to a Permitted Acquisition or other Investment permitted by Section 10.5; provided that (1) if the Liens on such assets secure Indebtedness, such Indebtedness is permitted under Section 10.1(k)(y), (2) such Liens attach at all times only to the same assets (or upon or in after-acquired property that is (i) affixed or incorporated into the property covered by such Lien, (ii) after-acquired property subject to a Lien securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 10.1(k)(y), the terms of which Indebtedness require or include a pledge of after-acquired property (it being understood that such requirement shall not be permitted to apply to any property to which such requirement would not have applied but for such acquisition) and (iii) the proceeds and products thereof) that such Liens attached to, and to the extent such Liens secure Indebtedness, secure only the same Indebtedness (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness) that such Liens secured, immediately prior to such Permitted Acquisition or other Investment and (3) if the Liens on such assets secure Indebtedness and attach to any Collateral, such Liens are Junior Liens and the representative of the holders of such Indebtedness becomes party to the Intercreditor Agreement as a “Junior Representative” (as defined in the Intercreditor Agreement);

(g) Liens on the Equity Interests of any Person and the assets of such Person, in each case, that becomes a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to a Permitted Acquisition or other Investment permitted by Section 10.5, or the assets of such a Restricted Subsidiary, in each case, to secure Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 10.1(k); provided that such Liens attach at all times only to the Equity Interests or assets of such Restricted Subsidiary and its Subsidiaries;

(h) Liens securing Indebtedness or other obligations (i) of the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary in favor of a Credit Party and (ii) of any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Credit Party in favor of any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Credit Party;

(i) Liens (i) of a collecting bank arising under Section 4-210 of the Uniform Commercial Code on items in the course of collection, (ii) attaching to commodity trading accounts or other commodity brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business and (iii) in favor of a banking institution arising as a matter of law encumbering deposits (including the right of set-off) or other funds maintained with a financial institution (including the right of setoff) and that are within the general parameters customary in the banking industry or arising pursuant to such banking institution’s general terms and conditions;

 

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(j) Liens (i) on cash advances in favor of the seller of any property to be acquired in an Investment permitted pursuant to Section 10.5 to be applied against the purchase price for such Investment and (ii) consisting of an agreement to Dispose of any property in a transaction permitted under Section 10.4, in each case, solely to the extent such Investment or Disposition, as the case may be, would have been permitted on the date of the creation of such Lien;

(k) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for sale or purchase of goods entered into by the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business permitted by this Agreement;

(l) Liens deemed to exist in connection with Investments in repurchase agreements permitted under Section 10.5;

(m) Liens encumbering reasonable customary initial deposits and margin deposits and similar Liens attaching to brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business and not for speculative purposes;

(n) Liens that are contractual rights of set-off (i) relating to the establishment of depository relations with banks not given in connection with the issuance or incurrence of Indebtedness, (ii) relating to pooled deposit or sweep accounts of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to permit satisfaction of overdraft or similar obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) relating to purchase orders and other agreements entered into with customers of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business;

(o) Liens solely on any cash earnest money deposits made by the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with any letter of intent or purchase agreement;

(p) Liens on insurance policies and the proceeds thereof securing the financing of the premiums with respect thereto;

(q) Liens in respect of Production Payments and Reserve Sales; provided that such Liens attach at all times only to Oil and Gas Properties from which the Production Payments and Reserve Sales have been conveyed;

(r) the prior right of consignees and their lenders under consignment arrangements entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(s) agreements to subordinate any interest of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in any accounts receivable or other proceeds arising from inventory consigned by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to an agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(t) Liens securing any Indebtedness permitted by Section 10.1(c); provided that such liens shall only be on the Collateral and all such Indebtedness shall be subject to the Intercreditor Agreement;

 

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(u) Liens securing any Indebtedness permitted by Sections 10.1(f) (solely and to the same extent that the Indebtedness guaranteed by such Guarantee Obligations is permitted to be subject to a Lien hereunder), (n) (as long as such Liens attach only to assets of Subsidiaries that are not Subsidiary Guarantors), (o), (r) (as long as such Liens attach only to cash and securities and securities held by the relevant Cash Management Bank) and (y);

(v) Liens arising pursuant to Section 107(l) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9607(l), or other Environmental Law, unless such Lien (i) by action of the lienholder, or by operation of law, takes priority over any Liens arising under the Credit Documents on the property upon which it is a Lien, or (ii) materially impairs the use of the property covered by such Lien for the purposes for which such property is held;

(w) Liens of not more than $15,000,000 on deposits securing Hedging Obligations in respect of Hedge Agreements with any Persons other than Hedge Banks that were entered into in compliance with Section 10.10;

(x) Liens on Equity Interests in a joint venture securing obligations of such joint venture so long as the assets of such joint venture do not constitute Collateral;

(y) Liens on cash or Permitted Investments held by a trustee under any indenture or other debt agreement issued in escrow pursuant to customary escrow arrangements pending the release thereof, or under any indenture or other debt agreement pursuant to customary discharge, redemption or defeasance provisions, in each case solely to the extent the relevant release, discharge, redemption or defeasance would be permitted hereunder;

(z) additional Liens on property not constituting Borrowing Base Properties securing obligations not in excess of $20,000,000 outstanding at any time; and

(aa) Junior Liens on Collateral so long as the outstanding principal amount of the obligations secured thereby, when aggregated with the outstanding principal amount of other obligations secured by Liens permitted under this clause (aa), at the time of the incurrence thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto and the use of proceeds thereof on a Pro Forma Basis, does not exceed the greater of $40,000,000 and 2.0% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date on which such Lien or the Indebtedness secured is incurred based upon the financial statements most recently available prior to such date).

No intention to subordinate the first priority Lien granted in favor of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders is to be hereby implied or expressed by the permitted existence of the Liens permitted under this Section 10.2 or the use of the phrase “subject to” when used in connection with Permitted Liens, Liens permitted by this Section 10.2 or otherwise.

10.3 Limitation on Fundamental Changes. Except as permitted by Section 10.4 or 10.5, the Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate any merger, consolidation or amalgamation, or liquidate, divide, wind up or dissolve itself (or suffer any liquidation or dissolution), or Dispose of, all or substantially all its business units, assets or other properties, except that:

 

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(a) any Subsidiary of the Borrower or any other Person may be merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into the Borrower; provided that (i) the Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person (and the Borrower shall remain an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia) or, in the case of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation with or into the Borrower, the Person formed by or surviving any such merger, amalgamation or consolidation shall be an entity organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia (the Borrower or such Person, as the case may be, being herein referred to as the “Successor Borrower”), (ii) the Successor Borrower (if other than the Borrower) shall expressly assume all the obligations of the Borrower under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents pursuant to a supplement hereto or thereto in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, (iii) no Event of Default or Borrowing Base Deficiency has occurred and is continuing at the date of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation or would result from such consummation of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation, (iv) such merger, amalgamation or consolidation does not adversely affect the Collateral in any material respect, (v) if such merger, amalgamation or consolidation involves the Borrower and a Person that, prior to the consummation of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation, is not a Subsidiary of the Borrower (A) each Guarantor, unless it is the other party to such merger, amalgamation or consolidation or unless the Successor Borrower is the Borrower, shall have by a supplement to the Guarantee confirmed that its Guarantee shall apply to the Successor Borrower’s obligations under this Agreement, (B) each Subsidiary grantor and each Subsidiary pledgor, unless it is the other party to such merger, amalgamation or consolidation or unless the Successor Borrower is the Borrower, shall have by a supplement to the Credit Documents confirmed that its obligations thereunder shall apply to the Successor Borrower’s obligations under this Agreement, (C) if requested by the Administrative Agent, each mortgagor of a Mortgaged Property, unless it is the other party to such merger, amalgamation or consolidation or unless the Successor Borrower is the Borrower, shall have by an amendment to or restatement of the applicable Mortgage confirmed that its obligations thereunder shall apply to the Successor Borrower’s obligations under this Agreement, (D) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent an officer’s certificate stating that such merger, amalgamation or consolidation and any supplements to the Credit Documents preserve the enforceability of the Guarantee and the perfection and priority of the Liens under the Security Documents and as to the matters of the nature referred to in Section 6(c), (E) if reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, an opinion of counsel shall be required to be provided to the effect that such merger, amalgamation or consolidation does not violate this Agreement or any other Credit Document and as to such other matters regarding the Successor Borrower and the Credit Documents as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may reasonably request; provided, further, that if the foregoing are satisfied, the Successor Borrower (if other than the Borrower) will succeed to, and be substituted for, the Borrower under this Agreement and (F) such merger, amalgamation or consolidation shall comply with all the conditions set forth in the definition of the term “Permitted Acquisition” or is otherwise permitted under Section 10.5; (vi) the Administrative Agent shall have received at least

 

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five (5) days prior to the date of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation all documentation and other information about such Subsidiary or other Person required under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act that has been requested by the Administrative Agent; and (vii) such Subsidiary or other Person shall have executed a customary joinder to the Intercreditor Agreement;

(b) any Subsidiary of the Borrower or any other Person may be merged, amalgamated or consolidated with or into any one or more Subsidiaries of the Borrower; provided that (i) in the case of any merger, amalgamation or consolidation involving one or more Restricted Subsidiaries, (A) a Restricted Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving Person or (B) the Borrower shall take all steps necessary to cause the Person formed by or surviving any such merger, amalgamation or consolidation (if other than a Restricted Subsidiary) to become a Restricted Subsidiary, (ii) in the case of any merger, amalgamation or consolidation involving one or more Guarantors, unless otherwise permitted by Section 10.5, a Guarantor shall be the continuing or surviving Person or the Person formed by or surviving any such merger, amalgamation or consolidation (if other than a Guarantor) shall execute a supplement to the Guarantee, the Collateral Agreement and any applicable Mortgage, and a joinder to the Intercompany Note, and the Intercreditor Agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent in order for the surviving Person to become a Guarantor, and pledgor, mortgagor and grantor of Collateral for the benefit of the Secured Parties and to acknowledge and agree to the terms of the Intercompany Note and the Intercreditor Agreement, (iii) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing on the date of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation or would result from the consummation of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation, (iv) if such merger, amalgamation or consolidation involves a Subsidiary and a Person that, prior to the consummation of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation, is not a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower, (A) the Borrower shall be in compliance with the Financial Performance Covenants on a Pro Forma Basis immediately after giving effect to such merger, amalgamation or consolidation, (B) the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent an officer’s certificate stating that such merger, amalgamation or consolidation and such supplements to any Credit Document preserve the enforceability of the Guarantee and the perfection and priority of the Liens under the Collateral Agreement and (C) such merger, amalgamation or consolidation shall comply with all the conditions set forth in the definition of the term “Permitted Acquisition” or is otherwise permitted under Section 10.5; and (v) the Administrative Agent shall have received at least five (5) days prior to the date of such merger, amalgamation or consolidation all documentation and other information about such Subsidiary or other Person required under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act that has been requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender;

(c) any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor may (i) merge, amalgamate or consolidate with or into any other Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) Dispose of any or all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower, a Guarantor or any other Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower;

 

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(d) any Subsidiary Guarantor may (i) merge, amalgamate or consolidate with or into any other Subsidiary Guarantor (ii) merge, amalgamate or consolidate with or into any other Subsidiary which is not a Guarantor or Dispose of any or all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to any other Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor so long as after giving effect to such transaction the Collateral Coverage Minimum would be satisfied and the Borrower shall be in compliance with Section 9.11 on a Pro Forma Basis determined as if such merger, consolidation or amalgamation or Disposition had occurred as of the last day of the previous fiscal quarter and without regard to the 45-day timeframe provided in Section 9.11; provided that if such Subsidiary Guarantor is not the surviving entity, such merger, amalgamation or consolidation shall be deemed to be, and any such Disposition shall be, an “Investment” and subject to the limitations set forth in Section 10.5 and (iii) Dispose of any or all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Borrower or any other Guarantor;

(e) any Restricted Subsidiary may liquidate or dissolve if (i) the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in the best interests of the Borrower and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders and (ii) to the extent such Restricted Subsidiary is a Credit Party, any assets or business of such Restricted Subsidiary not otherwise Disposed of or transferred in accordance with Section 10.4 or 10.5, in the case of any such business, discontinued, shall be transferred to, or otherwise owned or conducted by, a Credit Party after giving effect to such liquidation or dissolution;

(f) the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may consummate the Transactions;

(g) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may consummate a merger, dissolution, liquidation, amalgamation, consolidation or Disposition, the purpose of which is to effect a Disposition permitted pursuant to Section 10.4 or an Investment permitted by Section 10.5; and

(h) any merger the sole purpose of which is to reincorporate or reorganize a Credit Party in another jurisdiction in the United States shall be permitted as long as such merger does not adversely affect the value of the Collateral in any material respect and the surviving entity assumes all Obligations of the applicable Credit Parties under the Credit Documents and delivers any applicable information requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act.

10.4 Limitation on Sale of Assets. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, (x) convey, sell, lease, sell and leaseback, assign, transfer (including any Production Payments and Reserve Sales), contribute, distribute or otherwise dispose (including Liquidating any Hedge Agreement) (each of the foregoing a “Disposition”) of any of its property, business or assets (including receivables and leasehold interests), whether now owned or hereafter acquired or (y) sell to any Person (other than the Borrower or a Guarantor) any shares owned by it of any Restricted Subsidiary’s Equity Interests, except that:

 

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(a) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may Dispose of (i) inventory and other goods held for sale, including Hydrocarbons, obsolete, worn out, used or surplus equipment, vehicles and other assets (other than accounts receivable) in the ordinary course of business and (ii) Permitted Investments;

(b) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may Dispose of any Borrowing Base Properties (or of any Subsidiary owning Borrowing Base Properties) for Fair Market Value so long as no Borrowing Base Deficiency would exist thereafter (unless the net cash proceeds of such Disposition are sufficient, together with Unrestricted Cash, to eliminate any Borrowing Base Deficiency that exists or would result therefrom); provided, that if the sum of (x) the Swap PV of Liquidated commodity hedge positions (after taking into account any other Hedge Agreement executed (a) contemporaneously with the taking of such actions or (b) subsequent to the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to Section 2.14(f)) plus (y) the aggregate Eligible PV-9 value of all such Borrowing Base Properties Disposed of (including pursuant to the Dispositions of any Subsidiary owning Borrowing Base Properties) (after giving effect to any acquisitions of and other investments in Oil and Gas Properties by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries subsequent to the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to Section 2.14(f) with respect to which the Borrower has delivered a Reserve Report in accordance with Section 9.14(b)), in each case, subsequent to the later of (A) the Closing Date, (B) the last redetermination of the Borrowing Base and (C) the last adjustment pursuant to Section 2.14(f), exceeds 5% of the then-effective Borrowing Base, then no later than two (2) Business Days after the date of consummation of any such Disposition, the Borrower shall provide notice to the Administrative Agent of such Disposition and the Borrowing Base Properties so Disposed and the Borrowing Base may be adjusted in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.14(f);

(c) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may Dispose of property or assets to the Borrower or to a Restricted Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such property is a Credit Party (i) the transferee thereof is a Credit Party or (ii) such transaction is permitted under Section 10.5;

(d) the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary may effect any transaction permitted by Section 10.2, 10.3 (other than Section 10.3(g)), 10.5 (other than Section 10.5(w)) or 10.6;

(e) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may lease, sublease, license or sublicense real property (other than leases in respect of Oil and Gas Properties), personal property or intellectual property in the ordinary course of business; provided that, with respect to intellectual property, the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries receives (or retains) a license or other ownership rights to use such intellectual property;

(f) Dispositions (including like-kind exchanges) of property (other than Borrowing Base Properties) shall be permitted to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;

 

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(g) Dispositions of Hydrocarbon Interests to which no Proved Reserves are attributable and Farm-Out Agreements with respect to undeveloped acreage to which no Proved Reserves are attributable and assignments in connection with such Farm-Out Agreements shall be permitted;

(h) the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary may Dispose of Investments in joint ventures (regardless of the form of legal entity) to the extent required by, or made pursuant to, customary buy/sell arrangements between the joint venture parties set forth in joint venture arrangements and similar binding arrangements;

(i) [Reserved];

(j) transfers of property subject to a Casualty Event or in connection with any condemnation proceeding with respect to Collateral shall be permitted;

(k) Dispositions or discounts without recourse of accounts receivable in true sale transactions shall be permitted (i) in connection with the collection or compromise thereof or (ii) to the extent the proceeds thereof are used to prepay any Loans then outstanding;

(l) the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary may unwind or terminate any Hedge Agreement (subject to the terms of Section 2.14(f) and Section 10.4(b));

(m) the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary may dispose of Oil and Gas Properties or any interest therein, or the Equity Interests of any Restricted Subsidiary or of any Minority Investment owning Oil and Gas Properties, that are not Borrowing Base Properties and other assets not included in the Borrowing Base, in each case, subject to the mandatory prepayment of the Loans pursuant to Section 5.2(b)(ii);

(n) any issuance or sale of Equity Interests in, or sale of Indebtedness or other securities of, an Unrestricted Subsidiary (or a Restricted Subsidiary which owns an Unrestricted Subsidiary so long as such Restricted Subsidiary owns no assets other than the Equity Interests of such Unrestricted Subsidiary) shall be permitted;

(o) any swap of assets in exchange for services or assets of the same type in the ordinary course of business of comparable or greater value or usefulness to the business of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries as a whole, as determined in good faith by the management of the Borrower shall be permitted;

(p) [Reserved];

(q) Disposition of any asset between or among the Borrower and/or its Restricted Subsidiaries shall be permitted as a substantially concurrent interim Disposition in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 10.3, or in connection with an Investment otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 10.5 or a Disposition otherwise permitted pursuant to clauses (a) through (p) above; and

 

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(r) subject to Section 2.14, if applicable, the lapse or abandonment in the ordinary course of business of any registrations or applications for registration of any immaterial intellectual property rights shall be permitted.

To the extent any Collateral is Disposed of as expressly permitted by this Section 10.4 to any Person other than a Credit Party, such Collateral shall be sold free and clear of the Liens created by the Credit Documents, and, if requested by the Administrative Agent, upon the certification by the Borrower that such Disposition is permitted by this Agreement, the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to take any actions deemed appropriate in order to effect the foregoing at Borrower’s sole cost and expense.

10.5 Limitation on Investments. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries, to (i) purchase or acquire (including pursuant to any merger, consolidation or amalgamation with a person that is not a Wholly owned Subsidiary immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or amalgamation) any Equity Interests, evidences of Indebtedness or other securities of any other Person, (ii) make any loans or advances to or guarantees of the Indebtedness of any other Person, or (iii) purchase or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) (x) all or substantially all of the property and assets or business of another Person or (y) assets constituting a business unit, line of business or division of such Person (each, an “Investment”), except:

(a) extensions of trade credit and purchases of assets and services (including purchases of inventory, supplies and materials) in the ordinary course of business;

(b) Investments in assets that constituted Permitted Investments at the time such Investments were made;

(c) loans and advances to officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity) or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (i) for reasonable and customary business-related travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes (including employee payroll advances), (ii) in connection with such Person’s purchase of Equity Interests of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity; provided that, to the extent such loans and advances are made in cash, the amount of such loans and advances used to acquire such Equity Interests shall be contributed to the Borrower in cash) and (iii) for purposes not described in the foregoing subclauses (i) and (ii); provided that the aggregate principal amount outstanding pursuant to subclause (iii) shall not exceed $10,000,000;

(d) (i) Investments existing on, or made pursuant to commitments in existence on, the Closing Date as set forth on Schedule 10.5(d), (ii) Investments existing on the Closing Date of the Borrower or any Subsidiary in any other Subsidiary and (iii) any extensions, modifications, replacements, renewals or reinvestments thereof, so long as the amount of any Investment made pursuant to this clause (d) is not increased at any time above the amount of such Investment as of the Closing Date (other than (a) pursuant to an increase as required by the terms of any such Investment as in existence on the Closing Date or (b) as otherwise permitted under this Section 10.5);

 

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(e) any Investment acquired by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries: (i) in exchange for any other Investment, accounts receivable or endorsements for collection or deposit held by the Borrower or any such Restricted Subsidiary in each case in connection with or as a result of a bankruptcy, workout, reorganization or recapitalization of, or settlement of delinquent accounts and disputes with or judgments against, the issuer of such other Investment or accounts receivable (including any trade creditor or customer), (ii) in satisfaction of judgments against other Persons, (iii) as a result of a foreclosure by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to any secured Investment or other transfer of title with respect to any secured Investment in default or (iv) as a result of the settlement, compromise or resolution of litigation, arbitration or other disputes with Persons who are not Affiliates;

(f) Investments to the extent that payment for such Investments is made with Qualified Equity Interests of the Borrower or a Parent Entity;

(g) Investments (i) by the Borrower in any Guarantor or by any Guarantor in the Borrower, (ii) by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor in the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that Investments by any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor in the Borrower or any Guarantor shall be subordinated in right of payment to the Loans, and (iii) by the Borrower or any Guarantor in any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor; provided, that the aggregate amount outstanding pursuant to this Section 10.5(g)(iii) at the time such Investment is made, would not exceed the sum of (A) the greater of $25,000,000 and 1.25% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date such Investment is made based upon the financial statements most recently available prior to such date), B) so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, the Applicable Equity Amount at such time and (C) to the extent not otherwise included in the determination of the Applicable Equity Amount, an amount equal to any repayments, interest, returns, profits, distributions, income and similar amounts actually received in cash in respect of any such Investment described in this Section 10.5(g)(iii) (it being understood that to the extent any Investment made pursuant to this Section 10.5(g)(iii) was made by using the Applicable Equity Amount, then the amounts referred to in clause (C) shall, to the extent of the original usage of the Applicable Equity Amount, be deemed to reconstitute such amounts);

(h) Investments constituting Permitted Acquisitions;

(i) Investments, valued at the Fair Market Value (determined by the Borrower acting in good faith) of such Investment at the time each such Investment is made, in an aggregate amount outstanding pursuant to this Section 10.5(i) not to exceed the sum of (A) the greater of (1) $65,000,000 and (2) 3.5% of Consolidated Total Assets (measured as of the date such Investment is made based upon the financial statements most recently available prior to such date) plus (B) so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, the Applicable Equity Amount at such time plus (C) to the extent not otherwise included in the determination of the Applicable Equity

 

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Amount, an amount equal to any repayments, interest, returns, profits, distributions, income and similar amounts actually received in cash in respect of any such Investment (which amount shall not exceed the amount of such Investment valued at the Fair Market Value of such Investment at the time such Investment was made) (it being understood that to the extent any Investment made pursuant to this Section 10.5(i) was made by using the Applicable Equity Amount, then the amounts referred to in the clause (C) shall, to the extent of the original usage of the Applicable Equity Amount, as applicable, be deemed to reconstitute such amounts);

(j) Investments made at any such time in an amount not to exceed Available Free Cash Flow during which, immediately after giving effect to the making of any such Investment on a Pro Forma Basis, (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (ii) the Available Commitment exceeds 25% of the lesser of (A) the Borrowing Base and (B) the Total Commitments, (iii) no Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, (iv) the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio shall be less than 2.25:1.00, (v) the Existing Unsecured Notes have either (X) been repaid and discharged in full or (Y) been refinanced such that the maturity date of the Existing Unsecured Notes (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof) is at least 91 days after the Latest Maturity Date, and (vi) the Borrower has delivered at least one quarterly compliance certificate in accordance with Section 9.1(c) demonstrating a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio of less than 2.00:1.00;

(k) Investments constituting promissory notes and other non-cash proceeds of Dispositions of assets to the extent permitted by Section 10.4 or any other disposition of assets not constituting a Disposition;

(l) Investments made to repurchase or retire Equity Interests of the Borrower or any Parent Entity owned by the Sponsor or its Affiliates or any employee or any stock ownership plan or key employee stock ownership plan of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity); provided that such Investment is otherwise permitted by Section 10.6 (other than Section 10.6(c) and 10.6(f)(viii));

(m) Investments consisting of Restricted Payments permitted under Section 10.6 (other than Section 10.6(c) and 10.6(f)(viii));

(n) loans and advances to any Parent Entity in lieu of, and not in excess of the amount of, Restricted Payments to the extent permitted to be made to such parent in accordance with Section 10.6(b), (f) or (i);

(o) Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors and other credits to suppliers in the ordinary course of business;

 

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(p) Investments in the ordinary course of business consisting of endorsements for collection or deposit and customary trade arrangements with customers consistent with past practices or industry practice;

(q) advances of payroll payments to employees, consultants or independent contractors or other advances of salaries or compensation to employees, consultants or independent contractors, in each case in the ordinary course of business;

(r) guarantee obligations of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of leases (other than Capitalized Leases) or of other obligations that do not constitute Indebtedness, in each case entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(s) Investments held by a Person acquired (including by way of merger, amalgamation or consolidation) after the Closing Date otherwise in accordance with this Section 10.5 to the extent that such Investments were not made in contemplation of or in connection with such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation and were in existence on the date of such acquisition, merger, amalgamation or consolidation;

(t) Investments in Industry Investments and in interests in additional Oil and Gas Properties and gas gathering systems, gas processing plants and pipeline systems and any related infrastructure to any thereof related thereto or Investments related to Farm-Out Agreements, Farm-In Agreements, joint operating, joint venture (other than a joint venture in the form of a partnership, corporation, or limited liability company), joint development or other area of mutual interest agreements, other similar industry investments, gathering systems, pipelines or other similar oil and gas exploration and production business arrangements whether through direct ownership or ownership through a joint venture or similar arrangement (other than a joint venture in the form of a partnership, corporation, or limited liability company);

(u) to the extent constituting Investments, the Transactions;

(v) Investments in Hedge Agreements permitted by each of Section 10.1 and Section 10.10;

(w) Investments (excluding loans and advances made in lieu of Restricted Payments pursuant to and limited by Section 10.5(n)) consisting of Indebtedness, fundamental changes, Dispositions and payments permitted under Sections 10.1 (other than Sections 10.1(d)(iii) and (g)(ii)), 10.3 (other than Sections 10.3(a), (c) and (g)), 10.4 (other than Section 10.4(d)) and 10.7;

(x) in the case of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, Investments consisting of intercompany Indebtedness having a term not exceeding 364 days (inclusive of any roll over or extension of terms) and made in the ordinary course of business; provided that, in the case of any such Indebtedness owing by the Borrower or a Guarantor to a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor, such Indebtedness shall, to the extent permitted by Requirements of Law and not giving rise to material adverse tax consequences, be subordinated to the Obligations pursuant to the Intercompany Note; provided further that in the case of any such Indebtedness owing by a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Guarantor to the Borrower or a Guarantor, such Indebtedness shall be evidenced by the Intercompany Note pledged in favor of the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties pursuant to the Collateral Agreement;

 

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(y) Investments resulting from pledges and deposits under clauses (d) and (e) of the definition of “Permitted Liens” and clauses (j), (o) and (y) of Section 10.2;

(z) advances in the form of a prepayment of expenses, so long as such expenses are being paid in accordance with customary trade terms of the Borrower or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary;

(aa) Investments consisting of licensing of intellectual property pursuant to joint marketing arrangements with other Persons in the ordinary course of business;

(bb) Investments made in the ordinary course of business in connection with obtaining, maintaining or renewing client contacts and loans or advances made to distributors in the ordinary course of business;

(cc) [reserved;]

(dd) [reserved;]

(ee) Investments in Unrestricted Subsidiaries having an aggregate fair market value, taken together with all other Investments made pursuant to this Section 10.2(ee) that are at the time outstanding, without giving effect to the sale of an Unrestricted Subsidiary to the extent the proceeds of such sale do not consist of marketable securities (until such proceeds are converted to cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments)) not to exceed the greater of (1) $20,000,000 and (2) 1.0% of Consolidated Total Assets at the time of such Investment (with the fair market value of each Investment being measured at the time made and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value); and

(ff) any Investment constituting a Disposition or transfer of any asset between or among the Borrower and/or its Restricted Subsidiaries as a substantially concurrent interim Disposition or transfer in connection with an Investment otherwise permitted pursuant to clauses (a) through (ee) above or in connection with a transaction permitted by Section 10.3 or in connection with a Disposition permitted pursuant to Section 10.4.

10.6 Limitation on Restricted Payments. The Borrower will not directly or indirectly pay any dividend or make any other distribution (by reduction of capital or otherwise), whether in cash, property, securities or a combination thereof, with respect to any of its Equity Interests (other than dividends and distributions on Equity Interests payable solely by the issuance of additional Qualified Equity Interests) or redeem, purchase, retire or otherwise acquire for value any of its Equity Interests or the Equity Interests of any Parent Entity (other than through the issuance of additional Qualified Equity Interests), or permit any Restricted Subsidiary to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration (except in connection with an Investment permitted under Section 10.5) any Equity Interests of the Borrower or any Parent Entity, now or hereafter outstanding (all of the foregoing, “Restricted Payments”); except that:

 

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(a) the Borrower may (or may pay Restricted Payments to permit any Parent Entity thereof to) redeem in whole or in part any of its or a Parent Entity’s Equity Interests in exchange for another class of its (or such parent’s) Equity Interests or with proceeds received by the Borrower from substantially concurrent equity contributions or issuances of new Equity Interests; provided that such new Equity Interests contain terms and provisions at least as advantageous to the Lenders in all material respects to their interests as those contained in the Equity Interests redeemed thereby, and the Borrower may pay Restricted Payments to any Parent Entity payable solely in the Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock not otherwise permitted by Section 10.1) of the Borrower;

(b) the Borrower may (or may make Restricted Payments to permit any Parent Entity thereof to) redeem, acquire, retire or repurchase shares of its (or such Parent Entity’s) Equity Interests held by any future, present or former officer, manager, consultant, director or employee (or their respective Affiliates, estates, spouses, former spouses, successors, executors, administrators, heirs, legatees, distributees or immediate family members) of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries or any Parent Entity thereof, in connection with the death, disability, retirement or termination of employment of any such Person or otherwise in accordance with any equity option or equity appreciation rights plan, any management, director and/or employee equity ownership, benefit or incentive plan or agreement, equity subscription plan, employment termination agreement or any other employment agreements or equity holders’ agreement; provided that the aggregate amount of Restricted Payments made under this clause (b) shall not exceed $15,000,000 in any calendar year (with unused amounts in any calendar year being carried over to succeeding calendar years subject to a maximum of $30,000,000 in any calendar year) plus (B) all net cash proceeds obtained by or contributed to the Borrower during such calendar year from the sales of Equity Interests to other future, present or former officers, consultants, employees, directors and managers in connection with any permitted compensation and incentive arrangements plus (C) all net cash proceeds obtained from any key-man life insurance policies received during such calendar year plus (D) the amount of any cash bonuses otherwise payable to members of management, directors or consultants of any Parent Entity, the Borrower or its Subsidiaries in connection with the Transactions that are foregone in return for the receipt of Equity Interests; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrower may elect to apply all or any portion of the aggregate increase contemplated by clauses (B), (C) and (D) above in any calendar year and provided, further, that cancellation of Indebtedness owing to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries from any future, present or former employees, directors, officers, members of management or consultants (or their respective Controlled Investment Affiliates or Immediate Family Members), of the Borrower, any Restricted Subsidiary, any Parent Entity or any of the Borrower’s Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with a repurchase of Equity Interests of the Borrower or any Parent Entity will not be deemed to constitute a Restricted Payment for purposes of this covenant or any other provision of this Agreement;

(c) to the extent constituting Restricted Payments, the Borrower may make Investments permitted by Section 10.5 (other than Sections 10.5(l), (n) and (w));

(d) to the extent constituting Restricted Payments, the Borrower may consummate transactions expressly permitted by Section 10.3;

 

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(e) the Borrower may repurchase Equity Interests of the Borrower (or any Parent Entity thereof) upon exercise of stock options or warrants if such Equity Interests represents all or a portion of the exercise price of such options or warrants;

(f) the Borrower may make and pay Restricted Payments to any Parent Entity:

(i) the proceeds of which will be used to pay (or to make Restricted Payments to allow any Parent Entity to pay) with respect to any taxable period (x) for which the Borrower and/or any of its Subsidiaries are members of a consolidated, combined, affiliated, unitary or similar income tax group for U.S. federal and/or applicable state or local income Tax purposes of which any holding company of the Parent Entity is the common parent, or (y) for which the Borrower is a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is wholly owned (directly or indirectly) by a C corporation for U.S. federal and/or applicable state or local income Tax purposes, in an amount not to exceed (A) the amount of any U.S. federal, state and/or local income Taxes that the Borrower and/or its Subsidiaries, as applicable, would have paid for such taxable period had the Borrower and/or its Subsidiaries, as applicable, been a stand-alone corporate taxpayer or a stand-alone corporate group and (B) such amounts as are needed to pay any amounts owed in the ordinary course by a Parent Entity under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include any amounts required to be paid due to a change of control or any early termination payments; provided that distributions pursuant to this clause (i) in respect of an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be permitted only to the extent that cash distributions were made by such Unrestricted Subsidiary to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries for such purpose;

(ii) with respect to any taxable period ending after the Closing Date for which the Borrower is a partnership or disregarded entity for U.S. federal income Tax purposes (other than a partnership or disregarded entity described in clause (i)(y) above), distributions to each owner in amounts not to exceed the federal, state and local income tax liability of such owner attributable to the taxable income of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such fiscal year (as determined based on such assumptions as may be made by the board of directors of Borrower, including, without limitation, not taking into account for this purpose for any such taxable period any adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code and assuming that all such owners are subject to the highest combined federal, state and local tax rates applicable to the income of individuals or corporations, resident of New York, New York, whichever is higher); provided that no payment may be made pursuant to both this subclause (ii) and subclause (i) of this clause (f) with respect to any period;

(iii) the proceeds of which shall be used to allow any Parent Entity to pay its operating costs and expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business and other corporate overhead costs and expenses (including administrative, legal, accounting and other professional costs and expenses) to the extent attributable to the ownership or operation of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries;

 

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(iv) the proceeds of which shall be used by such Parent Entities to pay Restricted Payments contemplated by Section 10.6(b);

(v) the proceeds of which shall be used to make Restricted Payments to allow any Parent Entity to pay fees and expenses related to any equity issuance or offering or debt issuance, incurrence or offering, Disposition or acquisition or investment transaction not relating to any other portfolio company of any Parent Entity permitted by this Agreement, whether or not consummated;

(vi) the proceeds of which shall be used to pay fees and expenses (including real and personal property Taxes, and franchise, excise or similar taxes) required to maintain its corporate existence or good standing under applicable law, customary salary, bonus and other benefits payable to, and indemnities provided on behalf of, officers, employees and consultants of any Parent Entity, and any payroll, social security or similar taxes thereof, to the extent such fees, expenses, salaries, bonuses, other benefits and indemnities are attributable to the ownership or operation of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries;

(vii) in the form of Equity Interests of the Borrower (other than Disqualified Stock not otherwise permitted by Section 10.1); and

(viii) to finance Permitted Acquisitions and other Investments or other acquisitions in each case otherwise permitted to be made under Section 10.5 if made by the Borrower; provided, that (A) such Restricted Payment shall be made substantially concurrently with the closing of such Investment or other acquisition, (B) such direct or indirect parent company shall, promptly following the closing thereof, cause (1) all property acquired (whether assets or Equity Interests) to be contributed to the capital of the Borrower or one or more of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (2) the merger, amalgamation, consolidation, or sale of the Person formed or acquired into the Borrower or one of its Restricted Subsidiaries (to the extent not prohibited by Section 10.3) in order to consummate such Investment or other acquisition, (C) such direct or indirect parent company and its Affiliates (other than the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary) receives no consideration or other payment in connection with such transaction except to the extent the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary could have given such consideration or made such payment in compliance herewith, D) any property received by the Borrower shall not increase the Applicable Equity Amount and (E) to the extent constituting an Investment, such Investment shall be deemed to be made by Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 10.5 for the purposes of calculating compliance with the baskets thereunder;

(g) the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries may (i) pay cash in lieu of fractional shares in connection with any dividend, split or combination thereof or any Permitted Acquisition or other Investment permitted under Section 10.5 and (ii) so long as, immediately after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, (A) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (B) no Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, honor any conversion request by a holder of convertible Indebtedness and make cash payments in lieu of fractional shares in connection with any such conversion and may make payments on convertible Indebtedness in accordance with its terms;

 

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(h) the Borrower may pay any dividends or distributions within 60 days after the date of declaration thereof, if at the date of declaration such payment would have complied with the provisions of this Agreement;

(i) the Borrower may declare and pay additional Restricted Payments in cash or otherwise to the holders of its or any Parent Entity’s Equity Interest in an amount not to exceed Available Free Cash Flow provided that so long as, immediately after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis (A) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) the Available Commitment exceeds 25% of the lesser of (I) the Borrowing Base and (II) the Total Commitments, (C) no Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, (D) the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio shall be less than 2.25:1.00, (E) the Existing Unsecured Notes have either (X) been repaid and discharged in full or (Y) been refinanced such that the maturity date of the Existing Unsecured Notes (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof) is at least 91 days after the Latest Maturity Date, and (F) the Borrower has delivered at least one quarterly compliance certificate in accordance with Section 9.1(c) demonstrating a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio of less than 2.00:1.00; provided, that, in the case of any Restricted Payment in the form of assets other than cash, no such Restricted Payment shall be made if a Borrowing Base Deficiency would result from an adjustment to the Borrowing Base resulting from such Restricted Payment (unless the Borrower shall have cash on hand sufficient to eliminate any such potential Borrowing Base Deficiency, and shall, in accordance with the terms hereof, promptly cure such Borrowing Base Deficiency);

(j) the Borrower may consummate the Transactions (and pay fees and expenses in connection therewith on or following the Closing Date), and make payments described in Section 9.9(a), (e), (f), (h) and (j) (subject to the conditions set out therein);

(k) payments made or expected to be made by the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of required withholding or similar non-US Taxes with respect to any future, present or former employee, director, manager or consultant and any repurchases of Equity Interests in consideration of such payments including deemed repurchases in connection with the exercise of stock options;

(l) payments and distributions to dissenting stockholders pursuant to applicable law, pursuant to or in connection with a consolidation, merger, amalgamation or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole that complies with the terms of this Agreement;

(m) so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, the Borrower may declare and pay Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed the Applicable Equity Amount at the time such Restricted Payment is paid;

 

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(n) the distribution, by dividend or otherwise, of Equity Interests of, or Indebtedness owed to the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary by, an Unrestricted Subsidiary (or a Restricted Subsidiary that owns an Unrestricted Subsidiary); provided that such Restricted Subsidiary owns no assets other than Equity Interests of an Unrestricted Subsidiary (other than Unrestricted Subsidiaries the primary assets of which are cash and/or Permitted Investments); and

(o) to pay (i) any Public Company Costs and (ii) Restricted Payments in an amount not to exceed up to $10,000,000; and

(p) to pay interest and/or principal (including AHYDO “catch-up payments”) on Indebtedness the proceeds of which have been contributed to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in cash as common equity (or other equity reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent); provided that (i) the principal amount of such Indebtedness shall increase Consolidated Total Debt on a dollar-for-dollar basis, (ii) all interest expense relating to such Indebtedness shall (x) reduce Consolidated Net Income and (y) increase Consolidated Interest Expense, in each case on a dollar-for-dollar basis, and (iii) such contribution of equity shall be disregarded for all purposes hereunder.

10.7 Limitations on Debt Payments and Amendments.

(a) The Borrower will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, voluntarily prepay, repurchase or redeem or otherwise defease prior to its scheduled maturity any Indebtedness for borrowed money that is unsecured or expressly subordinated in right of payment to or payment priority or is secured by a Lien that is junior to the Liens securing the Obligations (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof to the extent constituting Junior Debt) (such other Indebtedness or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, “Junior Debt”) (for the avoidance of doubt, it being understood that payments of regularly-scheduled cash interest in respect of Junior Debt and any AHYDO payments shall be permitted unless expressly prohibited by the terms of the documents governing such subordination); provided, however, that the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary may prepay, repurchase, redeem or defease prior to its scheduled maturity any Junior Debt (i) in exchange for or with the proceeds of any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, (ii) by converting or exchanging any Junior Debt to Qualified Equity Interests of any Parent Entity, (iii) in an aggregate amount not to exceed Available Free Cash Flow so long as, immediately after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis (A) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, (B) the Available Commitment exceeds 25% of the lesser of (I) the Borrowing Base and (II) the Total Commitments, (C) no Borrowing Base Deficiency exists, (D) the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio shall be less than 2.25:1.00, (E) the Existing Unsecured Notes have either (X) been repaid and discharged in full or (Y) been refinanced such that the maturity date of the Existing Unsecured Notes (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof) is at least 91 days after the Latest Maturity Date, and (F) the Borrower has delivered at least one quarterly compliance certificate in accordance with Section 9.1(c) demonstrating a Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio of less than 2.00:1.00 or (iv) owed to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to the extent not prohibited by the subordination provisions contained in the Intercompany Note and (v) so long as no Event

 

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of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, in an amount not to exceed the Applicable Equity Amount; provided, further, that, after giving effect to any adjustment of the Borrowing Base made pursuant to Section 2.14(f) and any repayment of the Loans required in connection therewith, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary may make mandatory prepayments in respect of any Junior Debt with the proceeds of the disposition of any assets that have been pledged to secure such Junior Debt;

(b) The Borrower will not, without the consent of the Administrative Agent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), amend or modify the terms of any Junior Debt, other than amendments or modifications that (A) would not be materially adverse to the Lenders, taken as a whole (as determined in good faith by the Borrower), (B) otherwise comply with the definition of “Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness” that may be incurred to Refinance any such Indebtedness, (C) would have the effect of converting any Junior Debt to Qualified Equity Interests of a Parent Entity, or (D) to the extent such amendment or modification would not have been prohibited under this Agreement at the time such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness, Junior Debt or documentation was first issued, incurred or entered into, as applicable; and

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing and for the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 10.7 shall prohibit (i) the repayment or prepayment of intercompany subordinated Indebtedness owed among the Borrower and/or the Restricted Subsidiaries, in either case, unless an Event of Default pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.5 has occurred and is continuing and the Borrower has received a notice from the Collateral Agent instructing it not to make or permit the Borrower and/or the Restricted Subsidiaries to make any such repayment or prepayment, or (ii) substantially concurrent transfers of credit positions in connection with intercompany debt restructurings so long as such Indebtedness is permitted by Section 10.1 after giving effect to such transfer.

10.8 Negative Pledge Agreements. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of the Guarantors to, enter into or permit to exist any Contractual Requirement (other than this Agreement or any other Credit Document) that limits the ability of the Borrower or any Guarantor to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person for the benefit of the Secured Parties with respect to the Obligations or under the Credit Documents; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to each of the following Contractual Requirements that:

(a) (i) exist on the Closing Date and (to the extent not otherwise permitted by this Section 10.8) are listed on Schedule 10.8 and (ii) to the extent Contractual Requirements permitted by subclause (i) are set forth in an agreement evidencing Indebtedness or other obligations, are set forth in any agreement evidencing any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to Refinance such Indebtedness or obligation so long as such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness does not expand the scope of such Contractual Requirement;

(b) are binding on a Restricted Subsidiary at the time such Restricted Subsidiary first becomes a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower, so long as such Contractual Requirements were not entered into solely in contemplation of such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower;

 

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(c) represent Indebtedness permitted under Section 10.1 of a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower that is not a Guarantor so long as such Contractual Requirement applies only to such Subsidiary and its Subsidiaries;

(d) arise pursuant to agreements entered into with respect to any sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition permitted by Section 10.4 and applicable solely to assets under such sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition;

(e) are customary provisions in joint venture agreements and other similar agreements permitted by Section 10.5 and applicable to joint ventures or otherwise arise in agreements which restrict the Disposition or distribution of assets or property subject to oil and gas leases, joint operating agreements, joint exploration and/or development agreements, participation agreements and other similar agreements entered into in the ordinary course of the oil and gas exploration and development business and customary provisions in any Agreement of the type described in the definition of “Industry Investments” entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(f) are customary restrictions on leases, subleases, licenses or asset sale agreements otherwise permitted hereby so long as such restrictions relate to the assets subject thereto;

(g) are customary provisions restricting subletting or assignment of any lease governing a leasehold interest of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary;

(h) are customary provisions restricting assignment of any agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(i) restrict the use of cash or other deposits imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(j) [Reserved];

(k) exist under any documentation governing any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness incurred to Refinance any Indebtedness but only to the extent such Contractual Requirement is not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than the Contractual Requirement in the Indebtedness being refinanced;

(l) customary net worth provisions contained in real property leases entered into by any Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower, so long as the Borrower has determined in good faith that such net worth provisions would not reasonably be expected to impair the ability of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries to meet their ongoing obligation;

(m) are included in any agreement relating to any Lien, so long as (i) such Lien is permitted under Section 10.2(b), (c), (f) or, so long as such Lien does not attach to Collateral, (g) and such restrictions or conditions relate only to the specific asset subject to such Lien and (ii) such restrictions and conditions are not created for the purpose of avoiding the restrictions imposed by this Section 10.8;

 

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(n) are restrictions imposed by any agreement relating to Indebtedness incurred pursuant to Section 10.1 or Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, to the extent such restrictions are not materially more restrictive, taken as a whole, than the restrictions contained in the Credit Documents as determined by the Borrower in good faith;

(o) are restrictions regarding licenses or sublicenses by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries of intellectual property in the ordinary course of business (in which case such restriction shall relate only to such intellectual property);

(p) [Reserved];

(q) arise in connection with cash or other deposits permitted under Sections 10.2 and 10.5 and limited to such cash or deposit; and

(r) are encumbrances or restrictions imposed by any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of the contracts, instruments or obligations referred to in clauses (a) through (q) above; provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower’s board of directors, no more restrictive in any material respect with respect to such encumbrance and other restrictions taken as a whole than those prior to such amendment, modification, restatement, renewal, increase, supplement, refunding, replacement or refinancing.

10.9 Limitation on Subsidiary Distributions. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Guarantors to, directly or indirectly, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or consensual restriction on the ability of any such Restricted Subsidiary to pay dividends or make any other distributions to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary on its Equity Interests or with respect to any other interest or participation in, or measured by, its profits or transfer any property to the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary except (in each case) for such encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:

(a) contractual encumbrances or restrictions in effect on the Closing Date, including pursuant to the Credit Documents and any Hedging Obligations in effect on the Closing Date;

(b) the (i) Second Lien Credit Agreement and any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof and (ii) the Existing Unsecured Notes and any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof, and related guarantees and any related collateral documents;

(c) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary course of business and obligations under any Capitalized Lease that impose restrictions on transferring the property so acquired;

(d) [Reserved];

 

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(e) any agreement or other instrument of a Person acquired by or merged or consolidated with or into the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary, or of an Unrestricted Subsidiary that is designated a Restricted Subsidiary, or that is assumed in connection with the acquisition of assets from such Person, in each case that is in existence at the time of such transaction (but not created in contemplation thereof), which encumbrance or restriction is not applicable to any Person, or the properties or assets of any Person, other than the Person and its Subsidiaries, or the property or assets of the Person and its Subsidiaries, so acquired or designated;

(f) [Reserved];

(g) secured Indebtedness otherwise permitted to be incurred pursuant to Section 10.1(p) and (q) as it relates to the right of the debtor to dispose of the assets securing such Indebtedness;

(h) restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(i) other Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries permitted to be incurred subsequent to the Closing Date pursuant to Section 10.1 (k) , (l), (p) and (q) so long as the provisions relating to such encumbrance or restriction contained in such Indebtedness are no less favorable to the Borrower, taken as a whole, as determined by the board of directors of the Borrower in good faith, than the provisions contained in this Agreement as in effect on the Closing Date;

(j) customary provisions in joint venture agreements or agreements governing property held with a common owner and other similar agreements or arrangements relating solely to such joint venture or property or are otherwise customary encumbrances or restrictions imposed pursuant to any agreement of the type described in the definition of “Industry Investments” entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(k) customary provisions contained in leases, sub-leases, licenses, sub-licenses or similar agreements, in each case, entered into in the ordinary course of business;

(l) any agreements entered into with respect to any sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition permitted by Section 10.4 and applicable solely to assets under such sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition; and

(m) any encumbrances or restrictions imposed by any amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings of the contracts, instruments or obligations referred to in clauses (a) through (l) above; provided that such amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, replacements or refinancings are, in the good faith judgment of the Borrower’s board of directors, no more restrictive in any material respect with respect to such encumbrance and other restrictions taken as a whole than those prior to such amendment, modification, restatement, renewal, increase, supplement, refunding, replacement or refinancing.

 

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10.10 Hedge Agreements. The Borrower will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Hedge Agreements with any Person other than:

(a) Hedge Agreements in respect of Hydrocarbons entered into not for speculative purposes the net notional volumes for which (when aggregated with other commodity Hedge Agreements then in effect, other than puts, floors and basis differential swaps on volumes already hedged pursuant to other Hedge Agreements) do not exceed, as of the date the latest hedging transaction is entered into under a Hedge Agreement, 85% of the reasonably anticipated Hydrocarbon production from the Credit Parties’ total Proved Reserves (as forecast based upon the Initial Reserve Report or the most recent Reserve Report delivered pursuant to Section 9.14(a), as applicable), in the case of Hedging Agreements entered into after the Closing Date, not to exceed the forty-eight (48) month period from the date of creation of such hedging arrangement (the “Ongoing Hedges”). In addition to the Ongoing Hedges, in connection with a proposed or pending acquisition of Oil and Gas Properties (a “Proposed Acquisition”), the Credit Parties may also enter into incremental hedging contracts with respect to the Credit Parties’ reasonably anticipated projected Hydrocarbon production from the total Proved Reserves of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries as forecast based upon the most recent Reserve Report having notional volumes not in excess of 15% of the Credit Parties’ existing projected Hydrocarbon production prior to the consummation of such Proposed Acquisition (such that the aggregate shall not be more than 100% of the reasonably anticipated projected production prior to the consummation of such Proposed Acquisition) for a period not exceeding thirty-six (36) months from the date such hedging arrangement is created during the period between (i) the date on which such Credit Party signs a definitive acquisition agreement in connection with a Proposed Acquisition and (ii) the earliest of (A) the date of consummation of such Proposed Acquisition, (B) the date of termination of such Proposed Acquisition and (C) ninety (90) days after the date of execution of such definitive acquisition agreement (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent may agree in its reasonable discretion). However, all such incremental hedging contracts entered into with respect to a Proposed Acquisition must be terminated or unwound within forty-five (45) days following the date of termination of such Proposed Acquisition. It is understood that commodity Hedge Agreements which may, from time to time, “hedge” the same volumes of commodity risk but different elements of commodity risk thereof, including where one or more such Hedge Agreements partially offset one or more other such Hedge Agreements, shall not be aggregated together when calculating the foregoing limitations on notional volumes.

(b) Other Hedge Agreements (other than any Hedge Agreements in respect of equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions) entered into not for speculative purposes.

(c) It is understood that for purposes of this Section 10.10, the following Hedge Agreements shall be deemed not to be speculative or entered into for speculative purposes: (i) any commodity Hedge Agreement intended, at inception of execution, to hedge or manage any of the risks related to existing and or forecasted Hydrocarbon production of the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries (whether or not contracted) and (ii) any Hedge

 

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Agreement intended, at inception of execution, (A) to hedge or manage the interest rate exposure associated with any debt securities, debt facilities or leases (existing or forecasted) of the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries, (B) for foreign exchange or currency exchange management, (C) to manage commodity portfolio exposure associated with changes in interest rates or (D) to hedge any exposure that the Borrower or its Restricted Subsidiaries may have to counterparties under other Hedge Agreements such that the combination of such Hedge Agreements is not speculative taken as a whole.

(d) For purposes of entering into or maintaining Ongoing Hedges under Section 10.10(a), forecasts of reasonably projected Hydrocarbon production volumes and reasonably anticipated Hydrocarbon production from the Credit Parties’ total Proved Reserves based upon the Initial Reserve Report or the most recent Reserve Report delivered pursuant to Section 9.14(a), as applicable, shall be revised to account for any increase or decrease therein anticipated because of information obtained by Borrower or any other Credit Party subsequent to the publication of such Reserve Report including the Borrower’s or any other Credit Party’s internal forecasts of production decline rates for existing wells and additions to or deletions from anticipated future production from new wells and acquisitions coming on stream or failing to come on stream.

10.11 Financial Covenants. The Borrower will not permit:

(a) the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio as of the last day of any Test Period ending on or after June 30, 2021 thereafter to be greater than 3.25:1.00,

(b) the Current Ratio as of the last day of any Test Period ending on or after June 30, 2021 to be less than 1.00:1.00, or

(c) Liquidity to be less than $100,000,000 as of the last Business Day of each week (and such failure continues for more than two (2) Business Days following such date of determination) ending on and after the date that is 180 days prior to the earlier of:

(i) while any principal amount remains outstanding under the Second Lien Credit Agreement, the Second Lien Maturity Date, and

(ii) while any principal amount remains outstanding under the Existing Unsecured Notes, the maturity date of the Existing Unsecured Notes (or any Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness in respect thereof);

provided, that (x) if the requirements pursuant to the preceding clause (c) apply because of an outstanding principal amount under the Second Lien Credit Agreement, such requirements shall cease to apply upon the repayment in full of all outstanding amounts under the Second Lien Credit Agreement or upon the extension of the Second Lien Maturity Date to a date that is at least 180 days after the Latest Maturity Date, and (y) if the requirements pursuant to the preceding clause (c) apply because of an outstanding principal amount under the Existing Unsecured Notes, such requirements shall cease to apply upon the repayment in full of all outstanding amounts under the Existing Unsecured Notes or upon the extension of the Notes Maturity Date to a date that is at least 180 days after the Latest Maturity Date.

 

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10.12 Accounting Changes; Amendments to Organizational Documents. The Borrower (i) shall not make any change in its fiscal year; provided, however, that the Borrower may, upon written notice to the Administrative Agent, change its fiscal year to any other fiscal year reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, in which case, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent will, and are hereby authorized by the Lenders to, make any adjustments to this Agreement that are necessary to reflect such change in fiscal year or (ii) shall not, nor shall it permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to amend, modify or change in any manner materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders (as determined by the Borrower acting in its reasonable discretion) the organizational documents of such entities.

10.13 Foreign Operations. From and after the date hereof, the Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, acquire or make any other expenditures (whether such expenditure is capital, operating or otherwise) in or related to any Oil and Gas Properties not located within the geographical boundaries of the United States or form, acquire or make any Investments in any Person that is organized under the laws of jurisdictions other than the United States or any state thereof, or the District of Columbia.

10.14 Permitted Activities. The Borrower shall not directly operate any material business or directly own any Oil and Gas Properties; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the following (and activities incidental thereto) shall not constitute the operation of a business and shall in all cases be permitted: (i) its direct or indirect ownership of the Equity Interests of its Subsidiaries or any other Person, (ii) the maintenance of its legal existence (including the ability to incur fees, costs and expenses relating to such maintenance and performance of activities relating to its officers, directors, managers and employees and those of its Subsidiaries), (iii) the entering into, and performance of its obligations with respect to, the Loan Documents and any other Indebtedness, and the consummation of the Transactions, (iv) any public offering of its common stock or any other issuance or sale of its Equity Interests (including, for the avoidance of doubt, performing activities in preparation for and consummating any such offering, issuance or sale, the making of any dividend or distribution on account of, or any redemption, retirement, sinking fund or similar payment, purchase or other acquisition for value of, any shares of any class of its Equity Interests), (v) financing activities, including the issuance of securities, incurrence of debt, payment of dividends, making contributions to the capital of its Subsidiaries and guaranteeing the obligations of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (vi) participating in tax, accounting and other administrative matters as a member of a consolidated group, including compliance with applicable law and legal, tax and accounting matters related thereto and activities relating to its officers, directors, managers and employees, (vii) holding any cash equivalents (including Permitted Investments), (viii) holding any other property received by it as a distribution from any of its subsidiaries and making further distributions with such property, (ix) providing indemnification to officers, managers and directors, (x) holding director and shareholder meetings, preparing organizational records and other organizational activities required to maintain its separate organizational structure or to comply with applicable law, (xi) filing tax reports and paying taxes and other customary obligations related thereto in the ordinary course (and contesting any taxes), (xii) entering into and performance of obligations with respect to contracts and other arrangements in connection with the activities contemplated by this Section 10.14, (xiii) the preparation of reports to Governmental Authorities and to its shareholders, (xiv) the performance of obligations under and compliance with its organizational documents, any demands or requests from or requirements of a Governmental Authority or any applicable law, ordinance, regulation, rule,

 

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order, judgment, decree or permit, including as a result of or in connection with the activities of its Subsidiaries; (xv) the entry into and performance of obligations under and compliance with Secured Hedge Agreements to the extent permitted under the Credit Documents; and (xvi) any activities incidental to the foregoing or customary for passive holding companies. The Borrower shall not incur any Liens on Equity Interests of its direct Restricted Subsidiaries other than those arising by operation of law and for the benefit of any Secured Parties, the representatives party to the Collateral Agreement and any Junior Lien Intercreditor Agreement and the creditors represented by such representatives.

10.15 Acreage Dedications. The Borrower shall not, and shall not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, (i) grant a Mortgage to secure a Minimum Volume Commitment or (ii) file any acreage dedication in connection with a Minimum Volume Commitment unless a Mortgage creating a valid and enforceable Lien in favor of the Collateral Agent with respect to the Property proposed to be dedicated to such Minimum Volume Commitment has been filed in the appropriate recording office.

SECTION 11. EVENTS OF DEFAULT

Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of any of the following specified events (each an “Event of Default”):

11.1 Payments. The Borrower shall (a) default in the payment when due of any principal of the Loans or (b) default, and such default shall continue for six (6) or more calendar days, in the payment when due of any interest on the Loans or any Unpaid Drawings, fees or of any other amounts owing hereunder or under any other Credit Document (other than any amount referred to in clause (a) above).

11.2 Representations, Etc. Any representation, warranty or statement made or deemed made by any Credit Party herein or in any other Credit Document or any certificate delivered or required to be delivered pursuant hereto or thereto shall prove to be untrue in any material respect on the date as of which made or deemed made.

11.3 Covenants. Any Credit Party shall:

(a) default in the due performance or observance by it of any term, covenant or agreement contained in Section 9.1(d)(i), 9.5 (solely with respect to the Borrower), 9.9, 9.15, 9.17 or Section 10; or

(b) default in the due performance or observance by it of any term, covenant or agreement (other than those referred to in Section 11.1 or 11.2 or clause (a) of this Section 11.3) contained in this Agreement or any other Credit Document and such default shall continue unremedied for a period of at least 30 days after receipt of written notice thereof by the Borrower from the Administrative Agent.

 

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11.4 Default Under Other Agreements.

(a) The Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries shall (i) default in any payment with respect to any Material Indebtedness (other than the Indebtedness described in Section 11.1) beyond the period of grace, if any, provided in the instrument of agreement under which such Indebtedness was created or (ii) default in the observance or performance of any agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event shall occur or condition exist (other than (1) with respect to Indebtedness in respect of any Hedge Agreements, termination events or equivalent events pursuant to the terms of such Hedge Agreements (2) any event requiring prepayment pursuant to customary asset sale or change of control provisions and (3) secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of a Disposition (including as a result of Casualty Event) of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness permitted under this Agreement), the effect of which default or other event or condition is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders) to cause, any such Indebtedness to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, unless, in the case of each of the foregoing, such holder or holders shall have (or through its or their trustee or agent on its or their behalf) waived such default in a writing to the Borrower, or

(b) Without limiting the provisions of clause (a) above, any such default under any such Material Indebtedness shall cause such Material Indebtedness to be declared to be due and payable, or required to be prepaid other than by a regularly scheduled required prepayment or as a mandatory prepayment (and (i) with respect to Indebtedness consisting of any Hedge Agreements, other than due to a termination event or equivalent event pursuant to the terms of such Hedge Agreements, (ii) other than pursuant to customary asset sale or change of control provisions and (iii) other than secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of a Disposition (including as a result of Casualty Event) of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness permitted under this Agreement) prior to the stated maturity thereof.

11.5 Bankruptcy, Etc. The Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary shall commence a voluntary case, proceeding or action concerning itself under Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy” or any other applicable insolvency, debtor relief, or debt adjustment law, in each case as now or hereafter in effect, or any successor thereto (collectively, the “Bankruptcy Code”); or an involuntary case, proceeding or action is commenced against the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary and the petition is not dismissed or stayed within 60 days after commencement of the case, proceeding or action, the Borrower or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary consents to the institution of such case, proceeding or action prior to such 60-day period, or any order of relief or other order approving any such case, proceeding or action is entered; or a custodian (as defined in the Bankruptcy Code), receiver, receiver manager, trustee, conservator, liquidator, examiner, rehabilitator, administrator, or similar person is appointed for, or takes charge of, the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary or all or any substantial portion of the property or business thereof; or the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary suffers any appointment of any custodian, receiver, receiver manager, trustee, conservator, liquidator, examiner, rehabilitator, administrator, or the like for it or any substantial part of its property or business to continue undischarged or unstayed for a period of 60 days; or the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors.

 

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11.6 ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs with respect to a Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan which, when taken together with all other ERISA Events, has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of any Credit Party under Title IV of ERISA in an aggregate amount which could reasonably be expected to result in a Lien or a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its Withdrawal Liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) the termination, withdrawal or failure to comply noncompliance with applicable law or plan terms of such plan that, when taken together with other such events, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

11.7 Guarantee. The Guarantee or any material provision thereof shall cease to be in full force or effect (other than pursuant to the terms hereof and thereof) or any Guarantor or any other Credit Party shall assert in writing that any such Guarantor’s obligations under the Guarantee are not to be in effect or are not to be legal, valid and binding obligations (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof).

11.8 Security Documents. The Mortgage or any other Security Document or any material provision thereof shall cease to be in full force or effect (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof), or any grantor under any other Security Document or any other Credit Party shall assert in writing that any grantor’s obligations under the Collateral Agreement, the Mortgage or any other Security Document are not in effect or not legal, valid and binding obligations (other than pursuant to the terms hereof or thereof).

11.9 Judgments. One or more monetary judgments or decrees shall be entered against the Borrower or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries involving a liability of $50,000,000 or more in the aggregate for all such judgments and decrees for the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries (to the extent not paid or covered by insurance provided by a carrier not disputing coverage), which judgments or decrees are not discharged or effectively waived or stayed for a period of 60 consecutive days.

11.10 Change of Control. A Change of Control shall have occurred.

11.11 Intercreditor Agreements. (i) Any of the Obligations of the Credit Parties under the Loan Documents for any reason shall cease to be (x) “Senior Debt,” “Senior Indebtedness,” “Guarantor Senior Debt” or “Senior Secured Financing” (or any comparable term) under, and as defined in, any document governing Junior Debt, or (y) “First Lien Credit Agreement Obligations” or “Senior Obligations” (or any comparable term) under, and as defined in, the Intercreditor Agreement or (ii) the subordination provisions set forth in the Intercreditor Agreement or any other document governing Junior Debt shall, in whole or in part, cease to be effective or cease to be legally valid, binding and enforceable against the holders of such Junior Debt, if applicable.

Then, and in any such event, and at any time thereafter, if any Event of Default shall then be continuing, the Administrative Agent may with the consent of and, upon the written request of the Majority Lenders, shall, by written notice to the Borrower, take any or all of the following actions, without prejudice to the rights of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to enforce its

 

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claims against the Borrower or any other Credit Party, except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Agreement (provided that, if an Event of Default specified in Section 11.5 shall occur with respect to the Borrower, the result that would occur upon the giving of written notice by the Administrative Agent as specified in clauses (a), (b) and (c) below shall occur automatically without the giving of any such notice (a) declare the Total Commitment and Swingline Commitment terminated, whereupon the Commitment of each Lender and the Swingline Lender, as the case may be, shall forthwith terminate immediately and any fees theretofore accrued shall forthwith become due and payable without any other notice of any kind, (b) declare the principal of and any accrued interest and fees in respect of any or all Loans and any or all Obligations owing hereunder and thereunder to be, whereupon the same shall become, forthwith due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower, and/or (c) demand cash collateral in respect of any outstanding Letter of Credit pursuant to Section 3.7(b) in an amount equal to the aggregate Stated Amount of all Letters of Credit issued and then outstanding. In addition, after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders will have all other rights and remedies available at law and equity.

11.12 Application of Proceeds. Any amount received by the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent from any Credit Party (or from proceeds of any Collateral) following any acceleration of the Obligations under this Agreement or any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower under Section 11.5 shall, subject to the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement, be applied:

First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel payable under Section 12.7 and amounts payable under Article II) payable to the Administrative Agent and/or Collateral Agent in such Person’s capacity as such;

Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest and Letter of Credit Fees) payable to the Lenders and the Issuing Banks (including fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel payable under Section 12.7) arising under the Credit Documents and amounts payable under Article II, ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans and Unpaid Drawings, ratably among the Lenders and Issuing Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

Fourth, (i) to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, the Unpaid Drawings and Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and the Secured Cash Management Agreements and (ii) to Cash Collateralize that portion of Letters of Credit Outstanding comprising the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not otherwise Cash Collateralized by the Borrower pursuant to Section 3.7, ratably among the Lenders, the Issuing Banks, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them; provided that (x) any such amounts applied pursuant to the foregoing clause (ii) shall be paid to the

 

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Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the applicable Issuing Bank to Cash Collateralize such Letters of Credit Outstanding, (y) subject to Section 3.7, amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to this clause Fourth shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur and (z) upon the expiration of any Letter of Credit, the pro rata share of Cash Collateral attributable to such expired Letter of Credit shall be distributed in accordance with this clause Fourth;

Fifth, to the payment of all other Obligations of the Credit Parties owing under or in respect of the Credit Documents that are due and payable to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties on such date, ratably based upon the respective aggregate amounts of all such Obligations owing to the Administrative Agent and the other Secured Parties on such date; and

Last, the balance, if any, after Payment in Full, to the Borrower or as otherwise required by Requirements of Law.

Subject to Section 3.7, amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fourth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amounts received from any Guarantor shall be applied to any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Guarantor.

11.13 Equity Cure.

(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 11 or in any Credit Document, in the event that the Borrower fails to comply with Section 10.11(a), then (A) until the expiration of the tenth Business Day subsequent to the date the compliance certificate for calculating the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 9.1(c) (the “Cure Deadline”), the Borrower shall have the right to cure such failure (the “Cure Right”) by receiving cash proceeds (which cash proceeds shall be received no earlier than the first day of the applicable fiscal quarter for which there is a failure to comply with Section 10.11(a) and no later than the expiration of such tenth Business Day) from an issuance of Qualified Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) for cash as a cash capital contribution (or from any other contribution of cash to capital or issuance or sale of any other Equity Interests on terms reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent), and upon receipt by the Borrower of such cash proceeds (such cash amount being referred to as the “Cure Amount”) pursuant to the exercise of such Cure Right, the Consolidated Total Net Leverage Ratio shall be recalculated giving effect to the following pro forma adjustments:

(i) Consolidated EBITDAX shall be increased, solely for the purpose of determining the existence of an Event of Default resulting from a breach of Section 10.11(a) with respect to any Test Period that includes the fiscal quarter for which the Cure Right was exercised and not for any other purpose under this Agreement, by an amount equal to the Cure Amount;

 

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(ii) Consolidated Total Debt for such Test Period shall (A) be increased by the amount of proceeds of the Cure Amount that have been received on or prior to the last day of the applicable fiscal quarter for which there is a failure to comply with Section 10.11(a) and (B) be decreased solely to the extent proceeds of the Cure Amount, if any, are actually applied to prepay any Indebtedness (provided that any such Indebtedness so prepaid shall be a permanent repayment of such Indebtedness and termination of commitments thereunder) included in the calculation of Consolidated Total Debt and any cash proceeds received after the last day of the applicable fiscal quarter for which there is a failure to comply with Section 10.11(a) shall not be “netted” for purposes of ratio calculations with respect to any four fiscal quarter period in which the fiscal quarter period in which such equity cure has been made is included; and

(iii) if, after giving effect to the foregoing recalculations, the Borrower shall then be in compliance with the requirements of Section 10.11(a), the Borrower shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of Section 10.11(a) as of the relevant date of determination with the same effect as though there had been no failure to comply therewith at such date, and the applicable breach or default of Section 10.11(a) that had occurred shall be deemed cured for the purposes of this Agreement; provided that (A) in each period of four consecutive fiscal quarters there shall be at least two fiscal quarters in which no Cure Right is exercised, (B) Cure Rights shall not be exercised more than five times during the term of this Agreement, (C) each Cure Amount shall be no greater than the amount required to cause the Borrower to be in compliance with Section 10.11(a) above (such amount, the “Necessary Cure Amount”); provided that if the Cure Right is exercised prior to the date financial statements are required to be delivered for such fiscal quarter, then the Cure Amount shall be equal to the amount reasonably determined by the Borrower in good faith that is required for purposes of complying with Section 10.11(a) for such fiscal quarter (such amount, the “Expected Cure Amount”), (D) in respect of the fiscal quarter in which such Cure Right was exercised and for each Test Period that includes such fiscal quarter, all Cure Amounts shall be disregarded for the purposes of any financial ratio determination under the Credit Documents other than for determining compliance with Section 10.11(a) and (E) no Lender or Issuing Bank shall be required to make any extension of credit hereunder during the 10 Business Day period referred to above, unless the Borrower shall have received the Cure Amount; and

(iv) upon receipt by the Administrative Agent of written notice, on or prior to the Cure Deadline, that the Borrower intends to exercise the Cure Right in respect of a fiscal quarter, the Lenders shall not be permitted to accelerate Loans held by them or to exercise remedies against the Collateral on the basis of a failure to comply with the requirements of Section 10.11(a), unless such failure is not cured pursuant to the exercise of the Cure Right on or prior to the Cure Deadline.

 

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(b) Expected Cure Amount. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, to the extent that the Expected Cure Amount is (i) greater than the Necessary Cure Amount, then such difference may be used for the purposes of determining the Applicable Equity Amount and (ii) less than the Necessary Cure Amount, then not later than the applicable Cure Deadline, the Borrower must receive cash proceeds from issuance of Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) or a cash capital contribution, which cash proceeds received by Borrower shall be equal to the shortfall between such Expected Cure Amount and such Necessary Cure Amount.

SECTION 12. THE AGENTS

12.1 Appointment.

(a) Each Lender hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Administrative Agent as the agent of such Lender under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents and irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent, in such capacity, to take such action on its behalf under the provisions of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents and to exercise such powers and perform such duties as are expressly delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Section 12 (other than Section 12.1(c) with respect to the Lead Arrangers, and Sections 12.9, 12.11, 12.12 and the last sentence of Section 12.4 with respect to the Borrower) are solely for the benefit of the Agents and the Lenders, and the Borrower shall not have rights as third party beneficiary of any such provision. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary elsewhere in this Agreement, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duties or responsibilities, except those expressly set forth herein, or any fiduciary relationship with any Lender, and no implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or liabilities shall be read into this Agreement or any other Credit Document or otherwise exist against the Administrative Agent.

(b) The Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably designate and appoint the Collateral Agent as the agent with respect to the Collateral, and each of the Administrative Agent, each Swingline Lender, each Lender and each Issuing Bank irrevocably authorizes the Collateral Agent, in such capacity, to take such action on its behalf under the provisions of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents and to exercise such powers and perform such duties as are expressly delegated to the Collateral Agent by the terms of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary elsewhere in this Agreement, the Collateral Agent shall not have any duties or responsibilities except those expressly set forth herein, or any fiduciary relationship with any of the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, the Lenders or the Issuing Banks, and no implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or liabilities shall be read into this Agreement or any other Credit Document or otherwise exist against the Collateral Agent.

(c) Each of the Lead Arrangers, in its capacity as such, shall not have any obligations, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement but shall be entitled to all benefits of this Section 12.

 

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12.2 Delegation of Duties. The Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent may each execute any of its duties under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents by or through agents, sub-agents, employees or attorneys-in-fact (each, a “Subagent”) and shall be entitled to advice of counsel concerning all matters pertaining to such duties; provided, however, that no such Subagent shall be authorized to take any action with respect to any Collateral unless and except to the extent expressly authorized in writing by the Administrative Agent. If any Subagent, or successor thereto, shall die, become incapable of acting, resign or be removed, all rights, powers, privileges and duties of such Subagent, to the extent permitted by law, shall automatically vest in and be exercised by the Administrative Agent until the appointment of a new Subagent. Neither the Administrative Agent nor the Collateral Agent shall be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any Subagents selected by it.

12.3 Exculpatory Provisions. No Agent nor any of its officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or Affiliates shall be (a) liable for any action lawfully taken or omitted to be taken by any of them under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Credit Document (except for its or such Person’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct, as determined in the final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, in connection with its duties expressly set forth herein) or (b) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders or any participant for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any of the Borrower, any other Credit Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Credit Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by such Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Credit Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Credit Document, or the perfection or priority of any Lien or security interest created or purported to be created under the Security Documents or for any failure of the Borrower or any other Credit Party to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder. No Agent shall be under any obligation to any Lender to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this Agreement or any other Credit Document, or to inspect the properties, books or records of any Credit Party or any Affiliate thereof. The Collateral Agent shall not be under any obligation to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, the Swingline Lender or any Issuing Bank to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this Agreement or any other Credit Document, or to inspect the properties, books or records of any Credit Party.

12.4 Reliance by Agents. The Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon any writing, resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, telecopy, telex or teletype message, email, statement, order or other document or instruction believed by it to be genuine and correct and to have been signed, sent or made by the proper Person or Persons and upon advice and statements of legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrower), independent accountants and other experts selected by the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent. The Administrative Agent may deem and treat the Lender specified in the Register with respect to any amount owing hereunder as the owner thereof for all purposes unless a written notice of assignment, negotiation or transfer thereof shall have been filed with the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent shall be fully justified in failing or refusing to take any action under this Agreement or any other Credit Document unless it shall first receive such advice or concurrence of the Majority Lenders as it deems appropriate and/or it shall first be indemnified to its satisfaction by the Lenders against

 

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any and all liability and expense that may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents in accordance with a request of the Majority Lenders, and such request and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding upon all the Lenders and all future holders of the Loans; provided that the Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent shall not be required to take any action or refuse to take any action where, in its opinion or in the opinion of its counsel, the taking or refusal to take such action may expose it to liability or that is contrary to any Credit Document or applicable Requirements of Law. For purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in Section 6 and Section 7 on the Closing Date, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

12.5 Notice of Default. Neither the Administrative Agent nor the Collateral Agent shall be deemed to have knowledge or notice of the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default hereunder unless the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, as applicable, has received written notice from a Lender or the Borrower referring to this Agreement, describing such Default or Event of Default and stating that such notice is a “notice of default”. In the event that the Administrative Agent receives such a notice, it shall give notice thereof to the Lenders and the Collateral Agent. The Administrative Agent shall take such action with respect to such Default or Event of Default as shall be reasonably directed by the Majority Lenders; provided that unless and until the Administrative Agent shall have received such directions, the Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) take such action, or refrain from taking such action, with respect to such Default or Event of Default as it shall deem advisable in the best interests of the Lenders except to the extent that this Agreement requires that such action be taken only with the approval or consent of the Majority Lenders, the Required Lenders, each individual lender or adversely affected Lender, as applicable.

12.6 Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent and Other Lenders. Each Lender expressly acknowledges that neither the Administrative Agent nor the Collateral Agent nor any of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or Affiliates has made any representations or warranties to it and that no act by the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent hereinafter taken, including any review of the affairs of the Borrower or any other Credit Party, shall be deemed to constitute any representation or warranty by the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent to any Lender, any Swingline Lender or any Issuing Bank. Each Lender, each Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank represents to the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own appraisal of and investigation into the business, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Borrower and each other Credit Party and made its own decision to make its Loans hereunder and enter into this Agreement. Each Lender also represents that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or any other Lender, and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit analysis, appraisals and

 

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decisions in taking or not taking action under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, and to make such investigation as it deems necessary to inform itself as to the business, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Borrower and any other Credit Party. Except for notices, reports and other documents expressly required to be furnished to the Lenders by the Administrative Agent hereunder, neither the Administrative Agent nor the Collateral Agent shall have any duty or responsibility to provide any Lender with any credit or other information concerning the business, assets, operations, properties, financial condition, prospects or creditworthiness of the Borrower or any other Credit Party that may come into the possession of the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent any of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, attorneys-in-fact or Affiliates.

12.7 Indemnification. The Lenders severally agree to indemnify the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent, each in its capacity as such (to the extent not reimbursed by the Credit Parties and without limiting the obligation of the Credit Parties to do so), ratably according to their respective portions of the Commitments or Loans, as applicable, outstanding in effect on the date on which indemnification is sought (or, if indemnification is sought after Payment in Full, ratably in accordance with their respective portions of the Total Exposure in effect immediately prior to such date), from and against any and all Indemnified Liabilities; provided that no Lender shall be liable to the Administrative Agent or the Collateral Agent for the payment of any portion of such liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements resulting from such Administrative Agent’s or the Collateral Agent’s, as applicable, gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction; provided, further, that no action taken in accordance with the directions of the Majority Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be required by the Credit Documents) shall be deemed to constitute gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct for purposes of this Section 12.7. In the case of any investigation, litigation or proceeding giving rise to any liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, actions, judgments, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements of any kind whatsoever that may at any time occur (including at any time following the payment of the Loans), this Section 12.7 applies whether any such investigation, litigation or proceeding is brought by any Lender or any other Person. Without limitation of the foregoing, each Lender shall reimburse the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent upon demand for its ratable share of any costs or out-of-pocket expenses (including Attorney Costs) incurred by such Agent in connection with the preparation, execution, delivery, administration, modification, amendment or enforcement (whether through negotiations, legal proceedings or otherwise) of, or legal advice rendered in respect of rights or responsibilities under, this Agreement, any other Credit Document, or any document contemplated by or referred to herein, to the extent that such Agent is not reimbursed for such expenses by or on behalf of the Borrower; provided that such reimbursement by the Lenders shall not affect the Borrower’s continuing reimbursement obligations with respect thereto. If any indemnity furnished to any Agent for any purpose shall, in the opinion of such Agent, be insufficient or become impaired, such Agent may call for additional indemnity and cease, or not commence, to do the acts indemnified against until such additional indemnity is furnished; provided, in no event shall this sentence require any Lender to indemnify any Agent against any liability, obligation, loss, damage, penalty, action, judgment, suit, cost, expense or disbursement in excess of such Lender’s pro rata portion thereof; and provided further, this sentence shall not be deemed to require any Lender to indemnify any Agent against any liability, obligation, loss, damage, penalty, action, judgment, suit, cost, expense or disbursement resulting from such Agent’s gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct. The agreements in this Section 12.7 shall survive the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder.

 

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12.8 Agents in Its Individual Capacities. Each Agent and its Affiliates may make loans to, accept deposits from and generally engage in any kind of business with the Borrower and any other Credit Party as though such Agent were not an Agent hereunder and under the other Credit Documents. With respect to the Loans made by it, each Agent shall have the same rights and powers under this Agreement and the other Credit Documents as any Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not an Agent, and the terms “Lender” and “Lenders” shall include each Agent in its individual capacity.

12.9 Successor Agents. Each of the Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the Swingline Lender, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower. If the Administrative Agent, any Swingline Lender and/or Collateral Agent becomes a Defaulting Lender, then such Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender or Collateral Agent, may be removed as Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender or Collateral Agent, as the case may be, at the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Majority Lenders. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation or removal, as the case may be, the Majority Lenders shall have the right, subject to the consent of the Borrower (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) so long as no Default under Section 11.1 or 11.5 is continuing, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in New York. If, in the case of a resignation of a retiring Agent, no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Majority Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Agent gives notice of its resignation, then the retiring Agent may on behalf of the Lenders, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Banks, appoint a successor Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above (provided that if the Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders that no qualifying Person has accepted such appointment, then such resignation shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice and (a) the retiring Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Credit Documents (except that in the case of any collateral security held by the Agent on behalf of the Lenders or Issuing Banks under and Credit Documents, the retiring Agent shall continue to hold such collateral security until such time as a successor Agent is appointed) and (b) all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and Issuing Bank directly, until such time as the Majority Lenders appoint a successor Agent as provided for above in this Section 12.9). Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, as the case may be, hereunder, and upon the execution and filing or recording of such financing statements, or amendments thereto, and such other instruments or notices, as may be necessary or desirable, or as the Majority Lenders may request, in order to continue the perfection of the Liens granted or purported to be granted by the Security Documents, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or retired) Agent, and the retiring Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Credit Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section 12.9). After the retiring Agent’s resignation hereunder and under the other Credit Documents, the provisions of this Section 12 (including Section 12.7) and Section 13.5 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Agent, its Subagents and their respective Agent-Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Agent was acting as an Agent.

 

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Any resignation of any Person as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 12.9 shall also constitute its resignation as Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Issuing Bank, (b) the retiring Issuing Bank shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Credit Documents, and (c) the successor Issuing Bank shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the retiring Issuing Bank to effectively assume the obligations of the retiring Issuing Bank with respect to such Letters of Credit.

12.10 Withholding Tax. To the extent required by any applicable Requirement of Law, the Administrative Agent may withhold from any payment to any Lender an amount equivalent to any applicable withholding tax. If the IRS or any authority of the United States or other jurisdiction asserts a claim that the Administrative Agent did not properly withhold tax from amounts paid to or for the account of any Lender for any reason (including because the appropriate form was not delivered, was not properly executed, or because such Lender failed to notify the Administrative Agent of a change in circumstances that rendered the exemption from, or reduction of, withholding tax ineffective), such Lender shall indemnify the Administrative Agent (to the extent that the Administrative Agent has not already been reimbursed by any applicable Credit Party and without limiting the obligation of any applicable Credit Party to do so) fully for all amounts paid, directly or indirectly, by the Administrative Agent as Tax or otherwise, including penalties, additions to Tax and interest, together with all expenses incurred, including legal expenses, allocated staff costs and any out of pocket expenses. In addition, each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent for (i) any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any applicable Credit Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes and without limiting the obligation of any applicable Credit Party to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Credit Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Credit Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this Section 12.10. For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this Section 12.10, the term “Lender” includes any Issuing Bank and any Swingline Lender.

12.11 Security Documents and Collateral Agent under Security Documents and Guarantee. Each Secured Party hereby further authorizes the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, as applicable, on behalf of and for the benefit of Secured Parties, to be the agent for and representative of the Secured Parties with respect to the Collateral and the Security Documents. Subject to Section 13.1, without further written consent or authorization from any Secured Party, the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, as applicable, may take such action and execute and deliver any such instruments, documents and agreements necessary or desirable to evidence and confirm the release of any Guarantor or Collateral pursuant to Section 13.17. The Lenders and the

 

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Issuing Banks (including in their capacities as potential Cash Management Banks and potential Hedge Banks) irrevocably agree that (x) the Collateral Agent is authorized and the Collateral Agent agrees it shall (for the benefit of Borrower), without any further consent of any Lender, enter into or amend the Intercreditor Agreement, or any other intercreditor agreement with the collateral agent or other representatives of the holders of Indebtedness that is permitted to be secured by a Lien on the Collateral that is permitted under this Agreement, in each case for the purpose of adding the holders of such Indebtedness (or their representative) as a party thereto and otherwise causing such Indebtedness to be subject thereto (it being understood that any such amendment, amendment and restatement or supplement may make such other changes to the applicable intercreditor agreement as, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, are required to effectuate the foregoing and with any material modifications to be reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent), (y) the Collateral Agent may rely exclusively on a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower as to whether any such other Liens are permitted and (z) the Intercreditor Agreement or any such intercreditor agreement referred to in clause (x) above, entered into by the Collateral Agent, shall be binding on the Secured Parties. Furthermore, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks (including in their capacities as potential Cash Management Bank and potential Hedge Banks) hereby authorize the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent under any Credit Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by clause (j) of the definition of “Permitted Liens” and clauses (c), (g), (j)(i), (o), (p), (w) and (y) of Section 10.2 or otherwise permitted to be senior to the Liens of Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent on such property; provided that prior to any such request, the Borrower shall have in each case delivered to the Administrative Agent a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower certifying that such subordination is permitted under this Agreement.

12.12 Right to Realize on Collateral and Enforce Guarantee. Anything contained in any of the Credit Documents to the contrary notwithstanding, the Borrower, the Agents and each Secured Party hereby agree that (a) no Secured Party shall have any right individually to realize upon any of the Collateral or to enforce the Guarantee, it being understood and agreed that all powers, rights and remedies hereunder may be exercised solely by the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties in accordance with the terms hereof and all powers, rights and remedies under the Security Documents may be exercised solely by the Collateral Agent, and (b) in the event of a foreclosure by the Collateral Agent on any of the Collateral pursuant to a public or private sale or other disposition, the Collateral Agent or any Lender may be the purchaser or licensor of any or all of such Collateral at any such sale or other disposition and the Collateral Agent, as agent for and representative of the Secured Parties (but not any Lender or Lenders in its or their respective individual capacities unless the Majority Lenders shall otherwise agree in writing) shall be entitled, for the purpose of bidding and making settlement or payment of the purchase price for all or any portion of the Collateral sold at any such public sale, to use and apply any of the Obligations as a credit on account of the purchase price for any collateral payable by the Collateral Agent at such sale or other disposition.

12.13 Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim. In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding, constituting an Event of Default under Section 11.5, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

 

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(a) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid hereunder or under any other Credit Document in respect of the Loans and all other Indebtedness that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel, to the extent due under Section 13.5) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

(b) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, to the extent due under Section 13.5.

Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Indebtedness or the rights of any Lender or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.

12.14 Certain ERISA Matters.

(a) Each Lender (for purposes of this Section 12.14, all references to “Lender” or “Lenders” shall be deemed to include any Issuing Bank) (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lead Arranger and Bookrunner and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Credit Party, that at least one of the following is and will be true:

(i) such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of Section 3(42) of ERISA or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) of one or more Benefit Plans in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments,

(ii) the prohibited transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1

 

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(a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable so as to exempt from the prohibitions of Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement,

(iii) (A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, or

(iv) such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.

(b) In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant in accordance with sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lead Arranger and Bookrunner and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Credit Party, that none of the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lead Arranger and Bookrunner and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any of their respective Affiliates is a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender involved in the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related to hereto or thereto).

12.15 Credit Bidding. The Secured Parties hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at the direction of the Majority Lenders, to credit bid all or any portion of the Obligations (including by accepting some or all of the Collateral in satisfaction of some or all of the Obligations pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise) and in such manner purchase (either directly or through one or more acquisition vehicles) all or any portion of the

 

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Collateral (a) at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, including under Sections 363, 1123 or 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code, or any similar laws in any other jurisdictions to which a Credit Party is subject, or (b) at any other sale, foreclosure or acceptance of collateral in lieu of debt conducted by (or with the consent or at the direction of) the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with any applicable law. In connection with any such credit bid and purchase, the Obligations owed to the Secured Parties shall be entitled to be credit bid by the Administrative Agent at the direction of the Majority Lenders on a ratable basis (with Obligations with respect to contingent or unliquidated claims receiving contingent interests in the acquired assets on a ratable basis that shall vest upon the liquidation of such claims in an amount proportional to the liquidated portion of the contingent claim amount used in allocating the contingent interests) for the asset or assets so purchased (or for the equity interests or debt instruments of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles that are issued in connection with such purchase). In connection with any such bid (i) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to form one or more acquisition vehicles and to assign any successful credit bid to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, (ii) each of the Secured Parties’ ratable interests in the Obligations which were credit bid shall be deemed without any further action under this Agreement to be assigned to such vehicle or vehicles for the purpose of closing such sale, (iii) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles (provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any Disposition of the assets or equity interests thereof, shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by, and the governing documents shall provide for, control by the vote of the Majority Lenders or their permitted assignees under the terms of this Agreement or the governing documents of the applicable acquisition vehicle or vehicles, as the case may be, irrespective of the termination of this Agreement and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Majority Lenders contained in Section 13.1 of this Agreement), (iv) the Administrative Agent on behalf of such acquisition vehicle or vehicles shall be authorized to issue to each of the Secured Parties, ratably on account of the relevant Obligations which were credit bid, interests, whether as equity, partnership, limited partnership interests or membership interests, in any such acquisition vehicle and/or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle, all without the need for any Secured Party or acquisition vehicle to take any further action, and (v) to the extent that Obligations that are assigned to an acquisition vehicle are not used to acquire Collateral for any reason, such Obligations shall automatically be reassigned to the Secured Parties pro rata and the equity interests and/or debt instruments issued by any acquisition vehicle on account of such Obligations shall automatically be cancelled, without the need for any Secured Party or any acquisition vehicle to take any further action. Notwithstanding that the ratable portion of the Obligations of each Secured Party are deemed assigned to the acquisition vehicle or vehicles as set forth in Section 12.15(ii) above, each Secured Party shall execute such documents and provide such information regarding the Secured Party (and/or any designee of the Secured Party which will receive interests in or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle) as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request in connection with the formation of any acquisition vehicle, the formulation or submission of any credit bid or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by such credit bid.

 

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SECTION 13. MISCELLANEOUS.

13.1 Amendments, Waivers and Releases.

(a) Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, neither this Agreement nor any other Credit Document, nor any terms hereof or thereof, may be amended, supplemented or modified except in accordance with the provisions of this Section 13.1. The Majority Lenders may, or, with the written consent of the Majority Lenders, the Administrative Agent and/or the Collateral Agent shall, from time to time, (a) enter into with the relevant Credit Party or Credit Parties written amendments, supplements or modifications hereto and to the other Credit Documents for the purpose of adding any provisions to this Agreement or the other Credit Documents or changing in any manner the rights of the Lenders or of the Credit Parties hereunder or thereunder or (b) waive in writing, on such terms and conditions as the Majority Lenders or the Administrative Agent and/or Collateral Agent, as the case may be, may specify in such instrument, any of the requirements of this Agreement or the other Credit Documents or any Default or Event of Default and its consequences; provided, however, that each such waiver and each such amendment, supplement or modification shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided, further, that no such waiver and no such amendment, supplement or modification shall (i) forgive or reduce any portion of any Loan or reduce the stated rate (it being understood that only the consent of the Majority Lenders shall be necessary to waive any obligation of the Borrower to pay interest at the Default Rate), or forgive or reduce any portion, or extend the date for the payment (including the Maturity Date), of any principal, interest or fee payable hereunder (other than as a result of waiving the applicability of any post-default increase in interest rates and any change due to a change in the Borrowing Base or Available Commitment), or extend the final expiration date of any Lender’s Commitment (provided that (1) any Lender, upon the request of the Borrower, may extend the final expiration date of its Commitment without the consent of any other Lender, including the Majority Lenders, and (2) it is being understood that waivers or modifications of conditions precedent, covenants, Defaults or Events of Default shall not constitute an increase of the Commitments of any Lender) or extend the final expiration date of any Letter of Credit beyond the L/C Maturity Date, or increase the amount of the Commitment of any Lender (provided that, any Lender, upon the request of the Borrower, may increase the amount of its Commitment without the consent of any other Lender, including the Majority Lenders), or make any Loan, interest, fee or other amount payable in any currency other than Dollars, in each case without the written consent of each Lender directly and adversely affected thereby, or (ii) amend, modify or waive any provision of this Section 13.1 in a manner that would reduce the voting rights of any Lender, or reduce the percentages specified in the definitions of the terms “Majority Lenders” or “Required Lenders” (it being understood that, with the consent of the Majority Lenders, additional extensions of credit pursuant to this Agreement may be included in the determination of the Majority Lenders and Required Lenders on substantially the same basis as the Loans and Commitments are included on the Closing Date), consent to the assignment or transfer by the Borrower of its rights and obligations under any Credit Document to which it is a party (except as permitted pursuant to Section 10.3), in each case without the written consent of each Lender directly and adversely affected thereby, or (iii) amend the provisions of Section 11.12 or any analogous provision of any Security Document, in a manner that would by its terms alter the pro rata sharing of payments or pro rata reduction of Commitments required thereby, without the prior written consent of each Lender directly and adversely affected thereby, or (iv) amend, modify or

 

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waive any provision of Section 12 without the written consent of the then-current Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent, as applicable, or any other former or current Agent to whom Section 12 then applies in a manner that directly and adversely affects such Person, or (v) amend, modify or waive any provision of Section 3 with respect to any Letter of Credit without the written consent of each Issuing Bank to whom Section 3 then applies in a manner that directly and adversely affects such Person, or (vi) amend, modify or waive any provisions hereof relating to Swingline Loans without the written consent of the Swingline Lender, or (vii) release all or substantially all of the aggregate value of the Guarantees (except as expressly permitted by the Guarantee or this Agreement) without the prior written consent of each Lender, or (viii) release all or substantially all of the Collateral under the Security Documents (except as expressly permitted by the Security Documents or this Agreement) without the prior written consent of each Lender, or (ix) amend Section 2.9 so as to permit Interest Period intervals greater than six (6) months without regard to availability to Lenders, without the written consent of each Lender directly and adversely affected thereby, or (x) increase the Borrowing Base or waive a condition in or modify in any manner adverse to a Lender in Section 6.2 without the written consent of each Lender (subject to Section 13.1(b) in the case of a Defaulting Lender) or decrease or maintain the Borrowing Base without the written consent of the Required Lenders or otherwise modify Section 2.14(b), (c), (d), (e), (f), or (l) if such modification would have the effect of increasing the Borrowing Base without the written consent of each Lender (other than Defaulting Lenders); provided that a Scheduled Redetermination may be postponed by, and a reduction in the Borrowing Base may be waived or reduced by, the Required Lenders; provided, further, that this clause (x) shall not apply (or be deemed to apply) to any other waiver, consent, amendment or other modification that directly or indirectly reduces the amount of, or waives the implementation of, any provision that would otherwise reduce the Borrowing Base, (xi) affect the rights or duties of, or any fees or other amounts payable to, any Agent under this Agreement or any other Credit Document without the prior written consent of such Agent, or (xii) without the consent of each Lender, subordinate the Liens on the Collateral securing any of the Obligations or subordinate the right of payment of the Obligations (in each case, as such definitions were in effect on the Effective Date) or (xiii) extend or waive the date by which the conditions precedent in Section 6 must be satisfied without the consent of each Lender or (xiv) amend, modify or waive the conditions precedent set forth in Section 6(h) without the consent of each Lender. Any such waiver and any such amendment, supplement or modification shall apply equally to each of the affected Lenders and shall be binding upon the Borrower, such Lenders, the Administrative Agent and all future holders of the affected Loans. In the case of any waiver, the Borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder and under the other Credit Documents, and any Default or Event of Default waived shall be deemed to be cured and not continuing; it being understood that no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. In connection with the foregoing provisions, the Administrative Agent may, but shall have no obligations to, with the concurrence of any Lender, execute amendments, modifications, waivers or consents on behalf of such Lender whose consent is required hereunder.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that the Commitment of such Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Defaulting Lender and no such amendment, waiver or consent shall disproportionately adversely affect such Defaulting Lender without its consent as compared to other Lenders (it being understood that any Commitments or Loans held or deemed held by any Defaulting Lender shall be excluded for a vote of the Lenders hereunder requiring any consent of the Lenders).

(c) Without the consent of any Lender or Issuing Bank, the Credit Parties and the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent may (in their respective sole discretion, or shall, to the extent required by any Credit Document) enter into any amendment, modification or waiver of any Credit Document, or enter into any new agreement or instrument, to effect the granting, perfection, protection, expansion or enhancement of any security interest in any Collateral or additional property to become Collateral for the benefit of the Secured Parties, or as required by local law to give effect to, or protect any security interest for the benefit of the Secured Parties, in any property or so that the security interests therein comply with applicable law or this Agreement or in each case to otherwise enhance the rights or benefits of any Lender under any Credit Document.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Lender consent is required to effect any amendment, modification or supplement to the Intercreditor Agreement, any subordination agreement or other intercreditor agreement or arrangement permitted under this Agreement or in any document pertaining to any Indebtedness permitted hereby that is permitted to be secured by the Collateral (i) that is for the purpose of adding the holders of such secured or subordinated Indebtedness permitted to be incurred under this Agreement (or, in each case, a representative with respect thereto), as parties thereto, as expressly contemplated by the terms of the Intercreditor Agreement, such subordination agreement or such other intercreditor agreement or arrangement permitted under this Agreement, as applicable (it being understood that any such amendment or supplement may make such other changes to the applicable intercreditor agreement as, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, are required to effectuate the foregoing and provided that such other changes are not adverse, in any material respect (taken as a whole), to the interests of the Lenders) or (ii) that is expressly contemplated by the Intercreditor Agreement, any subordination agreement or other intercreditor agreement or arrangement permitted under this Agreement or in any document pertaining to any Indebtedness permitted hereby that is permitted to be secured by the Collateral or (iii) otherwise, with respect to any material amendments, modifications or supplements, to the extent such amendment, modification or supplement is reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; provided, further, that no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent hereunder or under any other Credit Document without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent, as applicable.

 

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(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be amended (or amended and restated) with the written consent of the Majority Lenders, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower (a) to add one or more additional credit or debt facilities to this Agreement and to permit the extensions of credit from time to time outstanding thereunder and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof to share ratably in the benefits of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents with the Loans and the Commitments and the accrued interest and fees in respect thereof and (b) to include appropriately the Lenders holding such credit or debt facilities in any determination of the Majority Lenders and the Required Lenders on substantially the same basis as the Lenders prior to such inclusion.

(f) In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be amended with the written consent of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders providing the Replacement Loans (as defined below) to permit the refinancing of all outstanding Loans of any Class (“Replaced Loans”) with replacement loans (“Replacement Loans”) hereunder; provided that (i) the aggregate principal amount of such Replacement Loans shall not exceed the aggregate principal amount of such Replaced Loans, plus accrued interest, fees, premiums (if any) and penalties thereon and reasonable fees, expenses, original issue discount and upfront fees associated with such Replacement Loans, (ii) the All-In Yield with respect to such Replacement Loans shall not be higher than the All-In Yield for such Replaced Loans immediately prior to such refinancing unless the maturity of the Replacement Loans is at least one year later than the maturity of the Replaced Loans and (iii) all other terms applicable to such Replacement Loans shall be substantially identical to, or less favorable to the Lenders providing such Replacement Loans than, those applicable to such Replaced Loans, except to the extent necessary to provide for covenants and other terms applicable to any period after the Latest Maturity Date of the Loans in effect immediately prior to such refinancing. Each amendment to this Agreement providing for Replacement Loans may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Credit Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower to effect the provisions of this paragraph, and for the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph shall supersede any other provisions in this Section 13.1 to the contrary.

(g) Notwithstanding the foregoing, technical and conforming modifications to the Credit Documents (including any exhibit, schedule or other attachment) may be made with the consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (i) if such modifications are not adverse in any material respect to the Lenders, the Swingline Lender or the Issuing Banks (in which case, the consent of the Swingline Lender and Issuing Banks shall be required) or (ii) to the extent necessary (A) to integrate any Incremental Increase or Extended Commitment contemplated by Sections 2.16 and 2.17 or (B) to cure any ambiguity, omission, mistake, defect or inconsistency so long as, in each case with respect to this clause (B), the Lenders, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Banks shall have received at least five Business Days’ prior written notice thereof and the Administrative Agent shall not have received, within five Business Days of the date of such notice to the Lenders, a written notice from the Majority Lenders stating that the Majority Lenders object to such amendment.

(h) Notwithstanding the foregoing, modifications to the Credit Agreement may be made solely with the consent of ether (i) the Borrower and the Administrative Agent or (ii) the Borrower and the Required Lenders pursuant to the definition of “LIBOR Rate” to implement a Successor Benchmark Rate.

 

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13.2 Notices. Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, all notices and other communications provided for hereunder or under any other Credit Document shall be in writing (including by facsimile transmission). All such written notices shall be mailed, faxed or delivered to the applicable address, facsimile number or electronic mail address, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:

(a) if to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, any Swingline Lender or any Issuing Bank, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 13.2 or to such other address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number as shall be designated by such party in a notice to the other parties; and

(b) if to any other Lender, to the address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire or to such other address, facsimile number, electronic mail address or telephone number as shall be designated by such party in a notice to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, the Swingline Lender and the Issuing Banks.

All such notices and other communications shall be deemed to be given or made upon the earlier to occur of (i) actual receipt by the relevant party hereto and (ii)(A) if delivered by hand or by courier, when signed for by or on behalf of the relevant party hereto; (B) if delivered by mail, three Business Days after deposit in the mails, postage prepaid; (C) if delivered by facsimile, when sent and receipt has been confirmed by telephone; and (D) if delivered by electronic mail, when delivered; provided that notices and other communications to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.3, 2.6, 2.9, 4.2 and 5.1 shall not be effective until received.

The Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make the Communications (as defined below) available to the Issuing Banks and the other Lenders by posting the Communications on the Platform. The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available.” The Agent Parties (as defined below) do not warrant the adequacy of the Platform and expressly disclaim liability for errors or omissions in the Communications. No warranty of any kind, express, implied or statutory, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement of third party rights or freedom from viruses or other code defects, is made by any Agent Party in connection with the Communications or the Platform. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Indemnified Persons (collectively, the “Agent Parties”) have any liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other Person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of the Borrower’s or the Administrative Agent’s transmission of communications through the Platform. “Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein that is distributed to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through the Platform.

 

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13.3 No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies. No failure to exercise and no delay in exercising, on the part of the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent or any Lender, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under the other Credit Documents shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by Requirements of Law.

13.4 Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder, in the other Credit Documents and in any document, certificate or statement delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the making of the Loans hereunder. Such representations and warranties shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied (other than Obligations under Secured Hedge Agreements, Secured Cash Management Agreements or contingent indemnification obligations, in any such case, not then due and payable).

13.5 Payment of Expenses; Indemnification.

(a) The Borrower agrees (i) if the Closing Date occurs, to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent and the other Agents and the Lead Arrangers for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, negotiation, syndication and execution of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, and any amendment, waiver, consent or other modification of the provisions hereof and thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated thereby are consummated), and the consummation and administration of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including all Attorney Costs, which shall be limited to Latham & Watkins LLP and one local counsel as reasonably necessary in any relevant jurisdiction material to the interests of the Lenders taken as a whole (and solely in the case of an actual conflict of interest, one additional counsel and (if reasonably necessary) one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction to the affected Indemnitees similarly situated) and (ii) after the Closing Date, to pay or reimburse the Administrative Agent for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the enforcement of any rights or remedies under this Agreement or the other Credit Documents (including all such costs and expenses incurred during any legal proceeding, including any bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, and including all respective Attorney Costs, which shall be limited to Attorney Costs of one counsel to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders taken as a whole and one local counsel as reasonably necessary in any relevant jurisdiction material to the interests of the Lenders taken as a whole and solely in the case of an actual conflict of interest, one additional counsel and (if reasonably necessary) one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction to the affected Indemnitees similarly situated). The agreements in this Section 13.5 shall survive the repayment of all other Obligations. All amounts due under this Section 13.5 shall be paid within thirty (30) days after written demand therefor (together with backup documentation supporting such reimbursement request); provided that, with respect to the Closing Date, all amounts due under this Section 13.5 shall be paid on the Closing Date solely to the extent invoiced to the Borrower within two (2) Business Days prior to the Closing Date. If any Credit Party fails to pay when due any costs, expenses or other amounts payable by it hereunder or under any Credit Document, such amount may be paid on behalf of such Credit Party by the Administrative Agent in its discretion.

 

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(b) The Borrower shall indemnify and hold harmless each Agent, Lender, Issuing Bank, Lead Arranger, Agent-Related Party and their Affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, partners, agents, advisors and other representatives of the foregoing (collectively the “Indemnitees”) from and against any and all liabilities, losses, damages, claims, or out-of-pocket expenses (including Attorney Costs but limited in the case of legal fees and expenses to the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket fees, disbursements and other charges of one counsel to all Indemnitees taken as a whole (and solely in the case of an actual conflict of interest, one additional counsel to the affected Indemnitees taken as a whole), and, if reasonably necessary, one local counsel in any relevant material jurisdiction) of any kind or nature whatsoever which may at any time be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against any such Indemnitee in any way relating to or arising out of or in connection with (i) the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance or administration of any Credit Document or any other agreement, letter or instrument delivered in connection with the transactions contemplated thereby or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) any Commitment, Letter of Credit or Loan or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by an Issuing Bank to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged Environmental Claim regarding, or liability or obligation (whether accrued, contingent, absolute, determined, determinable or otherwise) of the Credit Parties or any Subsidiary under or relating to any Environmental Law or (iv) any actual or prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory (including any investigation of, preparation for, or defense of any pending or threatened claim, investigation, litigation or proceeding) (a “Proceeding”) and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto or whether or not such Proceeding is brought by the Borrower or any other Person and, in each case, whether or not caused by or arising, in whole or in part, out of the negligence of the Indemnitee (all of the foregoing, collectively, the “Indemnified Liabilities”); provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such liabilities, losses, damages, claims or out-of-pocket expenses resulted from (x) the gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee or of any of its Related Indemnified Persons, as determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, (y) a material breach of any obligations under any Credit Document by such Indemnitee or of any of its Related Indemnified Persons, as determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction or (z) any dispute solely among Indemnitees other than any claims against an Indemnitee in its capacity or in fulfilling its role as an administrative agent or collateral agent or arranger or any similar role under this Agreement and other than any claims arising out of any act or omission of the Borrower, the Sponsor or any of their Affiliates (as determined in a final and non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). No Indemnitee shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by others of any information or other materials obtained through IntraLinks or other similar information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement (except for direct (as opposed to indirect, special, punitive or consequential) damages resulting from the gross negligence, bad faith or willful

 

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misconduct, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final and non-appealable judgment, of such Indemnitee), nor shall any Indemnitee, Agent-Related Parties, Credit Party or any Subsidiary have any liability for any special, punitive, indirect or consequential damages relating to this Agreement or any other Credit Document or arising out of its activities in connection herewith or therewith (whether before or after the Closing Date) (other than, in the case of any Credit Party, in respect of any such damages incurred or paid by an Indemnitee to a third party, or which are included in a third-party claim, and for any out-of-pocket expenses related thereto). In the case of an investigation, litigation or other proceeding to which the indemnity in this Section 13.5 applies, such indemnity shall be effective whether or not such investigation, litigation or proceeding is brought by any Credit Party, any Subsidiary of any Credit Party, its directors, stockholders or creditors or an Indemnitee or any other Person, whether or not any Indemnitee is otherwise a party thereto and whether or not any of the transactions contemplated hereunder or under any of the other Credit Documents are consummated. All amounts due under this Section 13.5 shall be paid within thirty (30) days after written demand therefor (together with backup documentation supporting such reimbursement request); provided, however, that such Indemnitee shall promptly refund such amount to the extent that there is a final judicial determination that such Indemnitee was not entitled to indemnification rights with respect to such payment pursuant to the express terms of this Section 13.5. The agreements in this Section 13.5 shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the replacement of any Lender and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 13.5(b) shall not apply to Taxes, except any Taxes that represent liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, claims, demands, actions, prepayments, suits, costs, expenses and disbursements arising from any non-Tax claims.

13.6 Successors and Assigns; Participations and Assignments.

(a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of each Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that (i) except as expressly permitted by Section 10.3, the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section 13.6. Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of each Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in clause (c) of this Section 13.6) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Agent-Related Parties and each other Person entitled to indemnification under Section 13.5) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

 

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(b) (i) Subject to the conditions set forth in clause (b)(ii) below, any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees (other than the Borrower, its Subsidiaries and their respective Affiliates, any natural person, any Disqualified Institution, or any Defaulting Lender) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans (including participations in L/C Obligations or Swingline Loans) at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent of:

(A) the Borrower (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required (x) for an assignment to an existing Lender and their Affiliates and (y) for an assignment if an Event of Default under Section 11.1 or Section 11.5 with respect to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor has occurred and is continuing; and

(B) the Administrative Agent, each Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank (in each case, not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).

(ii) Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:

(A) except in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment or Loans, the amount of the Commitment or Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $12,500,000 or an integral multiple of $5,000,000, unless each of the Borrower, each Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent otherwise consents (which consents shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed); provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default under Section 11.1 or Section 11.5 with respect to the Borrower or any Material Subsidiary has occurred and is continuing;

(B) each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement;

(C) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment and the Administrative Agent shall enter the relevant information in the Register pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section 13.6; and

(D) the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire and applicable Tax forms (including those described in Sections 5.4(d), (e), (h) and (i), as applicable.

 

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(iii) Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to clause (b)(iv) of this Section 13.6, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.10, 2.11, 3.11, 5.4 and 13.5). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 13.6 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with clause (c) of this Section 13.6.

(iv) The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a nonfiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders (including any SPVs that provide all or any part of a Loan pursuant to Section 13.6(g) hereof), and the Commitments of, and principal amount (and stated interest amounts) of the Loans and L/C Obligations and any payment made by each Issuing Bank under any applicable Letter of Credit owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). Further, the Register shall contain the name and address of the Administrative Agent and the lending office through which each such Person acts under this Agreement. The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent, each Issuing Bank and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, the Collateral Agent, each Issuing Bank, each Swingline Lender and, solely with respect to itself, each other Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.

(v) Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in clause (b) of this Section 13.6 (unless waived) and any written consent to such assignment required by clause (b) of this Section 13.6, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register.

(c) (i) Any Lender may, with the prior written consent of the Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), sell participations to one or more banks or other entities other than any Defaulting Lender, any Disqualified Institution (to the extent that the list of Disqualified Institutions has been made available to all Lenders, it being agreed that as of the date hereof, the Administrative Agent has made the list of Disqualified Institutions available to all Lenders), the Borrower or any Subsidiary of

 

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the Borrower or their respective Affiliates or natural persons (each, a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans owing to it); provided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required (x) for any sale to an existing Lender and their Affiliates, and (y) for a sale if an Event of Default under Section 11.1 or Section 11.5 with respect to the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor has occurred and is continuing; provided further that (A) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (B) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (C) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Credit Document; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in clause (i) or (ii) of the second proviso of the second sentence of Section 13.1(a) that affects such Participant, provided that the Participant shall have no right to consent to any modification to the percentages specified in the definitions of the terms “Majority Lenders” or “Required Lenders”. Subject to clause (c)(ii) of this Section 13.6, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.10, 2.11, 3.11 and 5.4 to the same extent as if it were a Lender (subject to the limitations and requirements of those Sections and Sections 2.12 and 13.7) and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to clause (b) of this Section 13.6). To the extent permitted by Requirements of Law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 13.8(b) as though it were a Lender; provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 13.8(a) as though it were a Lender.

(ii) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.10, 2.11, 3.11 or 5.4 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent or except to the extent the entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation; provided that the Participant shall be subject to the provisions in Section 2.12 as if it were an assignee under clauses (a) and (b) of this Section 13.6. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a nonfiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest amounts) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the “Participant Register”). The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive, absent manifest error, and each party hereto shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. No Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any

 

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commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Credit Document) except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations.

(d) Any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrower, any Swingline Lender, any Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent, at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or any central bank having jurisdiction over such Lender, and this Section 13.6 shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto. In order to facilitate such pledge or assignment or for any other reason, the Borrower hereby agrees that, upon request of any Lender at any time and from time to time after the Borrower has made its initial borrowing hereunder, the Borrower shall provide to such Lender, at the Borrower’s own expense, a promissory note, substantially in the form of Exhibit H-1 or H-2, as the case may be, evidencing the Loans and Swingline Loans, respectively, owing to such Lender.

(e) Subject to Section 13.16, the Borrower authorizes each Lender to disclose to any Participant, secured creditor of such Lender or assignee (each, a “Transferee”) and any prospective Transferee any and all financial information in such Lender’s possession concerning the Borrower and its Affiliates that has been delivered to such Lender by or on behalf of the Borrower and its Affiliates pursuant to this Agreement or that has been delivered to such Lender by or on behalf of the Borrower and its Affiliates in connection with such Lender’s credit evaluation of the Borrower and its Affiliates prior to becoming a party to this Agreement.

(f) The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” and words of like import in any Assignment and Assumption shall be deemed to include electronic signatures or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, to the extent and as provided for in any applicable law, including the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, the New York State Electronic Signatures and Records Act, or any other similar state laws based on the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.

(g) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, any Lender (a “Granting Lender”) may grant to a special purpose funding vehicle (a “SPV”), identified as such in writing from time to time by the Granting Lender to the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, the option to provide to the Borrower all or any part of any Loan that such Granting Lender would otherwise be obligated to make the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement; provided that (i) nothing herein shall constitute a commitment by any SPV to make any Loan and (ii) if an SPV elects not to exercise such option or otherwise fails to provide all or any part of such Loan, the Granting Lender shall be obligated to make such Loan pursuant to the terms hereof. The making of a Loan by an SPV hereunder shall utilize

 

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the Commitment of the Granting Lender to the same extent, and as if, such Loan were made by such Granting Lender. Each party hereto hereby agrees that no SPV shall be liable for any indemnity or similar payment obligation under this Agreement (all liability for which shall remain with the Granting Lender). In furtherance of the foregoing, each party hereto hereby agrees (which agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement) that, prior to the date that is one year and one day after the payment in full of all outstanding commercial paper or other senior indebtedness of any SPV, it shall not institute against, or join any other person in instituting against, such SPV any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, insolvency or liquidation proceedings under the laws of the United States or any State thereof. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 13.6, any SPV may (A) with notice to, but without the prior written consent of, the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and without paying any processing fee therefor, assign all or a portion of its interests in any Loans to the Granting Lender or to any financial institutions (consented to by the Borrower and Administrative Agent) providing liquidity and/or credit support to or for the account of such SPV to support the funding or maintenance of Loans and (B) disclose on a confidential basis any non-public information relating to its Loans to any rating agency, commercial paper dealer or provider of any surety, guarantee or credit or liquidity enhancement to such SPV. This Section 13.6(g) may not be amended without the written consent of the SPV. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, subject to the following sentence, each SPV shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.10, 2.11, 3.11 and 5.4 to the same extent as if it were a Lender (subject to the limitations and requirements of Sections 2.10, 2.11, 3.11 and 5.4 as though it were a Lender, and Sections 2.12 and 13.7, and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to clause (b) of this Section 13.6). Notwithstanding the prior sentence, an SPV shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.10, 2.11, 3.11 or 5.4 than its Granting Lender would have been entitled to receive absent the grant to such SPV, unless such grant to such SPV is made with the Borrowers’ prior written consent.

(h) Any request for consent of the Borrower pursuant to Section 13.6(b)(i)(A) or 13.6(c) and related communications shall be delivered by the Administrative Agent simultaneously to the following Persons:

(i) with respect to any request for consent in respect of any assignment or participation relating to Commitments or Loans, to (A) any recipient that is an employee of the Borrower, as designated in writing to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower from time to time (if any) and (B) the chief financial officer of the Borrower or any other Responsible Officer designated by the Borrower in writing to the Administrative Agent from time to time; and

(ii) in addition to the Persons set forth in clause (i) above and prior to the occurrence of a Change of Control, with respect to any request for consent in respect of any assignment or participation relating to Commitments or Loans, to an employee of the Sponsor designated in writing to the Administrative Agent by the Sponsor from time to time.

 

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(i) The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible or have any liability for, or have any duty to ascertain, inquire into, monitor or enforce, compliance with the provisions hereof relating to Disqualified Institutions. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall not (a) be obligated to ascertain, monitor or inquire as to whether any Lender or participant or prospective Lender or participant is a Disqualified Institution or (b) have any liability with respect to or arising out of any assignment or participation of Loans, or disclosure of confidential information, to any Disqualified Institution.

(j) If any Loans or Commitments are assigned or participated (x) to a Disqualified Institution or (y) without complying with the notice requirement under Section 13.6(h), then: (a) the Borrower may (i) terminate any commitment of such person and prepay any applicable outstanding Loans at a price equal to the lesser of par and the amount such Person paid to acquire such Loans or Commitments, without premium, penalty, prepayment fee or breakage, and/or (ii) require such person to assign its rights and obligations to one or more eligible Lenders at the price indicated above (which assignment shall not be subject to any processing and recordation fee), (b) no such Person shall receive any information or reporting provided by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or any Lender, (c) for purposes of voting, any Loans and Commitments held by such Person shall be deemed not to be outstanding, and such Person shall have no voting or consent rights with respect to “Required Lender” or class votes or consents, (d) for purposes of any matter requiring the vote or consent of each Lender affected by any amendment or waiver, such person shall be deemed to have voted or consented to approve such amendment or waiver if a majority of the affected class so approves, and (e) such person shall not be entitled to any expense reimbursement or indemnification rights and shall be treated in all other respects as a Defaulting Lender; it being understood and agreed that the foregoing provisions shall only apply to a Disqualified Institution and not to any assignee of such Disqualified Institution that becomes a Lender so long as such assignee is not a Disqualified Institution or an affiliate thereof. For the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any assignee that becomes a Disqualified Institution after the applicable assignment or participation effective date (including as a result of the delivery of a notice pursuant to the definition of Disqualified Institution) such assignee shall not retroactively be disqualified from becoming a Lender.

13.7 Replacements of Lenders under Certain Circumstances.

(a) In the event that any Lender (i) requests reimbursement for amounts owing pursuant to Section 2.10, 3.11 or 5.4), (ii) is affected in the manner described in Section 2.10(a)(iii) and as a result thereof any of the actions described in such Section is required to be taken or (iii) becomes a Defaulting Lender, the Borrower shall be entitled to replace such Lender or terminate the Commitment of such Lender; provided that (x) in the case of a replacement (A) such replacement does not conflict with any Requirement of Law, (B) the replacement bank or institution shall purchase, at par, all Loans and the Borrower shall pay all other amounts (other than any disputed amounts), pursuant to Section 2.10, 3.11 or 5.4, as the case may be) owing to such replaced Lender prior to the date of replacement, (C) the replacement bank or institution, if not already a Lender, and the terms and conditions of such replacement, shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank (except to the extent such Swingline Lender or Issuing Banks is, or is an Affiliate of, the Lender being replaced) and (D) the

 

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replaced Lender shall be obligated to make such replacement in accordance with the provisions of Section 13.6(b) (provided that the Borrower shall be obligated to pay the registration and processing fee referred to therein as long as the replacement Lender pays such fee) and (y) in the case of a termination, repay all Obligations (including amounts (other than any disputed amounts), owing pursuant to Section 2.10, 3.11 or 5.4, as the case may be) owing to such Lender as of such termination date (and, in the case of an Issuing Bank, cancel or backstop on terms reasonably satisfactory to such Issuing Bank any Letters of Credit issued by it).

(b) If any Lender (such Lender, a “Non-Consenting Lender”) failed to consent to (x) a proposed amendment, waiver, discharge or termination that pursuant to the terms of Section 13.1 requires the consent of all of the Lenders affected or the Required Lenders and with respect to which the Majority Lenders shall have granted their consent or (y) a proposed increase in the Borrowing Base pursuant to Section 2.14 that requires the consent of all of the Lenders and with respect to which the Required Lenders shall have granted their consent, then the Borrower shall have the right (unless such Non-Consenting Lender grants such consent or approves such increased Borrowing Base and provided that no Event of Default pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.5 shall have occurred and be continuing) to (x) replace such Non-Consenting Lender by requiring such Non-Consenting Lender to assign its Loans and its Commitments hereunder to one or more assignees reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank (except to the extent such Swingline Lender or Issuing Banks is, or is an Affiliate of, the Lender being replaced) or (y) terminate the Commitment of such Lender; provided that: (x) in the case of a replacement, (i) all Obligations of the Borrower owing to such Non-Consenting Lender being replaced (other than principal and interest) shall be paid in full to such Non-Consenting Lender concurrently with such assignment, (ii) the replacement Lender shall purchase the foregoing by paying to such Non-Consenting Lender a price equal to the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and such Non-Consenting Lender shall otherwise comply with Section 13.6 (provided that the Borrower shall not be obligated to pay the registration and processing fee referred to therein as long as the replacement Lender pays such fee) and (y) in the case of a termination, all Obligations owing to such Non-Consenting Lender shall be paid in full concurrently with such termination.

(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary (i) each party hereto agrees that any assignment pursuant to the terms of this Section 13.7 may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, each Issuing Bank and the assignee and that the Lender making such assignment need not be a party thereto and (ii) no termination of Commitments may be made pursuant to this Section 13.7 unless the Letter of Credit Exposure and Swingline Exposure of the terminated Lender is cash collateralized on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Issuing Bank and Swingline Lender.

(d) Any such Lender replacement or Commitment termination pursuant to this Section 13.7 shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any rights that the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or any other Lender shall have against the replaced Lender.

 

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13.8 Adjustments; Set-off.

(a) If any Lender (a “Benefited Lender”) shall at any time receive any payment in respect of any principal of or interest on all or part of the Loans made by it, or the participations in Letter of Credit Obligations held by it, or receive any collateral in respect thereof (whether voluntarily or involuntarily, by set-off, pursuant to events or proceedings of the nature referred to in Section 11.5, or otherwise), in a greater proportion than any such payment to or collateral received by any other Lender entitled thereto, if any, in respect of such other Lender’s Loans, or interest thereon, such Benefited Lender shall (i) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (ii) purchase for cash at face value from the other Lenders a participating interest in such portion of each such other Lender’s Loans, or shall provide such other Lenders with the benefits of any such collateral, or the proceeds thereof, as shall be necessary to cause such Benefited Lender to share the excess payment or benefits of such collateral or proceeds ratably in accordance with the aggregate principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and other amounts owing them; provided, however, that (A) if all or any portion of such excess payment or benefits is thereafter recovered from such Benefited Lender, such purchase shall be rescinded, and the purchase price and benefits returned, to the extent of such recovery, but without interest and (B) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to (1) any payment made by the Borrower or any other Credit Party pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, (2) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans, Commitments or participations in Drawings to any assignee or participant or (3) any disproportionate payment obtained by a Lender as a result of the extension by Lenders of the maturity date or expiration date of some but not all Loans or Commitments or any increase in the Applicable Margin in respect of Loans or Commitments of Lenders that have consented to any such extension. Each Credit Party consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under Requirements of Law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against such Credit Party rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of such Credit Party in the amount of such participation.

(b) After the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, in addition to any rights and remedies of the Lenders provided by Requirements of Law, each Lender shall have the right, without prior notice to the Borrower, any such notice being expressly waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable Requirements of Law, upon any amount becoming due and payable by the Borrower hereunder or under any Credit Document (whether at the stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) to set-off and appropriate and apply against such amount any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final), in any currency, and any other credits, indebtedness or claims, in any currency, in each case whether direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, at any time held or owing by such Lender or any branch or agency thereof to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower. Each Lender agrees promptly to notify the Borrower (and the Credit Parties, if applicable) and the Administrative Agent after any such set-off and application made by such Lender; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such set-off and application.

 

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13.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by one or more of the parties to this Agreement on any number of separate counterparts (including by facsimile or other electronic transmission, i.e. a “pdf’ or a “tif’), and all of said counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. A set of the copies of this Agreement signed by all the parties shall be lodged with the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.

13.10 Severability. Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

13.11 Integration. This Agreement and the other Credit Documents represent the agreement of the Borrower, the Guarantors, the Collateral Agent, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and there are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by the Borrower, the Guarantors, any Agent nor any Lender relative to subject matter hereof not expressly set forth or referred to herein or in the other Credit Documents.

13.12 GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND INTERPRETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

13.13 Submission to Jurisdiction; Waivers. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally:

(a) submits for itself and its property in any legal action or proceeding relating to this Agreement and the other Credit Documents to which it is a party, or for recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect thereof, to the exclusive general jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and the courts of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York, in each case located in New York County, and appellate courts from any thereof; provided that nothing contained herein or in any other Credit Document will prevent any Lender, the Collateral Agent or the Administrative Agent from bringing any action to enforce any award or judgment or exercise any right under the Credit Documents or against any Collateral or any other property of any Credit Party in any other forum in which jurisdiction can be established;

(b) consents that any such action or proceeding shall be brought in such courts and waives any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the venue of any such action or proceeding in any such court or that such action or proceeding was brought in an inconvenient court and agrees not to plead or claim the same;

(c) agrees that service of process in any such action or proceeding may be effected by mailing a copy thereof by registered or certified mail (or any substantially similar form of mail), postage prepaid, to such Person at its address set forth on Schedule 13.2 at such other address of which the Administrative Agent shall have been notified pursuant to Section 13.2;

 

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(d) agrees that nothing herein shall affect the right to effect service of process in any other manner permitted by Requirements of Law or shall limit the right to sue in any other jurisdiction;

(e) without limitation of Sections 12.7 and 13.5, waives, to the maximum extent not prohibited by law, any right it may have to claim or recover in any legal action or proceeding referred to in this Section 13.13 any special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (other than, in the case of any Credit Party, in respect of any such damages incurred or paid by an Indemnitee to a third party, or which are included in a third-party claim, and for any out-of-pocket expenses related thereto); and

(f) agrees that a final judgment in any action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.

13.14 Acknowledgments. The Borrower hereby acknowledges that:

(a) it has been advised by counsel in the negotiation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents;

(b) (i) the credit facility provided for hereunder and any related arranging or other services in connection therewith (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Credit Document) are an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Borrower and the other Credit Parties, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the other Agents on the other hand, and the Borrower and the other Credit Parties are capable of evaluating and understanding and understand and accept the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Credit Documents (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or thereof); (ii) in connection with the process leading to such transaction, each of the Administrative Agent, other Agents and the Lenders, is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the financial advisor, agent or fiduciary for any of the Borrower, any other Credit Parties or any of their respective Affiliates, equity holders, creditors or employees or any other Person; (iii) neither the Administrative Agent, any other Agent, any Lead Arranger, nor any Lender has assumed or will assume an advisory, agency or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Borrower or any other Credit Party with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto, including with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Credit Document (irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent or any other Agent, any Lead Arranger, or any Lender has advised or is currently advising any of the Borrower, the other Credit Parties or their respective Affiliates on other matters) and none of the Administrative Agent, any Agent, any Lead Arranger or any Lender has any obligation to any of the Borrower, the other Credit Parties or their respective Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Credit Documents; (iv) the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates,

 

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each other Agent and each of its Affiliates and each Lender and its Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Borrower and its respective Affiliates, and none of the Administrative Agent, any other Agent or any Lender has any obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any advisory, agency or fiduciary relationship; and (v) none of the Administrative Agent, any Agent or any Lender has provided and none will provide any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Credit Document) and the Borrower has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate. The Borrower hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent and each Agent with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty; and

(c) no joint venture is created hereby or by the other Credit Documents or otherwise exists by virtue of the transactions contemplated hereby among the Lenders or among the Borrower, on the one hand, and any Lender, on the other hand.

13.15 WAIVERS OF JURY TRIAL. THE BORROWER, EACH AGENT, EACH ISSUING BANK AND EACH LENDER HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVE TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER CREDIT DOCUMENT AND FOR ANY COUNTERCLAIM THEREIN.

13.16 Confidentiality. The Administrative Agent, each other Agent, any Issuing Bank, any Swingline Lender and each other Lender shall hold all information not marked as “public information” and furnished by or on behalf of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with such Lender’s evaluation of whether to become a Lender hereunder or obtained by such Lender, any Swingline Lender, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or such other Agent pursuant to the requirements of this Agreement (“Confidential Information”), confidential in accordance with its customary procedure for handling confidential information of this nature and in any event may make disclosure to any Lender and (a) to its Affiliates and its Affiliates’ employees, legal counsel, independent auditors and other experts or agents (collectively, the “Representatives”) who need to know such information in connection with the Transactions and are informed of the confidential nature of such information (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such information and instructed to keep such information confidential); (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority or self-regulatory authority having jurisdiction over such Person; provided that the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as applicable, agrees that it will notify the Borrower as soon as practicable in the event of any such disclosure by such Person (other than at the request of a regulatory authority or examiner) unless such notification is prohibited by law, rule or regulation; (c) to the extent required by applicable Requirements of Law or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process; provided, that the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as applicable, agrees that it will notify the Borrower as soon as practicable in the event of any such disclosure by such Person (other than at the request of a regulatory authority or examiner) unless such notification is prohibited by law, rule or regulation; (d) subject to an agreement containing provisions at least as restrictive as those set forth in this Section 13.16 (or as may otherwise be

 

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reasonably acceptable to the Borrower), to any pledgee referred to in Section 13.6(d), counterparty to a Hedge Agreement, credit insurer, eligible assignee of or participant in, or any prospective eligible assignee of or participant in any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement pursuant to Section 13.6; provided that the disclosure of any such Confidential Information to any Lenders or eligible assignees or participants shall be made subject to the acknowledgement and acceptance by such Lender, eligible assignee or participant that such Confidential Information is being disseminated on a confidential basis (on substantially the terms set forth in this Section 13.16 or as otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Borrower) in accordance with the standard processes of the Administrative Agent or customary market standards for dissemination of such type of Confidential Information; (e) with the prior written consent of the Borrower; (f) to the extent such Confidential Information becomes public other than by reason of disclosure by such Person in breach of this Agreement; provided that unless prohibited by applicable Requirements of Law, each Lender, the Administrative Agent, any Swingline Lender, any Issuing Bank and each other Agent shall endeavor to notify the Borrower (without any liability for a failure to so notify the Borrower) of any request made to such Lender, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or such other Agent, as applicable, by any governmental agency or representative thereof (other than any such request in connection with an examination of the financial condition of such Lender by such governmental agency) for disclosure of any such non-public information prior to disclosure of such information; provided further that in no event shall any Lender, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any other Agent be obligated or required to return any materials furnished by the Borrower or any Subsidiary; (g) to any rating agency when required by it (it being understood that, prior to any such disclosure, such rating agency shall undertake to preserve the confidentiality of any information relating to Credit Parties and their Subsidiaries received by it from such Lender) or to the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar organization; or (h) to the extent such Confidential Information is independently developed by or was in the prior possession of the Administrative Agent, the Lead Arrangers, such Lender or any of their respective Affiliates so long as not based on information obtained in a manner that would violate this Section 13.16; provided that no disclosure shall be made to any Disqualified Lender. In addition, each Lender, the Administrative Agent and each other Agent may provide Confidential Information to prospective Lenders, prospective Transferees or to any pledgee referred to in Section 13.6 or to prospective direct or indirect contractual counterparties in Hedge Agreements to be entered into in connection with Loans made hereunder as long as such Person is advised of and agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Section 13.16 or confidentiality provisions at least as restrictive as those set forth in the Section 13.16. “Information” means all information received from the Borrower relating to the Borrower or its business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender on a non-confidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower and other than information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry.

Each Lender acknowledges that information furnished to it pursuant to this Agreement or the other Credit Documents may include material non-public information concerning the Borrower and its Affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities, and confirms that it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and that it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with those procedures and applicable law, including federal and state securities laws.

 

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All information, including requests for waivers and amendments, furnished by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent pursuant to, or in the course of administering, this Agreement or the other Credit Documents will be syndicate-level information, which may contain material non-public information about the Borrower and its Affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities. Accordingly, each Lender represents to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent that it has identified in its Administrative Questionnaire a credit contact who may receive information that may contain material non-public information in accordance with its compliance procedures and applicable law, including federal and state securities laws.

13.17 Release of Collateral and Guarantee Obligations.

(a) The Lenders hereby irrevocably agree that the Liens granted to the Collateral Agent by the Credit Parties on any Collateral shall be automatically released (i) in full, as set forth in clause (b) below, (ii) upon the Disposition of such Collateral (including as part of or in connection with any other Disposition permitted hereunder) to any Person other than another Credit Party, to the extent such Disposition is made in compliance with the terms of this Agreement and the Liens encumbering such Collateral and held by each other creditor party to the Intercreditor Agreement are required to be released pursuant to the relevant intercreditor agreement (and the Collateral Agent may rely conclusively on a certificate to that effect provided to it by any Credit Party upon its reasonable request without further inquiry), (iii) upon any Collateral becoming an Excluded Equity Interest, an Excluded Asset or becoming owned by an Excluded Subsidiary or (in the case of Collateral constituting cash) becoming subject to Liens pursuant to clauses (d) and (e) of the definition of “Permitted Liens” or becoming subject to any Lien permitted pursuant to Sections 10.2(g), (j)(i), (o), (w) and (y), in each case, except in connection with a transaction prohibited hereunder, (iv) to the extent such Collateral is comprised of property leased to a Credit Party, upon termination or expiration of such lease, (v) if the release of such Lien is approved, authorized or ratified in writing by the Majority Lenders (or such other percentage of the Lenders whose consent may be required in accordance with Section 13.1), (vi) to the extent the property constituting such Collateral is owned by any Guarantor, upon the release of such Guarantor from its obligations under the Guarantee in accordance with the second succeeding sentence or Section 5(g) of the Guarantee and (vii) as required by the Collateral Agent to effect any Disposition of Collateral in connection with any exercise of remedies of the Collateral Agent pursuant to the Security Documents. Any such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect, or impair the Obligations or any Liens (other than those being released) upon (or obligations (other than those being released) of the Credit Parties in respect of) all interests retained by the Credit Parties, including the proceeds of any Disposition, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral except to the extent otherwise released in accordance with the provisions of the Credit Documents. Additionally, the Lenders hereby irrevocably agree that the Guarantors shall be released from the Guarantees upon consummation of any transaction permitted hereunder resulting in such Subsidiary ceasing to constitute a Restricted Subsidiary or otherwise becoming an Excluded Subsidiary. Any representation, warranty or covenant contained in any Credit Document relating to any such Collateral or Guarantor shall no longer be deemed to be repeated. In connection with any release hereunder, the Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent shall promptly take such action and execute any such documents as may be reasonably requested by the Borrower and at the Borrower’s expense in connection with the release of any Liens created by any Credit Document in respect of such Subsidiary, property or asset.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or any other Credit Document, when Payment in Full has occurred, upon request of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and/or Collateral Agent, as applicable, shall (without notice to, or vote or consent of, any Secured Party) take such actions as shall be required to release its security interest in all Collateral, and to release all obligations under any Credit Document, whether or not on the date of such release there may be any (i) Hedging Obligations in respect of any Secured Hedge Agreements, (ii) Cash Management Obligations in respect of any Secured Cash Management Agreements and (iii) any contingent or indemnification obligations not then due and payable. Any such release of Obligations shall be deemed subject to the provision that such Obligations shall be reinstated if after such release any portion of any payment in respect of the Obligations guaranteed thereby shall be rescinded or must otherwise be restored or returned upon the insolvency, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization of the Borrower or any Guarantor, or upon or as a result of the appointment of a receiver, intervenor or conservator of, or trustee or similar officer for, the Borrower or any Guarantor or any substantial part of its property, or otherwise, all as though such payment had not been made.

13.18 USA PATRIOT Act. The Agents and each Lender hereby notify the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Patriot Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Credit Party, which information includes the name and address of each Credit Party and other information that will allow such Agent and such Lender to identify each Credit Party in accordance with the Patriot Act.

13.19 Payments Set Aside. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of the Borrower is made to any Agent or any Lender, or any Agent or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by such Agent or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share of any amount so recovered from or repaid by any Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect.

13.20 Reinstatement. This Agreement shall continue to be effective, or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any of the Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be restored or returned by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Party upon the insolvency, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization of the Borrower, or upon or as a result of the appointment of a receiver, intervenor or conservator of, or trustee or similar officer for, the Borrower or any substantial part of its property, or otherwise, all as though such payments had not been made.

 

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13.21 Disposition of Proceeds. The Security Documents contain an assignment by the Borrower and/or the Guarantors unto and in favor of the Collateral Agent for the benefit of the Lenders of all of the Borrower’s or each Guarantor’s interest in and to their as-extracted collateral in the form of production and all proceeds attributable thereto which may be produced from or allocated to the Mortgaged Property. The Security Documents further provide in general for the application of such proceeds to the satisfaction of the Obligations described therein and secured thereby. Notwithstanding the assignment contained in such Security Documents, until the occurrence of an Event of Default, (a) the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agree that they will neither notify the purchaser or purchasers of such production nor take any other action to cause such proceeds to be remitted to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, but the Lenders will instead permit such proceeds to be paid to the Borrower and its Subsidiaries and (b) the Lenders hereby authorize the Administrative Agent to take such actions as may be necessary to cause such proceeds to be paid to the Borrower and/or such Subsidiaries.

13.22 Collateral Matters; Hedge Agreements. The benefit of the Security Documents and of the provisions of this Agreement relating to any Collateral securing the Obligations shall also extend to and be available on a pro rata basis pursuant to terms agreed upon in the Credit Documents to any Person (a) under any Secured Hedge Agreement, in each case, after giving effect to all netting arrangements relating to such Hedge Agreements or (b) under any Secured Cash Management Agreement. No Person shall have any voting rights under any Credit Document solely as a result of the existence of obligations owed to it under any such Secured Hedge Agreement or Secured Cash Management Agreement.

13.23 Agency of the Borrower for the Other Credit Parties. Each of the other Credit Parties hereby appoints the Borrower as its agent for all purposes relevant to this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, including the giving and receipt of notices and the execution and delivery of all documents, instruments and certificates contemplated herein and therein and all modifications hereto and thereto.

13.24 Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Credit Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Affected Financial Institution arising under any Credit Document, to the extent such liability is unsecured, may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:

(a) the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any party hereto to any Lender that is an Affected Financial Institution; and

(b) the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:

(i) a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;

 

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(ii) a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent undertaking, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Credit Document; or

(iii) the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of any Resolution Authority.

13.25 Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for Hedge Agreements or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support, “QFC Credit Support” and each such QFC a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the State of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):

In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW.]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused a counterpart of this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered as of the date first above written.

 

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC, as the Borrower
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


CITIBANK, N.A., as the Administrative Agent and the Collateral Agent
By:  

/s/ Phil Ballard

Name:   Phil Ballard
Title:   Vice President
CITIBANK, N.A., as a Swingline Lender, an Issuing Lender and a Lender
By:  

/s/ Phil Ballard

Name:   Phil Ballard
Title:   Vice President

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Alia Qaddumi

Name:   Alia Qaddumi
Title:   Director

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Sydney G. Dennis

Name:   Sydney G. Dennis
Title:   Director

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


CREDIT SUISSE, AG CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Nupur Kumar

Name:   Nupur Kumar
Title:   Authorized Signatory
By:  

/s/ Brady Bingham

Name:   Brady Bingham
Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a Lender and an Issuing Lender
By:  

/s/ George E. McKean

Name:   George E. McKean
Title:   Senior Vice President

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


MORGAN STANLEY BANK, N.A., as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Michael King

Name:   Michael King
Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


MUFG Union Bank, N.A., as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Stephen W. Warfel

Name:   Stephen W. Warfel
Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


Royal Bank of Canada, as a Lender and an Issuing Lender
By:  

/s/ Kristan Spivey

Name:   Kristan Spivey
Title:   Authorized Signatory

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Ed Emerson

Name:   Ed Emerson
Title:   Managing Director

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]


Macquarie Bank Limited,

as a Lender

By:  

/s/ Lucy Maislish

Name:   Lucy Maislish
Title:   Associate Director
Signed in London by its duly appointed attorney under Power of Attorney dated 13 January 2021, ref#3085

[Signature Page to RBL Credit Agreement]

Exhibit 10.8

Execution Version

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO SECOND LIEN CREDIT AGREEMENT

This AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO SECOND LIEN CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”) dated as of March 8, 2021, is by and among Vine Oil & Gas LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Existing Borrower”), Vine Energy Holdings LLC, the Lenders under the Credit Agreement described below that are party hereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent for the Lenders.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

WHEREAS, the Existing Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lenders are parties to that certain Second Lien Credit Agreement dated as of December 30, 2020 (as amended, restated, amended and restated or otherwise modified prior to the date hereof, the “Credit Agreement”);

WHEREAS, in connection with an initial public offering of its Parent Entity (the “IPO”), the Existing Borrower and its Subsidiaries will be undergoing certain corporate reorganizations, which reorganization will, among other things, result in Brix Operating LLC, Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP, Brix Oil & Gas Holdings GP LLC, Brix Federal Leasing Corporation, Harvest Royalties LLC, Harvest Royalties Holdings LP and Harvest Royalties Holdings GP LLC (collectively, the “Brix Entities”) and the Existing Borrower and its Subsidiaries becoming Subsidiaries of the New Borrower (as defined below) (the “Reorganization Transactions”);

WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, (i) Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and, after giving effect to the Reorganization Transactions, a Parent Entity of the Existing Borrower (the “New Borrower”) wishes to assume the rights and obligations of the Existing Borrower under the Credit Agreement (the “Borrower Transition”) and (ii) each of the Existing Borrower, the Existing Borrower’s general partner, Vine Oil & Gas GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Existing GP”), and each of the Brix Entities wishes to (A) supplement the Guaranty by becoming a Guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations (the “Guaranty Supplement”) and (B) acknowledge that it shall become a “Grantor” and a “Subsidiary Party” for the purposes of the Security Agreement (the “Security Agreement Supplement” and, together with the Guaranty Supplement and the Borrower Transition, the “Transactions”);

WHEREAS, to facilitate the Transactions, the Existing Borrower has requested that certain amendments and modifications be made to the Credit Agreement and the Security Agreement on the terms and conditions as set forth herein; and

WHEREAS, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders are willing to agree to the requests of the Existing Borrower, in each case, on the terms and conditions set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual agreements set forth herein, the parties agree as follows:

Section 1. Definitions. Unless otherwise defined in this Amendment, each capitalized term used in this Amendment has the meaning assigned to such term in the Credit Agreement.


Section 2. Amendment to the Credit Agreement and Security Agreement Upon Effective Date. On the Effective Date, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents are hereby amended as follows:

(a) All references to the “Borrower” in the Credit Agreement and each other Loan Document shall be deemed to refer to Vine Energy Holdings LLC, as the New Borrower, except as, where the context may require, such reference shall continue to refer to the Existing Borrower.

(b) Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by the insertion of the following provisions, each in the appropriate alphabetical order:

Amendment No. 1 Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions to the Effective Date (as defined in the First Amendment to Credit Agreement) have been satisfied or waived.

Commodity Account” means any commodity account maintained by the Loan Parties. All funds in such Commodity Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Commodity Accounts.

Commodity Account Control Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 6.18.

Controlled Account” means a Deposit Account, a Securities Account or a Commodity Account that is subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement, a Securities Account Control Agreement or a Commodity Account Control Agreement, as the case may be.

Deposit Account” means any checking or other demand deposit account maintained by the Loan Parties, including any “deposit accounts” under Article 9 of the UCC. All funds in such Deposit Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Administrative Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Deposit Accounts.

Deposit Account Control Agreement” shall have the meaning provided in Section 6.18.

Excluded Accounts” means (a) each account all or substantially all of the deposits in which consist of amounts utilized to fund payroll, employee benefit or tax obligations of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) fiduciary accounts, (c) “zero balance” accounts, (d) trust and suspense accounts of the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary holding royalty obligations owed to a person other than the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary, (e) accounts of the Borrower and any Restricted Subsidiary constituting cash collateral accounts permitted under Section 7.01 (provided that any such account subject to control


agreements in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties, or otherwise constituting cash collateral in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties shall not be an Excluded Account) and (f) other accounts selected by the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries so long as the average daily maximum balance in any such other account over a 30-day period does not at any time exceed $1,000,000; provided that the aggregate daily maximum balance for all such bank accounts excluded pursuant to this clause (f) on any day shall not exceed $7,500,000.

First Amendment to Credit Agreement” means that certain Amendment No. 1 To Second Lien Credit Agreement dated as of March 8, 2021, by and among Vine Oil & Gas LP, Vine Energy Holdings LLC, those lenders party thereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as Administrative Agent.

Securities Account” means any securities account maintained by the Loan Parties, including any “security accounts” under Article 9 of the UCC. All funds in such Securities Accounts (other than Excluded Accounts) shall be conclusively presumed to be Collateral and proceeds of Collateral and the Agents and the Lenders shall have no duty to inquire as to the source of the amounts on deposit in the Securities Accounts.

Securities Account Control Agreement” has the meaning specified in Section 6.18.

(c) The definition of “First Lien Facility Cap” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

First Lien Facility Cap” means $350,000,000.”

(d) The definition of “Maturity Date” in Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

Maturity Date” means (i) with respect to the Term Loans, the date that is the earlier of (A) the Scheduled Maturity Date, (B) if the aggregate principal amount outstanding of Existing Unsecured Notes (or any Permitted Refinancing thereof to the extent that the final maturity date of such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is not at least 91 days after the Scheduled Maturity Date) exceeds $182,000,000 on the Springing Notes Maturity Date, the Springing Notes Maturity Date, and (C) if the aggregate principal amount of loans outstanding and held by lenders which are not Affiliates of the Borrower under the Third Lien Facility (or any Permitted Refinancing thereof) exceeds $66,000,000 on the Springing 3L Maturity Date, the Springing 3L Maturity Date, and (ii) with respect to any tranche of Extended Term Loans, the final maturity date applicable thereto as specified in the applicable Extension Request accepted by the respective Lender or Lenders; provided, in each case, that if such date is not a Business Day, then the applicable Maturity Date shall be the next succeeding Business Day.


(e) Article VI of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by the insertion of the following new Section 6.18:

6.18 Deposit Account, Securities Account and Commodity Account Control Agreements. The Borrower will, and will cause each Guarantor to, in connection with any Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account, in each case, other than (x) any Excluded Account for so long as it is an Excluded Account (a) held or maintained on the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date by the Borrower or any such Guarantor, promptly but in any event within forty-five (45) days of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion), enter into and deliver to the Collateral Agent a deposit account control agreement (a “Deposit Account Control Agreement”), securities account control agreement (a “Securities Account Control Agreement”) or commodity account control agreement (a “Commodity Account Control Agreement”), as applicable, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent and the account bank, securities intermediary or commodity intermediary, as applicable, for any such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account and (b) established on or after the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date by the Borrower or any such Guarantor, promptly but in any event within forty-five (45) days of the establishment of such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion) enter into and deliver to the Collateral Agent a Deposit Account Control Agreement, Securities Account Control Agreement or Commodity Account Control Agreement, as applicable, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent and the account bank, securities intermediary or commodity intermediary, as applicable, for any such Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account; provided that (x) the aggregate daily maximum balance for all accounts established after the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date but not yet in compliance with the requirements of this Section 6.18(b) on any day shall not exceed $5,000,000 and (y) the Borrower or such Guarantor shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this Section 6.18(b) with respect to any Deposit Account, Securities Account or Commodity Account that is acquired by the Borrower or such Guarantor as a result of a Permitted Acquisition, so long as, within forty-five (45) days after the date of such Permitted Acquisition (or such later date as the Collateral Agent may agree in its sole discretion), the Borrower or such Guarantor (A) causes such account to be subject to a Deposit Account Control Agreement, Securities Account Control Agreement or Commodity Account Control Agreement, as applicable, that satisfies the requirements of this Section 6.18(b) or (B) closes such account and transfers any funds therein to an account that satisfies the requirements of this Section 6.18(b); provided further that, solely in the case of the this clause (y), the Borrower or the applicable Guarantors, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall not direct or redirect any funds during such forty-five (45) day period into any such accounts acquired as a result of a Permitted Acquisition, unless a Deposit Account Control Agreement has been established with respect to such account in accordance with this Section 6.18. After the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Collateral Agent may give instructions directing the disposition of funds credited to any Controlled Account and/or withhold any withdrawal rights from the Borrower or any Guarantor with respect to funds credited to any Controlled Account.


(f) The last sentence of Section 7.07 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) no Loan Party shall make any Restricted Payments (whether pursuant to a sale, lease, license, transfer, Investment, Restricted Payment or otherwise) with any Reserve Report Properties, cash or Cash Equivalents to (1) any Affiliate of the Borrower that is not a Loan Party other than (x) Investments pursuant to the second proviso in Section 7.02(c), and clause (iv) of Section 7.02(i) and Section 7.02(n) and (y) Restricted Payments made pursuant to Section 7.06(g), 7.06(i), 7.06(j), 7.06(k), 7.06(l) or 7.06(p) or deemed made in connection with transactions permitted pursuant to Section 7.08(d) and 7.08(i) or (2) any Unrestricted Subsidiary and (ii) the Borrower may not, nor permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment to the Sponsors other than Restricted Payments made pursuant to Section 7.06(i) or Section 7.06(l)(i) until the date that is eighteen (18) months after the Closing Date.”

Section 3. Assumption of Obligations. On the Effective Date, (i) the New Borrower hereby assumes all of the rights and obligations of the Existing Borrower under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which the Existing Borrower is a party and (ii) each Lender hereby consents for the purposes of Section 10.07(a) of the Credit Agreement to the transfer and assignment of the Existing Borrower’s rights and obligations to the New Borrower.

Section 4. Guaranty Supplement. On the Effective Date, each of the Existing Borrower and the Existing GP agrees, and the New Borrower agrees to cause each of the Brix Entities, to supplement the Guaranty under Section 11.01 of the Credit Agreement by becoming a Guarantor under the Credit Agreement, and to ratify and agree to all the terms and provisions of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents applicable to it as a Guarantor thereunder as if it had been an original party to the Loan Documents as a Guarantor under the Credit Agreement.

Section 5. Security Agreement and Intercreditor Agreements.

(a) On the Effective Date, each of the New Borrower, the Existing Borrower and the Existing GP ratifies and agrees, and the New Borrower agrees to cause each of the Brix Entities to ratify and agree to all the terms and provisions of the Security Agreement applicable to it as a Grantor (as defined in the Security Agreement) thereunder and, in the case of the Existing Borrower, the Existing GP and each of the Brix Entities, a Subsidiary Party (as defined in the Collateral Agreement) thereunder.

(b) On the Effective Date, each of the New Borrower, the Existing Borrower and the Existing GP ratifies and agrees, and the New Borrower agrees to cause each of the Brix Entities to ratify and agree to all the terms and provisions of the Intercreditor Agreements applicable to it thereunder.


Section 6. Ratification.

(a) The New Borrower hereby confirms that, with effect from the Effective Date, the New Borrower shall have obligations, duties and liabilities toward each of the other parties to the Credit Agreement and other Loan Documents identical to those which the New Borrower would have had if the New Borrower had been an original party to the Loan Documents as the Borrower under the Credit Agreement. Effective as of the Effective Date, the New Borrower hereby ratifies, and agrees to be bound by, all representations and warranties, covenants, and other terms, conditions and provisions of the Credit Agreement and the other applicable Loan Documents.

(b) Each Loan Party, as a debtor, grantor, pledgor, guarantor or assignor, or in any other similar capacity in which it has granted Liens or acted as an accommodation party or guarantor, as the case may be, hereby ratifies, confirms and reaffirms all of its liabilities, its payment and performance obligations (contingent or otherwise) and its agreements under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents (as amended hereby) related thereto, and, in particular, affirms that, on and after the Effective Date, (i) the terms of the Collateral Documents, and the grants of liens on or security interests in their properties (including the Collateral) pursuant to the Collateral Documents, secure, and will continue to secure, its obligations under the Loan Documents, (ii) its Guaranty shall apply to the New Borrower’s obligations under the Loan Documents and (iii) its obligations under the Security Agreement and the other applicable Collateral Documents to which it is a party shall apply to the New Borrower’s obligations under the Loan Documents. Each Loan Party hereby represents and warrants that as of the Effective Date, there are no defenses, setoffs, claims or counterclaims which could be asserted against the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or the Lenders arising from or in connection with the Loan Documents.

Section 7. Certain Representations. Each Loan Party, and by its execution and delivery of this Amendment, does hereby confirm and acknowledge to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, that as of the date hereof and as of the Effective Date (i) the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment has been or shall have been, as applicable, duly authorized by all requisite corporate or other organizational action, as applicable, on the part of such Loan Party, (ii) the Credit Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it or any of its Subsidiaries is a party constitute or shall constitute, as applicable, valid and legally binding agreements enforceable against such Loan Party in accordance with their respective terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, by general principles of equity and by a covenant of good faith and fair dealing, (iii) each of the representations and warranties set forth in the Credit Agreement and each other Loan Document is true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof (except to the extent any such representation or warranty is made as of a specific date, in which case such representation and warranty was true and correct in all material respects as of such date and except that any representation and warranty that is qualified as to “materiality,” “Material Adverse Effect” or similar language shall be true and correct (after giving effect to any qualification therein) in all respects on such respective dates), and (iv) no Default or Event of Default exists under the Credit Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents.


Section 8. Effectiveness. This Amendment shall become effective on the first date on which each of the conditions set forth in this Section 8 is satisfied or waived (such date, the “Effective Date”):

(a) The Administrative Agent shall have received (and by its execution and delivery hereof hereby confirms that it has received) duly executed counterparts of this Amendment from each Loan Party, the Administrative Agent, and the Lenders as of the date hereof.

(b) The Administrative Agent shall have received duly executed joinders and/or supplements to the Security Agreement, each other applicable Collateral Document and the Intercreditor Agreements from the New Borrower, the Existing Borrower, the Existing GP, each of the Brix Entities and each Subsidiary that guarantees the First Lien Facility, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Required Lenders; provided, that for the avoidance of doubt, such joinders and/or supplements shall cause (x) all guarantors guaranteeing the obligations under the First Lien Facility to guarantee the obligations under the Credit Agreement, and (y) any assets securing the obligations under the First Lien Facility to also secure the obligations under the Credit Agreement.

(c) (i) The IPO shall have been consummated and the net proceeds thereof shall have been contributed to the New Borrower and (ii) the net proceeds of such IPO shall exceed $75,000,000.

(d) The Reorganization Transactions shall have been, or shall substantially concurrently be, duly completed in accordance with the Master Reorganization Agreement filed as Exhibit 4.5 to the registration statement of Vine Energy Inc. filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Registration No. 333-253366, and each of the Existing GP and each of the Brix Entities shall have become, or shall substantially concurrently become (i) a direct or indirect Domestic Subsidiary of the New Borrower and (ii) not an Excluded Subsidiary.

(e) All amounts required to be paid to the Administrative Agent or any Lender by the Existing Borrower, including costs and expense payable pursuant to Section 10.04 of the Credit Agreement, shall have been paid.

(f) The Administrative Agent shall have received, on behalf of itself, the Collateral Agent and the Lenders, a written opinion from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, to be dated the Effective Date, (y) addressed to the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent and the Lenders and (z) in form and substance customary for amendments of this type and in any case reasonably satisfactory to the Required Lenders.

(g) The Administrative Agent shall have received a copy of the certificate or articles of incorporation or certificate of formation, including all amendments thereto, of the New Borrower, the Existing Borrower, the Existing GP, each of the Brix Entities and other Loan Party as of the Effective Date that was not a Loan Party prior to the Effective Date, in each case, certified as of a recent date by the Secretary of State (or other similar official) of the jurisdiction of its organization, and a certificate as to the good standing (to the extent such concept or a similar concept exists under the laws of such jurisdiction) of each such Person as of a recent date from such Secretary of State (or other similar official);


(h) The Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or similar officer of each of the New Borrower, the Existing GP, and each of the Brix Entities, dated the Effective Date and certifying:

(i) that attached thereto is a true and complete copy of the bylaws (or limited liability company agreement or other equivalent governing documents) of such Person as in effect on the Effective Date and at all times since a date prior to the date of the resolutions described in clause (ii) below;

(ii) that attached thereto is a true and complete copy of resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors (or managing member or equivalent) of such Person authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment or any other Loan Document to which such Person is or deemed to be a party to as a result of this Amendment, and that such resolutions have not been modified, rescinded or amended and are in full force and effect on the Effective Date;

(iii) that the certificate or articles of incorporation or certificate of formation of such Person has not been amended since the date of the last amendment thereto disclosed pursuant to subclause (g) above;

(iv) as to the incumbency and specimen signature of each officer executing this Amendment, any Loan Document or any other document delivered in connection herewith on behalf of such Person, and

(v) a certificate of a director or an officer as to the incumbency and specimen signature of the Secretary or Assistant Secretary or similar officer executing the certificate pursuant to subclause (h) above.

(i) The Administrative Agent shall have received copies of UCC financing statements reasonably satisfactory to it with respect to the New Borrower, the Existing GP, each of the Brix Entities and each other Loan Party as of the Effective Date that was not a Loan Party prior to the Effective Date, to be filed on the Effective Date.

(j) The Administrative Agent shall have received at least three (3) Business Days prior to the Effective Date all documentation and other information required by regulatory authorities under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including, the Patriot Act, that has been requested by the Administrative Agent in writing at least five (5) Business Days prior to the Effective Date.

(k) The Administrative Agent shall have received an officer’s certificate stating that this Amendment and the supplements and/or joinders delivered pursuant to Section 8(b) preserve the enforceability of the Credit Agreement, the Guarantee and the Collateral Documents and the perfection of the Liens under the Collateral Documents.


Section 9. Governing Law. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL EACH BE DEEMED TO BE A CONTRACT MADE UNDER AND GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Section 10. Miscellaneous. (a) On and after the Effective Date, each reference in the Credit Agreement to “this Agreement”, “hereunder”, “hereof” or words of like import, referring to the Credit Agreement, and each reference in each other Loan Document, notice, request, certificate or other document (executed concurrently with or after the execution and delivery of this Amendment) to “the Credit Agreement”, “thereunder”, “thereof” or words of like import referring to the Credit Agreement, shall mean and be a reference to the Credit Agreement as amended or otherwise modified by this Amendment unless the context shall otherwise require; (b) the execution, delivery and effectiveness of this Amendment shall not, except as expressly provided herein, operate as a waiver of any default of any Loan Party or any right, power or remedy of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders under any of the Loan Documents, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of any of the Loan Documents; (c) this Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement; (d) delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Amendment by telecopier or other electronic imaging (including in .pdf format) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment; and (e) this Amendment shall constitute a Loan Document for all purposes of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents. The execution and delivery of this Amendment is not intended by the parties to be, and will not be construed or deemed to be, a satisfaction, reinstatement, novation or release of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall not constitute a novation of any indebtedness or other obligations owing to the Lenders, the Administrative Agent or Collateral Agent under the Credit Agreement (immediately prior to the Effective Date) based on facts or events occurring or existing prior to the execution and delivery of this Amendment, nor shall it extinguish, terminate or impair the obligations or the rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or Lenders under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document.

Section 11. Amendment, Modification and Waiver. This Amendment may not be amended, modified or waived except by an instrument or instruments in writing signed and delivered on behalf of each of the parties hereto. Nothing herein shall be deemed to entitle the New Borrower, the Existing Borrower or any Guarantor to a consent to, or a waiver, amendment, modification or other change of, any of the terms, conditions, obligations, covenants or agreements contained in the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document in similar or different circumstances.

Section 12. Severability. Any provision of this Amendment held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction. The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.


Section 13. Successors and Assigns. This Amendment is binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Loan Parties and their respective successors and assigns.

Section 14. Headings. The headings, captions and arrangements used in this Amendment are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Amendment.

Section 15. Final Agreement. THE CREDIT AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING THIS AMENDMENT, REPRESENT THE FINAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES.

Section 16. Further Assurances. The New Borrower, the Existing Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby agrees from time to time, as and when reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or the Lenders, to execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered, all such documents, instruments and agreements and to take or cause to be taken such further or other action as the Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent or the Lenders may reasonably deem necessary or desirable in order to carry out the intent and purposes of this Amendment.

Section 17. Administrative Agent Instruction. By its execution hereof, each of the undersigned Lenders, constituting all of the Lenders party to the Credit Agreement, hereby authorizes and directs the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver this Amendment on the date hereof.

THERE ARE NO ORAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE PARTIES.

[Signature Pages Follow]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first above written.

 

VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC, as the New Borrower
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE OIL & GAS LP, as the Existing Borrower
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
By: Vine Oil & Gas GP LLC, its general partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE OIL & GAS GP LLC, as the Existing GP
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
VINE MINERALS LLC, as a Guarantor
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


VINE MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC, as a Guarantor
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
VINE OIL & GAS FINANCE CORP, as a Guarantor
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne B. Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC., as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent
By:  

/s/ Lisa Hanson

Name:   Lisa Hanson
Title:   Vice President

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


GoldenTree Credit Opportunities 2012-1 Financing, Limited
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


GoldenTree 2004 Trust
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


FS Credit Income Fund
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


GN3 SIP Limited
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan - Manitoba
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


GTAM 110 Designated Activity Company
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


Syncora Guarantee Inc.
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


Tolleson High Yield Credit, LP
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


GT NM, LP
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]


High Yield and Bank Loan Series Trust
By: GoldenTree Asset Management LP, as a Lender
By:  

/s/ Karen Weber

Name:   Karen Weber
Title:   Director – Bank Debt

 

[First Amendment to Credit Agreement Signature Page]

Exhibit 10.9

FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

First Supplemental Indenture (this “Supplemental Indenture”), dated as of March 17, 2021, among (a) Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “New Issuer”), (b) Vine Oil & Gas LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Original Co-Issuer” and “New Guarantor”), (c) each of Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership, and Harvest Royalties Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership (together with the New Guarantor, the “New Guarantors” and each a “Guaranteeing Subsidiary”), and (d) Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, the Original Co-Issuer and Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp. have heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an Indenture (as amended, supplemented or modified from time to time, the “Indenture”), dated as of October 18, 2017, providing for the issuance of an unlimited aggregate principal amount of 8.75% Senior Notes due 2023 (the “Notes”);

WHEREAS, in connection with, and prior to the completion of, an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of Vine Energy Inc.’s (“VEI”) Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, pursuant to, and as more fully described in, a registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Registration No. 333-253366, the New Issuer, B&H Oil and Gas L.L.C., VEI and certain other persons entered into that certain Master Reorganization Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021 (the “Reorganization”), pursuant to which certain restructuring transactions were effected;

WHEREAS, in connection with the Offering and the Reorganization, the parties hereto desire to enter into this First Supplemental Indenture to evidence the assumption by the New Issuer of all the payment and other obligations of the Original Co-Issuer under the Notes and the Indenture on the date hereof;

WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances a Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which such Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee all of the Issuers’ Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein and under the Indenture (the “Guarantee”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Trustee is authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture; and

WHEREAS, each of the New Issuer and the Guaranteeing Subsidiaries has been duly authorized to enter into this Supplemental Indenture.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders as follows:

(1) Capitalized Terms. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

 


(2) Assumption of the Obligations. The New Issuer hereby agrees, as of the date hereof, to assume, to be bound by and to be liable, as a primary obligor and not as a guarantor or surety, with respect to, any and all Obligations under the Indenture and the Notes on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Indenture and all other obligations of the Original Co-Issuer under the Indenture and the Notes as if it were the Original Co-Issuer thereunder (so that from and after the date hereof, the provisions of the Indenture and the Notes referring to the Original Co-Issuer (referred to as the “Company” in the Indenture) shall instead refer to the New Issuer).

(3) Agreement to Guarantee. Each Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that it has received and reviewed a copy of the Indenture and all other documents it deems necessary to review in order to enter into this Supplemental Indenture and (i) hereby joins and becomes a party to the Indenture as indicated by its signature below as a Guarantor and (ii) acknowledges and agrees to (x) be bound by the Indenture as a Guarantor and (y) perform all obligations and duties required of a Guarantor pursuant to the Indenture.

(4) No Recourse Against Others. No past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner or equity holder of the New Issuer or the Original Co-Issuer or any Guarantor or any Parent Company (other than an obligor under the Notes) will have any liability for any obligations of the New Issuer or the Original Co-Issuer or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Guarantees, the Indenture or this Supplemental Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting Notes waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

(5) Governing Law. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE WILL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(6) Counterparts. The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. This Supplemental Indenture may be executed in multiple counterparts, which, when taken together, shall constitute one instrument. The exchange of copies of this Supplemental Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or electronic (by ‘.pdf’ or other format) transmissions shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Supplemental Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or electronically (by ‘.pdf’ or other format) shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

(7) Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

(8) The Trustee. The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary.

 

2


(9) Benefits Acknowledged. Upon execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture, the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture. The New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that they will receive direct and indirect benefits from the financing arrangements contemplated by the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture and that their obligations as a result of this Supplemental Indenture are knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits.

(10) Successors. All agreements of the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors, except as otherwise provided in this Supplemental Indenture. All agreements of the Trustee in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind its successors.

 

 

3


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the date first above written.

 

NEW ISSUER:
VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC, as Issuer and Obligor
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
GUARANTORS:
VINE OIL & GAS LP
By: Vine Oil & Gas Parent GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
BRIX OIL & GAS HOLDINGS LP
By: Brix Oil & Gas Holdings GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

[Signature page to First Supplemental Indenture]


HARVEST ROYALTIES HOLDINGS LP
By: Harvest Royalties Holdings GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee
By:  

/s/ Quinton M. DePompolo

  Name: Quinton M. DePompolo
  Title: Banking Officer

[Signature page to First Supplemental Indenture]

Exhibit 10.10

FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE

First Supplemental Indenture (this “Supplemental Indenture”), dated as of March 17, 2021, among (a) Vine Energy Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “New Issuer”), (b) Vine Oil & Gas LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Original Co-Issuer” and “New Guarantor”), (c) each of Brix Oil & Gas Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership, and Harvest Royalties Holdings LP, a Delaware limited partnership (together with the New Guarantor, the “New Guarantors” and each a “Guaranteeing Subsidiary”), and (d) Wilmington Trust, National Association, a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, the Original Co-Issuer and Vine Oil & Gas Finance Corp. have heretofore executed and delivered to the Trustee an Indenture (as amended, supplemented or modified from time to time, the “Indenture”), dated as of October 3, 2018, providing for the issuance of an unlimited aggregate principal amount of 9.75% Senior Notes due 2023 (the “Notes”);

WHEREAS, in connection with, and prior to the completion of, an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of Vine Energy Inc.’s (“VEI”) Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, pursuant to, and as more fully described in, a registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Registration No. 333-253366, the New Issuer, B&H Oil and Gas L.L.C., VEI and certain other persons entered into that certain Master Reorganization Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2021 (the “Reorganization”), pursuant to which certain restructuring transactions were effected;

WHEREAS, in connection with the Offering and the Reorganization, the parties hereto desire to enter into this First Supplemental Indenture to evidence the assumption by the New Issuer of all the payment and other obligations of the Original Co-Issuer under the Notes and the Indenture on the date hereof;

WHEREAS, the Indenture provides that under certain circumstances a Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall execute and deliver to the Trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which such Guaranteeing Subsidiary shall unconditionally guarantee all of the Issuers’ Obligations under the Notes and the Indenture on the terms and conditions set forth herein and under the Indenture (the “Guarantee”);

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9.01 of the Indenture, the Trustee is authorized to execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture; and

WHEREAS, each of the New Issuer and the Guaranteeing Subsidiaries has been duly authorized to enter into this Supplemental Indenture.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties mutually covenant and agree for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders as follows:

(1) Capitalized Terms. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

 


(2) Assumption of the Obligations. The New Issuer hereby agrees, as of the date hereof, to assume, to be bound by and to be liable, as a primary obligor and not as a guarantor or surety, with respect to, any and all Obligations under the Indenture and the Notes on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Indenture and all other obligations of the Original Co- Issuer under the Indenture and the Notes as if it were the Original Co-Issuer thereunder (so that from and after the date hereof, the provisions of the Indenture and the Notes referring to the Original Co-Issuer (referred to as the “Company” in the Indenture) shall instead refer to the New Issuer).

(3) Agreement to Guarantee. Each Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that it has received and reviewed a copy of the Indenture and all other documents it deems necessary to review in order to enter into this Supplemental Indenture and (i) hereby joins and becomes a party to the Indenture as indicated by its signature below as a Guarantor and (ii) acknowledges and agrees to (x) be bound by the Indenture as a Guarantor and (y) perform all obligations and duties required of a Guarantor pursuant to the Indenture.

(4) No Recourse Against Others. No past, present or future director, officer, employee, incorporator, member, partner or equity holder of the New Issuer or the Original Co-Issuer or any Guarantor or any Parent Company (other than an obligor under the Notes) will have any liability for any obligations of the New Issuer or the Original Co-Issuer or the Guarantors under the Notes, the Guarantees, the Indenture or this Supplemental Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of such obligations or their creation. Each Holder by accepting Notes waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

(5) Governing Law. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE WILL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

(6) Counterparts. The parties may sign any number of copies of this Supplemental Indenture. Each signed copy shall be an original, but all of them together represent the same agreement. This Supplemental Indenture may be executed in multiple counterparts, which, when taken together, shall constitute one instrument. The exchange of copies of this Supplemental Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile or electronic (by ‘.pdf’ or other format) transmissions shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Supplemental Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or electronically (by ‘.pdf’ or other format) shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

(7) Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

(8) The Trustee. The Trustee shall not be responsible in any manner whatsoever for or in respect of the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture or for or in respect of the recitals contained herein, all of which recitals are made solely by the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary.

 

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(9) Benefits Acknowledged. Upon execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture, the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture. The New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary acknowledges that they will receive direct and indirect benefits from the financing arrangements contemplated by the Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture and that their obligations as a result of this Supplemental Indenture are knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits.

(10) Successors. All agreements of the New Issuer and each Guaranteeing Subsidiary in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind their respective successors, except as otherwise provided in this Supplemental Indenture. All agreements of the Trustee in this Supplemental Indenture shall bind its successors.

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed, all as of the date first above written.

 

NEW ISSUER:
VINE ENERGY HOLDINGS LLC, as Issuer and Obligor
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
GUARANTORS:
VINE OIL & GAS LP
By: Vine Oil & Gas Parent GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
BRIX OIL & GAS HOLDINGS LP
By: Brix Oil & Gas Holdings GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

[Signature page to First Supplemental Indenture]


HARVEST ROYALTIES HOLDINGS LP
By: Harvest Royalties Holdings GP LLC
Its: General Partner
By:  

/s/ Wayne B. Stoltenberg

  Name: Wayne B. Stoltenberg
  Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee
By:  

/s/ Quinton M. DePompolo

  Name: Quinton M. DePompolo
  Title: Banking Officer

[Signature page to First Supplemental Indenture]

Exhibit 10.11

VINE ENERGY INC.

 

 

2021 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

 

 

ARTICLE I

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Vine Energy, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan is to promote the success of the Company’s business for the benefit of its stockholders by enabling the Company to offer Eligible Individuals cash and stock-based incentives in order to attract, retain, and reward such individuals and strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and the Company’s stockholders. The Plan is effective as of the date set forth in Article XV.

ARTICLE II

DEFINITIONS

For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

2.1 Affiliate means a corporation or other entity controlled by, controlling, or under control with the Company. The term “control” (including, with correlative meaning, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as applied to any person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of management and policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting or other securities, by contract or otherwise.

2.2 “Applicable Lawmeans the requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards and the related shares under U.S. state corporate law, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the rules of any stock exchange or quotation system on which the shares are listed or quoted, and any other applicable laws, including tax laws, of any U.S. or non-U.S. jurisdictions where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

2.3 “Award means any award under the Plan of any Stock Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Award, Other Stock-Based Award, or Cash Award. All Awards shall be granted by, confirmed by, and subject to the terms of a written or electronic agreement executed by the Company and the Participant.

2.4 “Award Agreement means the written or electronic agreement, contract, certificate, or other instrument or document evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Award. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

2.5 “Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.6 “Cash Award means an Award granted pursuant to Section 10.3 of the Plan and payable in cash at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

 


2.7 “Cause means, unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award Agreement, with respect to a Participant’s Termination of Service: (a) in the case where there is no employment agreement, offer letter, consulting agreement, change in control agreement, or similar agreement in effect between the Company or an Affiliate and the Participant at the relevant time of determination (or where there is such agreement in effect but it does not define “cause” (or words of like import)), the Participant’s (i) commission of, indictment for, or plea of guilty or no contest to, a felony (or state law equivalent) or a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude or the commission of any other act involving willful malfeasance or breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; (ii) willful failure or refusal by a Participant to perform in any material respect his or her duties or responsibilities to the Company or any Affiliate; (iii) substantial and repeated failure to follow any lawful directive from the Company or any Affiliate; (iv) conduct that causes substantial harm to the reputation of the Company or its Affiliates; (v) fraud, theft, or embezzlement, or gross negligence or willful misconduct with respect to the Participant’s employment with the Company or an Affiliate; (vi) material violation of the Company’s or an Affiliate’s written policies or codes of conduct, including written policies related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, performance of illegal or unethical activities, or ethical misconduct (with it being understood that any violation of a policy regarding discrimination or harassment shall be considered a material violation of a written policy); or (vii) a material breach of any agreement with the Company or any Affiliate, including, without limitation, any non-competition, non-solicitation, no-hire, or confidentiality covenant between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate; or (b) in the case where there is an employment agreement, offer letter, consulting agreement, change in control agreement, or similar agreement in effect between the Company or an Affiliate and the Participant at the time of the grant of the Award that defines “cause” (or words of like import), “cause” as defined under such agreement.

2.8 Change in Control means and includes each of the following, unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement with a Participant approved by the Committee:

(a) any “person,” as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under any employee benefit plan of the Company, or any company owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company), becoming the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities, excluding for purposes herein, acquisitions pursuant to a Business Combination (as defined below) that does not constitute a Change in Control as defined in Section 2.8(b);

(b) a merger, reorganization, or consolidation of the Company or in which equity securities of the Company are issued (each, a “Business Combination”), other than a merger, reorganization, or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its direct or indirect Parent) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity (or, as applicable, a direct or indirect Parent of the Company or such surviving entity)

 

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outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; provided, however, that a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no person (other than those covered by the exceptions in Section 2.8(a)) acquires more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities shall not constitute a Change in Control; or a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation that would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its direct or indirect Parent) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity (or, as applicable, a direct or indirect Parent of the Company or such surviving entity) outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; provided, however, that a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no person (other than those covered by the exceptions in Section 2.8(a)) acquires more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities shall not constitute a Change in Control;

(c) during the period of two consecutive years, individuals who, at the beginning of such period, constitute the Board together with any new director(s) (other than a director designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in Section 2.8(a) or 2.8(b)) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the two year period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority thereof; or

(d) a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or the consummation of a sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets other than the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company to a person or persons who beneficially own, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of the Company at the time of the sale.

For purposes of this Section 2.8, acquisitions or dispositions of securities of the Company by The Blackstone Group L.P., any of its respective Affiliates, or any investment vehicle or fund controlled by or managed by, or otherwise affiliated with The Blackstone Group L.P. shall not constitute a Change in Control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Award that is characterized as “nonqualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, an event shall not be considered to be a Change in Control under the Plan for purposes of payment of such Award unless such event is also a “change in ownership,” a “change in effective control,” or a “change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets” of the Company within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.

2.9 “Change in Control Price means the highest price per Share paid in any transaction related to a Change in Control.

 

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2.10 “Codemeans the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. Any reference to any section of the Code shall also be a reference to any successor provision and any guidance and treasury regulation promulgated thereunder.

2.11 “Committee means any committee of the Board duly authorized by the Board to administer the Plan; provided, however, that unless otherwise determined by the Board, the Committee shall consist solely of two or more Qualified Members. If no committee is duly authorized by the Board to administer the Plan, the term “Committee” shall be deemed to refer to the Board for all purposes under the Plan. The Board may abolish any Committee or re-vest in itself any previously delegated authority from time to time, and will retain the right to exercise the authority of the Committee to the extent consistent with Applicable Law.

2.12 “Common Stock means the Class A common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of the Company.

2.13 “Company means Vine Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its successors by operation of law.

2.14 “Consultant means any natural person who is an advisor or consultant to the Company or any of its Affiliates.

2.15 “Disability means, unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award Agreement, with respect to a Participant’s Termination of Service, that the Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment, provided, however, for purposes of an Incentive Stock Option, the term Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to it under Section 22(e)(3) of the Code. The determination of whether an individual has a Disability shall be determined by the Committee, and the Committee may rely on any determination that a Participant is disabled for purposes of benefits under any long-term disability plan in which a Participant participates that is maintained by the Company or any Affiliate.

2.16 Dividend Equivalents” means a right granted to a Participant under the Plan to receive the equivalent value (in cash or Shares) of dividends paid on Shares.

2.17 “Effective Date means the effective date of the Plan as defined in Article XV.

2.18 “Eligible Employees means each employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates. An employee on a leave of absence may be an Eligible Employee.

2.19 “Eligible Individual means an Eligible Employee, Non-Employee Director, or Consultant who is designated by the Committee in its discretion as eligible to receive Awards subject to the conditions set forth herein.

2.20 “Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time. Reference to a specific section of the Exchange Act or regulation thereunder shall include such section or regulation, any valid regulation or interpretation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing, or superseding such section or regulation.

 

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2.21 “Fair Market Value means, for purposes of the Plan, unless otherwise required by any applicable provision of the Code or any regulations issued thereunder, as of any date and except as provided below, the last sales price reported for the Common Stock on the applicable date: (a) as reported on the principal national securities exchange in the United States on which it is then traded or (b) if the Common Stock is not traded, listed, or otherwise reported or quoted, the Committee shall determine in good faith the Fair Market Value in whatever manner it considers appropriate taking into account the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. For purposes of the exercise of any Award, the applicable date shall be the date a notice of exercise is received by the Committee or, if not a date on which the applicable market is open, the next day that it is open. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Award granted on the pricing date of the Company’s initial public offering, the Fair Market Value shall mean the initial public offering price of a Share as set forth in the Company’s final prospectus relating to its initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

2.22 “Family Member means “family member” as defined in Section A.1.(a)(5) of the general instructions of Form S-8.

2.23 “Incentive Stock Option means any Stock Option that is awarded to an Eligible Employee who is an employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries under the Plan and that is intended to be, and designated as, an “Incentive Stock Option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

2.24 “Non-Employee Director means a director or a member of the Board of the Company who is not an employee of the Company.

2.25 “Non-Qualified Stock Option means any Stock Option awarded under the Plan that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

2.26 “Other Stock-Based Award means an Award under Article X of the Plan that is valued in whole or in part by reference to, or is payable in or otherwise based on, Shares.

2.27 “Parent means any parent corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(e) of the Code.

2.28 “Participantmeans an Eligible Individual to whom an Award has been granted pursuant to the Plan.

2.29 “Performance Award means an Award granted to a Participant pursuant to Article IX hereof contingent upon achieving certain Performance Goals.

2.30 “Performance Goals means goals established by the Committee as contingencies for Awards to vest and/or become exercisable or distributable.

 

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2.31 “Performance Period means the designated period during which the specified Performance Goals must be satisfied with respect to the Award to which the specified Performance Goals relate.

2.32 “Plan means this Vine Energy, Inc. 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.

2.33 “Qualified Member means a member of the Board who is (a) a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3(b)(3), and (b) “independent” under the listing standards or rules of the securities exchange upon which the Common Stock is traded, but only to the extent such independence is required to take the action at issue pursuant to such standards or rules.

2.34 “Reference Stock Option has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.

2.35 “Restricted Stock means an Award of Shares under the Plan that is subject to applicable restrictions under Article VIII.

2.36 Restricted Stock Units” means an unfunded, unsecured right to receive, on the applicable settlement date, one Share or an amount in cash or other consideration determined by the Committee to be of equal value to a Share as of such settlement date, subject to certain vesting conditions and other restrictions.

2.37 “Restriction Period has the meaning set forth in Section 8.3(a).

2.38 “Rule 16b-3 means Rule 16b-3 under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act as then in effect or any successor provision.

2.39 Section 409A of the Code means the nonqualified deferred compensation rules under Section 409A of the Code and any applicable treasury regulations and other official guidance thereunder.

2.40 “Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Reference to a specific section of the Securities Act or regulation thereunder shall include such section or regulation, any valid regulation or interpretation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing, or superseding such section or regulation.

2.41 Shares means shares of Common Stock.

2.42 “Stock Appreciation Right shall mean the right pursuant to an Award granted under Article VII.

2.43 “Stock Option or Option means any option to purchase Shares granted to Eligible Individuals pursuant to Article VI.

2.44 “Subsidiary means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

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2.45 “Ten Percent Stockholdermeans a person owning stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, its Subsidiaries or its Parent.

2.46 “Termination of Servicemeans the termination of the applicable Participant’s employment with, or performance of services for, the Company and its Affiliates. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, (a) if a Participant’s employment or services with the Company and its Affiliates terminates but such Participant continues to provide services to the Company and its Affiliates in a non-employee capacity, such change in status shall not be deemed a Termination of Service with the Company and its Affiliates and (b) a Participant employed by, or performing services for, an Affiliate that ceases to be an Affiliate shall also be deemed to have incurred a Termination of Service provided the Participant does not immediately thereafter become an employee of the Company or another Affiliate. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this definition, with respect to any Award that constitutes a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, a Participant shall not be considered to have experienced a “Termination of Service” unless the Participant has experienced a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.

ARTICLE III

ADMINISTRATION

3.1 Authority of the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. Subject to the terms of the Plan and Applicable Law, the Committee shall have full authority to grant Awards to Eligible Individuals under the Plan. In particular, the Committee shall have the authority to:

(a) determine whether and to what extent Awards, or any combination thereof, are to be granted hereunder to one or more Eligible Individuals;

(b) determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

(c) determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award granted hereunder (including, but not limited to, the exercise or purchase price (if any), any restriction or limitation, any vesting schedule or acceleration thereof, or any forfeiture restrictions or waiver thereof, regarding any Award and the Shares relating thereto, based on such factors, if any, as the Committee shall determine, in its sole discretion);

(d) determine the amount of cash to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

(e) determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances grants of Options and other Awards under the Plan are to operate on a tandem basis and/or in conjunction with or apart from other awards made by the Company outside of the Plan;

(f) determine whether and under what circumstances an Award may be settled in cash, Shares, other property, or a combination of the foregoing;

 

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(g) determine whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances cash, Shares, or other property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award under the Plan shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the Participant;

(h) modify, waive, amend, or adjust the terms and conditions of any Award, at any time or from time to time, including, but not limited to, Performance Goals;

(i) determine whether a Stock Option is an Incentive Stock Option or Non-Qualified Stock Option;

(j) determine whether to require a Participant, as a condition of the granting of any Award, to not sell or otherwise dispose of Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise or vesting of an Award for a period of time as determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, following the date of the acquisition of such Award or Shares; and

(k) modify, extend, or renew an Award, subject to Article XII and Section 6.3(l).

3.2 Guidelines. Subject to Article XII hereof, the Committee shall have the authority to adopt, alter, and repeal such administrative rules, guidelines, and practices governing the Plan and perform all acts, including the delegation of its responsibilities (to the extent permitted by Applicable Law and applicable stock exchange rules), as it shall, from time to time, deem advisable; to construe and interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award issued under the Plan (and any agreements or sub-plans relating thereto); and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan. The Committee may correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any agreement relating thereto in the manner and to the extent it shall deem necessary to effectuate the purpose and intent of the Plan. The Committee may adopt special rules, sub-plans, guidelines, and provisions for persons who are residing in or employed in, or subject to, the taxes of any domestic or foreign jurisdictions to satisfy or accommodate applicable foreign laws or to qualify for preferred tax treatment of such domestic or foreign jurisdictions.

3.3 Decisions Final. Any decision, interpretation, or other action made or taken in good faith by or at the direction of the Company, the Board, or the Committee (or any of its members) arising out of or in connection with the Plan shall be within the absolute discretion of all and each of them, as the case may be, and shall be final, binding, and conclusive on the Company and all employees and Participants and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns.

3.4 Procedures. If the Committee is appointed, the Board shall designate one of the members of the Committee as chairman and the Committee shall hold meetings, subject to the by-laws of the Company, at such times and places as it shall deem advisable, including, without limitation, by telephone conference or by written consent to the extent permitted by Applicable Law. A majority of the Committee members shall constitute a quorum. All determinations of the Committee shall be made by a majority of its members. Any decision or determination reduced to writing and signed by all of the Committee members in accordance with the by-laws of the Company, shall be fully effective as if it had been made by a vote at a meeting duly called and held. The Committee shall make such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it shall deem advisable.

 

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3.5 Designation of Consultants/Liability; Delegation of Authority.

(a) The Committee may designate employees of the Company and professional advisors to assist the Committee in the administration of the Plan and (to the extent permitted by Applicable Law) may grant authority to officers of the Company to grant Awards and/or execute agreements or other documents on behalf of the Committee.

(b) The Committee may employ such legal counsel, consultants, and agents as it may deem desirable for the administration of the Plan and may rely upon any opinion received from any such counsel or consultant and any computation received from any such consultant or agent. Expenses incurred by the Committee or the Board in the engagement of any such counsel, consultant, or agent shall be paid by the Company. The Committee, its members, and any person designated pursuant to subsection (a) above shall not be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan. To the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, no officer of the Company or member or former member of the Committee or of the Board shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Award granted under it.

(c) The Committee may delegate any or all of its powers and duties under the Plan to a subcommittee of directors or to any officer of the Company, including the power to perform administrative functions and grant Awards; provided that such delegation does not (i) violate Applicable Law, or (ii) result in the loss of an exemption under Rule 16b-3(d)(1) for Awards granted to Participants subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company. Upon any such delegation, all references in the Plan to the “Committee,” shall be deemed to include any subcommittee or officer of the Company to whom such powers have been delegated by the Committee. Any such delegation shall not limit the right of such subcommittee members or such an officer to receive Awards. The Committee may also appoint agents who are not executive officers of the Company or members of the Board to assist in administering the Plan, provided, however, that such individuals may not be delegated the authority to grant or modify any Awards that will, or may, be settled in Shares.

3.6 Indemnification. To the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law and to the extent not covered by insurance directly insuring such person, each officer or employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates and member or former member of the Committee or the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company against any cost or expense (including reasonable fees of counsel acceptable to the Committee) or liability (including any sum paid in settlement of a claim with the approval of the Committee), and advanced amounts necessary to pay the foregoing at the earliest time and to the fullest extent permitted, arising out of any act or omission to act in connection with the administration of the Plan, except to the extent arising out of such officer’s, employee’s, member’s, or former member’s own fraud or bad faith. Such indemnification shall be in addition to any right of indemnification the employees, officers, directors, or members or former officers, directors, or members may have under Applicable Law or under the by-laws of the Company or any of its Affiliates. Notwithstanding anything else herein, this indemnification will not apply to the actions or determinations made by an individual with regard to Awards granted to such individual under the Plan.

 

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ARTICLE IV

SHARE LIMITATION

4.1 Shares. The aggregate number of Shares that may be issued or used for reference purposes or with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan shall not exceed 5,462,740 Shares (subject to any increase or decrease pursuant to this Article IV), which may be either authorized and unissued Shares or Shares held in or acquired for the treasury of the Company or both. The number of Shares that may be issued or used for reference purposes or with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan shall be subject to an annual increase on January 1 of each calendar year during the term of the Plan, equal to the lesser of (a) 3 % of the aggregate number of Shares and shares of Class B common stock of the Company outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year and (b) such smaller number of Shares as is determined by the Board. The aggregate number of Shares that may be issued or used with respect to any Incentive Stock Option shall not exceed 5,462,740 Shares (subject to any increase or decrease pursuant to Section 4.3). The maximum number of Shares subject to Awards granted during a single fiscal year to any Non-Employee Director, taken together with any cash fees paid to that Non-Employee Director during the fiscal year and the value of awards granted to the Non-Employee Director under any other equity compensation plan of the Company during the fiscal year, shall not exceed a total value of $750,000 (calculating the value of any Awards based on the grant date fair value for financial reporting purposes). Any Award under the Plan settled in cash shall not be counted against the foregoing maximum share limitations set forth in this Section 4.1. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Shares subject to an Award under the Plan shall again be made available for issuance or delivery under the Plan if such Shares are (A) Shares tendered in payment of an Option, (B) Shares delivered or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation, (C) Shares covered by a stock-settled Stock Appreciation Right or other Awards that were not issued upon the settlement of the Award, or (D) Shares subject to an Award that expires or is canceled, forfeited, or terminated without issuance of the full number of Shares to which the Award related.

4.2 Substitute Awards. In connection with an entity’s merger or consolidation with the Company or the Company’s acquisition of an entity’s property or stock, the Committee may grant Awards in substitution for any options or other stock or stock-based awards granted before such merger or consolidation by such entity or its Affiliate (“Substitute Awards”). Substitute Awards may be granted on such terms as the Committee deems appropriate, notwithstanding limitations on Awards in the Plan. Substitute Awards will not count against the overall share limit (nor shall Shares subject to a Substitute Award be added to the Shares available for Awards under the Plan as provided above), except that Shares acquired by exercise of substitute Incentive Stock Options will count against the maximum number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan. Additionally, in the event that a company acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary or with which the Company or any Subsidiary combines has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by stockholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for grants pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination)

 

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may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for grant under the Plan (and Shares subject to such Awards shall not be added to the Shares available for Awards under the Plan as provided above); provided that Awards using such available shares shall not be made after the date awards or grants could have been made under the terms of the pre-existing plan, absent the acquisition or combination, and shall only be made to individuals who were not Eligible Employees or Non-Employee Directors prior to such acquisition or combination.

4.3 Adjustments.

(a) The existence of the Plan and the Awards granted hereunder shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Board or the stockholders of the Company to make or authorize (i) any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization, or other change in the Company’s capital structure or its business, (ii) any merger or consolidation of the Company or any Affiliate, (iii) any issuance of bonds, debentures, or preferred or prior preference stock ahead of or affecting the Shares, (iv) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any Affiliate, (v) any sale or transfer of all or part of the assets or business of the Company or any Affiliate, or (vi) any other corporate act or proceeding.

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 11.1:

(i) If the Company at any time subdivides (by any split, recapitalization, or otherwise) the outstanding Shares into a greater number of Shares, combines (by reverse split, combination, or otherwise) its outstanding Shares into a lesser number of Shares, or issues a dividend or distribution with respect to outstanding Shares, then the respective exercise prices for outstanding Awards that provide for a Participant-elected exercise and the number of Shares covered by outstanding Awards shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights granted to, or available for, Participants under the Plan.

(ii) Excepting transactions covered by Section 4.3(b)(i), if the Company effects any merger, consolidation, statutory exchange, spin-off, reorganization, sale or transfer of all or substantially all the Company’s assets or business, or other corporate transaction or event in such a manner that the Company’s outstanding Shares are converted into the right to receive (or the holders of Common Stock are entitled to receive in exchange therefor), either immediately or upon liquidation of the Company, securities or other property of the Company or other entity, then, subject to the provisions of Section 11.1, (A) the aggregate number or kind of securities that thereafter may be issued under the Plan, (B) the number or kind of securities or other property (including cash) to be issued pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan (including as a result of the assumption of the Plan and the obligations hereunder by a successor entity, as applicable), or (C) the exercise or purchase price thereof, shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights granted to, or available for, Participants under the Plan.

(iii) If there shall occur any change in the capital structure of the Company other than those covered by Section 4.3(b)(i) or 4.3(b)(ii), any conversion, any adjustment, or any issuance of any class of securities convertible or exercisable into, or exercisable for, any class of equity securities of the Company, then the Committee shall adjust any Award and make such other adjustments to the Plan to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights granted to, or available for, Participants under the Plan.

 

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(iv) The Committee may adjust the specific Performance Goals applicable to any Awards to reflect any unusual or non-recurring events and other extraordinary items, impact of charges for restructurings, discontinued operations, and the cumulative effects of accounting or tax changes, each as defined by generally accepted accounting principles or as identified in the Company’s financial statements, notes to the financial statements, management’s discussion and analysis, or other Company public filing.

(v) Any such adjustment determined by the Committee pursuant to this Section 4.3(b) shall be final, binding, and conclusive on the Company and all Participants and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and permitted assigns. Any adjustment to, or assumption or substitution of, an Award under this Section 4.3(b) shall be intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and Treasury Regulation §1.424-1 (and any amendments thereto), to the extent applicable. Except as expressly provided in this Section 4.3 or in the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant shall have no additional rights under the Plan by reason of any transaction or event described in this Section 4.3.

ARTICLE V

ELIGIBILITY

5.1 General Eligibility. All current and prospective Eligible Individuals are eligible to be granted Awards. Eligibility for the grant of Awards and actual participation in the Plan shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

5.2 Incentive Stock Options. Notwithstanding the foregoing, only Eligible Employees who are employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries are eligible to be granted Incentive Stock Options under the Plan. Eligibility for the grant of an Incentive Stock Option and actual participation in the Plan shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

5.3 General Requirement. The vesting and exercise of Awards granted to a prospective Eligible Individual are conditioned upon such individual actually becoming an Eligible Employee, Consultant, or Non-Employee Director, as applicable.

ARTICLE VI

STOCK OPTIONS

6.1 Options. Stock Options may be granted alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. Each Stock Option granted under the Plan shall be of one of two types: (a) an Incentive Stock Option or (b) a Non-Qualified Stock Option.

6.2 Grants. The Committee shall have the authority to grant to any Eligible Employee one or more Incentive Stock Options, Non-Qualified Stock Options, or both types of Stock Options; provided, however, that Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to an Eligible Employee who is an employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries. The Committee shall have the authority to grant any Consultant or Non-Employee Director one or more Non-Qualified Stock Options. To the extent that any Stock Option does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option (whether because of its provisions or the time or manner of its exercise or otherwise), such Stock Option or the portion thereof which does not so qualify shall constitute a separate Non-Qualified Stock Option.

 

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6.3 Terms of Options. Options granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement and subject to the following terms and conditions and shall be in such form and contain such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:

(a) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share subject to a Stock Option shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, provided that the per share exercise price of a Stock Option shall not be less than 100% (or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder, 110%) of the Fair Market Value at the time of grant.

(b) Stock Option Term. The term of each Stock Option shall be fixed by the Committee, provided that no Stock Option shall be exercisable more than 10 years (or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder, five years) after the date the Option is granted.

(c) Exercisability. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6.3, Stock Options granted under the Plan shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant. The Committee may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event.

(d) Method of Exercise. Subject to whatever installment exercise and waiting period provisions apply under Section 6.3(c), to the extent vested, Stock Options may be exercised in whole or in part at any time during the Option term, by giving written notice of exercise (which may be electronic) to the Company specifying the number of Shares to be purchased. Such notice shall be accompanied by payment in full of the exercise price (which shall equal the product of such number of Shares to be purchased multiplied by the applicable exercise price). The exercise price for the Stock Options may be paid upon such terms and conditions as shall be established by the Committee and set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, the Committee may establish payment terms for the exercise of Stock Options pursuant to which the Company may withhold a number of Shares that otherwise would be issued to the Participant in connection with the exercise of the Stock Option having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the exercise price, or that permit the Participant to deliver cash or Shares with a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price on the date of payment, or through a simultaneous sale through a broker of Shares acquired on exercise, all as permitted by Applicable Law. No Shares shall be issued until payment therefor, as provided herein, has been made or provided for by the Participant.

(e) Non-Transferability of Options. No Stock Option shall be transferable by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and all Stock Options shall be exercisable, during the Participant’s lifetime, only by the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may determine, in its sole discretion, at the time of grant or thereafter that

 

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a Non-Qualified Stock Option that is otherwise not transferable pursuant to this Section 6.3(e) is transferable to a Family Member in whole or in part and in such circumstances, and under such conditions, as specified by the Committee. A Non-Qualified Stock Option that is transferred to a Family Member pursuant to the preceding sentence (i) may not be subsequently transferred other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and (ii) remains subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement. Any Shares acquired upon the exercise of a Non-Qualified Stock Option by a permissible transferee of a Non-Qualified Stock Option or a permissible transferee pursuant to a transfer after the exercise of the Non-Qualified Stock Option shall be subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.

(f) Termination by Death or Disability. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement, or otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, if a Participant’s Termination of Service is by reason of death or Disability, all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable at the time of the Participant’s Termination of Service may be exercised by the Participant (or in the case of the Participant’s death, by the legal representative of the Participant’s estate) at any time within a period of one year from the date of such Termination of Service, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options; provided, however, that, in the event of a Participant’s Termination of Service by reason of Disability, if the Participant dies within such exercise period, all unexercised Stock Options held by such Participant shall thereafter be exercisable, to the extent to which they were exercisable at the time of death, for a period of one year from the date of such death, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

(g) Involuntary Termination Without Cause. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, if a Participant’s Termination of Service is by involuntary termination by the Company without Cause, all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable at the time of the Participant’s Termination of Service may be exercised by the Participant at any time within a period of 90 days from the date of such Termination of Service, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

(h) Voluntary Resignation. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, if a Participant’s Termination of Service is voluntary (other than a voluntary termination described in Section 6.3(i) hereof), all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable at the time of the Participant’s Termination of Service may be exercised by the Participant at any time within a period of 90 days from the date of such Termination of Service, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

(i) Termination for Cause. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or determined by the Committee at the time of grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, if a Participant’s Termination of Service (A) is for Cause or (B) is a voluntary Termination of Service (as provided in Section 6.3(h)) after the occurrence of an event that would be grounds for a Termination of Service for Cause, all Stock Options, whether vested or not vested, that are held by such Participant shall thereupon immediately terminate and expire as of the date of such Termination of Service.

 

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(j) Unvested Stock Options. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or determined by the Committee at the time of grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, Stock Options that are not vested as of the date of a Participant’s Termination of Service for any reason shall terminate and expire as of the date of such Termination of Service.

(k) Incentive Stock Option Limitations. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time of grant) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by an Eligible Employee during any calendar year under the Plan and/or any other stock option plan of the Company, any Subsidiary, or any Parent exceeds $100,000, such Options shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options. In addition, if an Eligible Employee does not remain employed by the Company, any Subsidiary, or any Parent at all times from the time an Incentive Stock Option is granted until three months prior to the date of exercise thereof (or such other period as required by Applicable Law), such Stock Option shall be treated as a Non-Qualified Stock Option. Should any provision of the Plan not be necessary in order for the Stock Options to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, or should any additional provisions be required, the Committee may amend the Plan accordingly, without the necessity of obtaining the approval of the stockholders of the Company.

(l) Modification, Extension, and Renewal of Stock Options. The Committee may (i) modify, extend, or renew outstanding Stock Options granted under the Plan (provided that the rights of a Participant are not reduced without such Participant’s consent and provided, further, that such action does not subject the Stock Options to Section 409A of the Code without the consent of the Participant), and (ii) accept the surrender of outstanding Stock Options (to the extent not theretofore exercised) and authorize the granting of new Stock Options in substitution therefor (to the extent not theretofore exercised). Notwithstanding the foregoing, an outstanding Option may not be modified to reduce the exercise price thereof nor may a new Option at a lower price be substituted for a surrendered Option (other than adjustments or substitutions in accordance with Article IV), unless such action is approved by the stockholders of the Company.

(m) Other Terms and Conditions. The Committee may include a provision in an Award Agreement providing for the automatic exercise of a Non-Qualified Stock Option on a cashless basis on the last day of the term of such Option if the Participant has failed to exercise the Non-Qualified Stock Option as of such date, with respect to which the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying the Non-Qualified Stock Option exceeds the exercise price of such Non-Qualified Stock Option on the date of expiration of such Option, subject to Section 14.4. Stock Options may contain such other provisions, which shall not be inconsistent with any of the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem appropriate.

 

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ARTICLE VII

STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

7.1 Stock Appreciation Rights. Stock Appreciation Rights may be granted alone (“Free Standing Stock Appreciation Right”) or in conjunction with all or part of any Stock Option (a “Reference Stock Option”) granted under the Plan (“Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights”). In the case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, such rights may be granted either at or after the time of the grant of such Reference Stock Option. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, such rights may be granted only at the time of the grant of such Reference Stock Option.

7.2 Terms of Stock Appreciation Rights. Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement and subject to the following terms and conditions and shall be in such form and contain such additional terms not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:

(a) Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share subject to a Stock Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, provided that the per Share exercise price of a Stock Appreciation Right shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value at the time of grant, and provided, further, that the per share exercise price of a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall not be less than the per share exercise price of the Reference Stock Option.

(b) Term. The term of each Free Standing Stock Appreciation Right shall be fixed by the Committee, but shall not be greater than 10 years after the date the right is granted. A Tandem Stock Appreciation Right or applicable portion thereof granted with respect to a Reference Stock Option shall terminate and no longer be exercisable upon the termination or exercise of the Reference Stock Option, except that, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, at the time of grant, a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right granted with respect to less than the full number of Shares covered by the Reference Stock Option shall not be reduced until, and then only to the extent that the exercise or termination of the Reference Stock Option causes, the number of Shares covered by the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right to exceed the number of Shares remaining available and unexercised under the Reference Stock Option.

(c) Exercisability. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, Free Standing Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan shall be exercised at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant. The Committee may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting and exercisability in terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event. A Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall be exercisable only at such time or times and to the extent that the Reference Stock Options to which they relate shall be exercisable in accordance with the provisions of Article VI, and shall be subject to the provisions of Section 6.3(c).

(d) Method of Exercise. Subject to whatever installment and waiting period provisions applied under Section 6.3(c), to the extent vested, a Free Standing Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised in whole or in part at any time in accordance with the applicable Award Agreement, by giving written notice of exercise (which may be electronic) to the Company

 

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specifying the number of Stock Appreciation Rights being exercised. A Tandem Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised by the Participant by surrendering the applicable portion of the Reference Stock Option. Upon such exercise and surrender, the Participant shall be entitled to receive an amount determined in the manner prescribed in this Section 7.2. Stock Options that have been so surrendered, in whole or in part, shall no longer be exercisable to the extent that the related Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights have been exercised.

(e) Payment. Upon the exercise of a Free Standing Stock Appreciation Right a Participant shall be entitled to receive, for each right exercised, up to, but no more than, an amount in cash and/or Shares (as chosen by the Committee in its sole discretion) equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date that the right is exercised over the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date that the right was awarded to the Participant. Upon the exercise of a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right, a Participant shall be entitled to receive up to, but no more than, an amount in cash and/or Shares (as chosen by the Committee in its sole discretion) equal in value to the excess of the Fair Market Value of one Share over the Stock Option exercise price per Share specified in the Reference Stock Option Award Agreement multiplied by the number of Shares in respect of which the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall have been exercised, with the Committee having the right to determine the form of payment.

(f) Deemed Exercise of Reference Stock Option. Upon the exercise of a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right, the Reference Stock Option or part thereof to which such Stock Appreciation Right is related shall be deemed to have been exercised for the purpose of the limitation set forth in Article IV of the Plan on the number of Shares to be issued under the Plan.

(g) Termination. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, subject to the provisions of the applicable Award Agreement and the Plan, upon a Participant’s Termination of Service for any reason, Free Standing Stock Appreciation Rights may remain exercisable following a Participant’s Termination of Service on the same basis as Stock Options would be exercisable following a Participant’s Termination of Service in accordance with the provisions of Sections 6.3(f) through 6.3(j).

(h) Non-Transferability. Free Standing Stock Appreciation Rights shall not be transferable by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and all such rights shall be exercisable, during the Participant’s lifetime, only by the Participant. Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights shall be transferable only when and to the extent that the underlying Stock Option would be transferable under Section 6.3(e) of the Plan.

(i) Modification, Extension, and Renewal of Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee may (i) modify, extend, or renew outstanding Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan (provided that the rights of a Participant are not reduced without such Participant’s consent and provided, further, that such action does not subject the Stock Appreciation Rights to Section 409A of the Code without the consent of the Participant), and (ii) accept the surrender of outstanding Stock Appreciation Rights (to the extent not theretofore exercised) and authorize the granting of new Stock Appreciation Rights in substitution therefor (to the extent not theretofore exercised). Notwithstanding the foregoing, an outstanding Stock Appreciation Right may not be modified to reduce the exercise price thereof nor may a new Stock Appreciation Right at a lower price be substituted for a surrendered Stock Appreciation Right (other than adjustments or substitutions in accordance with Article IV), unless such action is approved by the stockholders of the Company.

 

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(j) Other Terms and Conditions. The Committee may include a provision in an Award Agreement providing for the automatic exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right on a cashless basis on the last day of the term of such Stock Appreciation Right if the Participant has failed to exercise the Stock Appreciation Right as of such date, with respect to which the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying the Stock Appreciation Right exceeds the exercise price of such Stock Appreciation Right on the date of expiration of such Stock Appreciation Right, subject to Section 14.4. Stock Appreciation Rights may contain such other provisions, which shall not be inconsistent with any of the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem appropriate.

ARTICLE VIII

RESTRICTED STOCK; RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

8.1 Awards of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. Shares of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units may be granted alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. The Committee shall determine the Eligible Individuals to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units shall be made, the number of shares underlying an Award of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, the price (if any) to be paid by the Participant (subject to Section 8.2), the time or times within which such Awards may be subject to forfeiture, the vesting schedule and rights to acceleration thereof, and all other terms and conditions of the Awards. The Committee shall determine and set forth in the Award Agreement the terms and conditions for each Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Unit Award, subject to the conditions and limitations contained in the Plan, including any vesting or forfeiture conditions during the applicable restriction period. The Committee may condition the grant or vesting of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units upon the attainment of specified performance targets (including certain Performance Goals) or such other factor as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion.

8.2 Awards and Certificates. Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement and subject to the following terms and conditions and shall be in such form and contain such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:

(a) Restricted Stock:

(i) Purchase Price. The purchase price of Restricted Stock shall be fixed by the Committee. The purchase price for shares of Restricted Stock may be zero to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, and, to the extent not so permitted, such purchase price may not be less than par value.

(ii) Legend. Each Participant receiving Restricted Stock shall be issued a stock certificate in respect of such shares of Restricted Stock, unless the Committee elects to use another system, such as book entries by the transfer agent, as evidencing ownership of shares of Restricted Stock. Such certificate shall be registered in the name of such Participant, and shall, in addition to such legends required by Applicable Law, bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock.

 

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(iii) Custody. If stock certificates are issued in respect of shares of Restricted Stock, the Committee may require that any stock certificates evidencing such shares be held in custody by the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed, and that, as a condition of any grant of Restricted Stock, the Participant shall have delivered a duly signed stock power or other instruments of assignment (including a power of attorney), each endorsed in blank with a guarantee of signature if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Company, which would permit transfer to the Company of all or a portion of the shares subject to the Restricted Stock Award in the event that such Award is forfeited in whole or part.

(iv) Rights as a Stockholder. Except as provided in Section 8.3(a) and this Section 8.2(a), or as otherwise determined by the Committee in an Award Agreement, the Participant shall have, with respect to the shares of Restricted Stock, all of the rights of a holder of Shares, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, the right to vote such Shares, and, subject to and conditioned upon the full vesting of shares of Restricted Stock, the right to tender such shares; provided that the Award Agreement shall specify on what terms and conditions the applicable Participant shall be entitled to dividends payable on the shares of Restricted Stock.

(v) Lapse of Restrictions. If and when the Restriction Period expires without a prior forfeiture of the Restricted Stock, the certificates for such Shares shall be delivered to the Participant. All legends shall be removed from said certificates at the time of delivery to the Participant, except as otherwise required by Applicable Law or other limitations imposed by the Committee.

(b) Restricted Stock Units:

(i) Settlement. The Committee may provide that settlement of Restricted Stock Units will occur upon or as soon as reasonably practical after the Restricted Stock Units vest or will instead be deferred, on a mandatory basis or at the Participant’s election, in a manner intended to comply with Section 409A of the Code.

(ii) Right as a Stockholder. A Participant will have no rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares subject to any Restricted Stock Unit unless and until Shares are delivered in settlement of the Restricted Stock Units.

(iii) Dividend Equivalents. If the Committee so provides, a grant of Restricted Stock Units may provide a Participant with the right to receive Dividend Equivalents. Dividend Equivalents may be paid currently or credited to an account for the Participant, settled in cash or Shares, and subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the Restricted Stock Units with respect to which the Dividend Equivalents are granted and subject to other terms and conditions as set forth in the Award Agreement.

 

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8.3 Restrictions and Conditions.

(a) Restriction Period:

(i) The Participant shall not be permitted to transfer shares of Restricted Stock awarded under the Plan or vest in Restricted Stock Units during the period or periods set by the Committee (the “Restriction Period”) commencing on the date of such Award, as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement and such agreement shall set forth a vesting schedule and any event that would accelerate vesting of the Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units. Within these limits, based on service, attainment of Performance Goals pursuant to Section 8.3(a)(ii), and/or such other factors or criteria as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion, the Committee may condition the grant or provide for the lapse of such restrictions in installments in whole or in part, or may accelerate the vesting of all or any part of any Restricted Stock Award or Restricted Stock Unit and/or waive the deferral limitations for all or any part of any Award.

(ii) If the grant of shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units or the lapse of restrictions or vesting schedule is based on the attainment of Performance Goals, the Committee shall establish the objective Performance Goals and the applicable vesting percentage applicable to each Participant or class of Participants in the applicable Award Agreement prior to the beginning of the applicable fiscal year or at such later date as otherwise determined by the Committee and while the outcome of the specified Performance Goals are substantially uncertain. Such Performance Goals may incorporate provisions for disregarding (or adjusting for) changes in accounting methods, corporate transactions (including, without limitation, dispositions and acquisitions), and other similar types of events or circumstances.

(b) Termination. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement or determined by the Committee at grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter, upon a Participant’s Termination of Service for any reason during the relevant Restriction Period, all Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units still subject to restriction will be forfeited in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the Committee at grant or thereafter.

ARTICLE IX

PERFORMANCE AWARDS

9.1 Performance Awards. The Committee may grant a Performance Award to a Participant payable upon the attainment of specific Performance Goals either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. The Performance Goals to be achieved during the Performance Period and the length of the Performance Period shall be determined by the Committee upon the grant of each Performance Award. The conditions for grant or vesting and the other provisions of Performance Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable Performance Goals) need not be the same with respect to each Participant. Performance Awards may be paid in cash, Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, in the sole discretion of the Committee as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

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ARTICLE X

OTHER STOCK-BASED AND CASH AWARDS

10.1 Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee is authorized to grant to Eligible Individuals Other Stock-Based Awards that are payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on or related to Shares, including but not limited to, Shares awarded purely as a bonus and not subject to restrictions or conditions, Shares in payment of the amounts due under an incentive or performance plan sponsored or maintained by the Company, stock equivalent units, and Awards valued by reference to book value of Shares. Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted either alone or in addition to or in tandem with other Awards granted under the Plan.

Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have authority to determine the Eligible Individuals to whom, and the time or times at which, such Awards shall be made, the number of Shares to be awarded pursuant to such Awards, and all other conditions of the Awards. The Committee may also provide for the grant of Shares under such Awards upon the completion of a specified Performance Period. The Committee may condition the grant or vesting of Other Stock-Based Awards upon the attainment of specified Performance Goals as the Committee may determine, in its sole discretion.

10.2 Terms and Conditions. Other Stock-Based Awards made pursuant to this Article X shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement and subject to the following terms and conditions and shall be in such form and contain such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:

(a) Non-Transferability. Subject to the applicable provisions of the Award Agreement and the Plan, Shares subject to Awards made under this Article X may not be transferred prior to the date on which the Shares are issued or, if later, the date on which any applicable restriction, performance, or deferral period lapses.

(b) Dividends. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of an Award, subject to the provisions of the Award Agreement and the Plan, the recipient of an Award under this Article X shall not be entitled to receive, currently or on a deferred basis, dividends or Dividend Equivalents in respect of the number of Shares covered by the Award.

(c) Vesting. Any Award under this Article X and any Shares covered by any such Award shall vest or be forfeited to the extent so provided in the Award Agreement, as determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion.

(d) Price. Shares under this Article X may be issued for no cash consideration. Shares purchased pursuant to a purchase right awarded under this Article X shall be priced as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

10.3 Cash Awards. The Committee may from time to time grant Cash Awards to Eligible Individuals in such amounts, on such terms and conditions, and for such consideration, including no consideration or such minimum consideration as may be required by Applicable Law, as it shall determine in its sole discretion. Cash Awards may be granted subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions or may be awarded purely as a bonus and not subject to restrictions or conditions, and if subject to vesting conditions, the Committee may accelerate the vesting of such Awards at any time in its sole discretion. The grant of a Cash Award shall not require a segregation of any of the Company’s assets for satisfaction of the Company’s payment obligation thereunder.

 

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ARTICLE XI

CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS

11.1 Benefits. In the event of a Change in Control, and except as otherwise provided by the Committee in an Award Agreement, a Participant’s unvested Awards shall not vest automatically and a Participant’s Awards shall be treated in accordance with one or more of the following methods as determined by the Committee:

(a) Awards, whether or not then vested, shall be continued, be assumed, or have new rights substituted therefor, as determined by the Committee in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and restrictions to which shares of Restricted Stock or any other Award granted prior to the Change in Control are subject shall not lapse upon a Change in Control and the Restricted Stock or other Award shall, where appropriate in the sole discretion of the Committee, receive the same distribution as other Shares on such terms as determined by the Committee. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, for purposes of Incentive Stock Options, any assumed or substituted Stock Option shall comply with the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.424-1 (and any amendment thereto).

(b) The Committee, in its sole discretion, may provide for the purchase of any Awards by the Company for an amount of cash equal to the excess (if any) of the Change in Control Price of the Shares covered by such Awards, over the aggregate exercise price, if any, of such Awards; provided, however, that if the exercise price of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right exceeds the Change in Control Price, such Award may be cancelled for no consideration.

(c) The Committee may, in its sole discretion, terminate all outstanding and unexercised Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, or any Other Stock-Based Award that provides for a Participant-elected exercise, effective as of the date of the Change in Control, by delivering notice of termination to each Participant at least 20 days prior to the date of consummation of the Change in Control, in which case during the period from the date on which such notice of termination is delivered to the consummation of the Change in Control, each such Participant shall have the right to exercise in full all of such Participant’s Awards that are then outstanding (without regard to any limitations on exercisability otherwise contained in the Award Agreements), but any such exercise shall be contingent on the occurrence of the Change in Control, and, provided that, if the Change in Control does not take place within a specified period after giving such notice for any reason whatsoever, the notice and exercise pursuant thereto shall be null and void.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide for accelerated vesting or lapse of restrictions of an Award at any time.

 

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ARTICLE XII

TERMINATION OR AMENDMENT OF PLAN

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Board or the Committee may at any time, and from time to time, amend, in whole or in part, any or all of the provisions of the Plan (including any amendment deemed necessary to ensure that the Company may comply with any Applicable Law), or suspend or terminate it at any time; provided, however, that, unless otherwise required by Applicable Law or specifically provided herein, the rights of a Participant with respect to Awards granted prior to such amendment, suspension, or termination may not be impaired without the consent of such Participant and, provided, further, that without the approval of the holders of the Shares entitled to vote in accordance with Applicable Law, no amendment may be made that would (i) increase the aggregate number of Shares that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation of Article IV); (ii) change the classification of individuals eligible to receive Awards under the Plan; (iii) reduce the exercise price of any Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right; (iv) grant a new Stock Option, Stock Appreciation Right, or other Award in substitution for, or upon the cancellation of, any previously granted Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right that has the effect of reducing the exercise price thereof; (v) exchange any Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right for Common Stock, cash, or other consideration when the exercise price per Share under such Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right exceeds the Fair Market Value of a Share; or (vi) take any other action that would be considered a “repricing” of a Stock Option or Stock Appreciation Right under the applicable listing standards of the national exchange on which the Common Stock is listed (if any). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Board or the Committee may amend the Plan or any Award Agreement at any time without a Participant’s consent to comply with Applicable Law, including Section 409A of the Code. The Committee may amend the terms of any Award theretofore granted, prospectively or retroactively, but, subject to Article IV or as otherwise specifically provided herein, no such amendment or other action by the Committee shall impair the rights of any holder without the holder’s consent.

ARTICLE XIII

UNFUNDED STATUS OF PLAN

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payment as to which a Participant has a fixed and vested interest but which is not yet made to a Participant by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give any such Participant any right that is greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company.

ARTICLE XIV

GENERAL PROVISIONS

14.1 Legend. The Committee may require each person receiving Shares pursuant to a Stock Option or other Award under the Plan to represent to and agree with the Company in writing that the Participant is acquiring the Shares without a view to distribution thereof. In addition to any legend required by the Plan, the certificates for such Shares may include any legend that the Committee deems appropriate to reflect any restrictions on transfer. All certificates for Shares delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the rules, regulations, and other requirements of the

 

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Securities and Exchange Commission, any stock exchange upon which the Common Stock is then listed or any national securities exchange system upon whose system the Common Stock is then quoted, and any Applicable Law, and the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions. If the Shares are held in book-entry form, then the book-entry will indicate any restrictions on such Shares.

14.2 Other Plans. Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, subject to stockholder approval if such approval is required, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.

14.3 No Right to Employment/Directorship/Consultancy. Neither the Plan nor the grant of any Award hereunder shall give any Participant or other employee, Consultant, or Non-Employee Director any right with respect to continuance of employment, consultancy, or directorship by the Company or any Affiliate, nor shall there be a limitation in any way on the right of the Company or any Affiliate by which an employee is employed or a Consultant or Non-Employee Director is retained to terminate such employment, consultancy, or directorship at any time.

14.4 Withholding of Taxes. A Participant shall be required to pay to the Company or one of its Affiliates, as applicable, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Company regarding the payment of, any income tax, social insurance contribution or other applicable taxes that are required to be withheld in respect of an Award. The Committee may (but is not obligated to), in its sole discretion, permit or require a Participant to satisfy all or any portion of the applicable taxes that are required to be withheld with respect to an Award by (a) the delivery of Shares (which are not subject to any pledge or other security interest) that have been both held by the Participant and vested for at least six months (or such other period as established from time to time by the Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting treatment under applicable accounting standards) having an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to such withholding liability (or portion thereof); (b) having the Company withhold from the Shares otherwise issuable or deliverable to, or that would otherwise be retained by, the Participant upon the grant, exercise, vesting, or settlement of the Award, as applicable, a number of Shares with an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such withholding liability; or (c) by any other means specified in the applicable Award Agreement or otherwise determined by the Committee.

14.5 Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan. The Committee shall determine whether cash, additional Awards, or other securities or property shall be used or paid in lieu of fractional Shares.

14.6 No Assignment of Benefits. No Award or other benefit payable under the Plan shall, except as otherwise specifically provided by Applicable Law, the terms of the Plan, or permitted by the Committee, be transferable in any manner, and any attempt to transfer any such benefit shall be void, and any such benefit shall not in any manner be liable for or subject to the debts, contracts, liabilities, engagements, or torts of any person who shall be entitled to such benefit, nor shall it be subject to attachment or legal process for or against such person.

 

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14.7 Clawback Provisions. All Awards (including any proceeds, gains, or other economic benefit the Participant actually or constructively receives upon receipt or exercise of any Award or the receipt or resale of any Shares underlying the Award) will be subject to any Company clawback policy, including any clawback policy adopted to comply with Applicable Law (including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder) as set forth in such clawback policy or the Award Agreement.

14.8 Listing and Other Conditions.

(a) Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, as long as the Common Stock is listed on a national securities exchange or system sponsored by a national securities association, the issuance of Shares pursuant to an Award shall be conditioned upon such Shares being listed on such exchange or system. The Company shall have no obligation to issue such Shares unless and until such Shares are so listed, and the right, including the applicable time period, to exercise any Option or other Award with respect to such Shares shall be suspended until such listing has been effected.

(b) If at any time counsel to the Company shall be of the opinion that any sale or delivery of Shares pursuant to an Award is or may in the circumstances be unlawful or result in the imposition of excise taxes on the Company under Applicable Law, the Company shall have no obligation to make such sale or delivery, or to make any application or to effect or to maintain any qualification or registration under the Securities Act or otherwise, with respect to Shares or Awards, and the right to exercise any Option or other Award shall be suspended until, in the opinion of said counsel, such sale or delivery shall be lawful or will not result in the imposition of excise taxes on the Company.

(c) Upon termination of any period of suspension under this Section 14.8, any Award affected by such suspension that shall not then have expired or terminated shall be reinstated as to all Shares available before such suspension and as to Shares that would otherwise have become available during the period of such suspension, but no such suspension shall extend the term of any Award.

(d) A Participant shall be required to supply the Company with certificates, representations, and information that the Company requests and otherwise cooperate with the Company in obtaining any listing, registration, qualification, exemption, consent, or approval the Company deems necessary or appropriate.

14.9 Governing Law. The Plan and actions taken in connection herewith shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without reference to principles of conflict of laws.

14.10 Construction. Wherever any words are used in the Plan in the masculine gender they shall be construed as though they were also used in the feminine gender in all cases where they would so apply, and wherever words are used herein in the singular form they shall be construed as though they were also used in the plural form in all cases where they would so apply.

 

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14.11 Other Benefits. No Award granted or paid out under the Plan shall be deemed compensation for purposes of computing benefits under any retirement plan of the Company or its Affiliates or affect any benefit or compensation under any other plan now or subsequently in effect under which the availability or amount of benefits is related to the level of compensation.

14.12 Costs. The Company shall bear all expenses associated with administering the Plan, including expenses of issuing Shares pursuant to Awards hereunder.

14.13 No Right to Same Benefits. The provisions of Awards need not be the same with respect to each Participant, and such Awards to individual Participants need not be the same in subsequent years.

14.14 Death/Disability. The Committee may in its discretion require the transferee of a Participant to supply it with written notice of the Participant’s death or Disability and to supply it with a copy of the will (in the case of the Participant’s death) or such other evidence as the Committee deems necessary to establish the validity of the transfer of an Award. The Committee may also require the agreement of the transferee to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the Plan.

14.15 Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. It is the intent of the Company that the Plan satisfy, and be interpreted in a manner that satisfies, the applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3 as promulgated under Section 16 of the Exchange Act so that Participants will be entitled to the benefit of Rule 16b-3, or any other rule promulgated under Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and will not be subject to short-swing liability under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Accordingly, if the operation of any provision of the Plan would conflict with the intent expressed in this Section 14.15, such provision to the extent possible shall be interpreted and/or deemed amended so as to avoid such conflict.

14.16 Deferral of Awards. The Committee may establish one or more programs under the Plan to permit selected Participants the opportunity to elect to defer receipt of consideration upon exercise of an Award, satisfaction of performance criteria, or other event that absent the election would entitle the Participant to payment or receipt of Shares or other consideration under an Award. The Committee may establish the election procedures, the timing of such elections, the mechanisms for payments of, and accrual of interest or other earnings, if any, on amounts, Shares, or other consideration so deferred, and such other terms, conditions, rules, and procedures that the Committee deems advisable for the administration of any such deferral program.

14.17 Section 409A of the Code. The Plan and Awards are intended to comply with or be exempt from the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and shall be limited, construed, and interpreted in accordance with such intent. To the extent that any Award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, it shall be paid in a manner that will comply with Section 409A of the Code, including proposed, temporary, or final regulations or any other guidance issued by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service with respect thereto. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any provision in the Plan that is inconsistent with Section 409A of the Code shall be deemed to be amended to comply with or be exempt from Section 409A of the Code and, to the extent such provision cannot be amended to comply therewith or be exempt

 

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therefrom, such provision shall be null and void. The Company shall have no liability to a Participant, or any other party, if an Award that is intended to be exempt from, or compliant with, Section 409A of the Code is not so exempt or compliant or for any action taken by the Committee or the Company and, in the event that any amount or benefit under the Plan becomes subject to penalties under Section 409A of the Code, responsibility for payment of such penalties shall rest solely with the affected Participants and not with the Company. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in the Plan or Award Agreement, any payment(s) of “nonqualified deferred compensation” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) that are otherwise required to be made under the Plan to a “specified employee” (as defined under Section 409A of the Code) as a result of such employee’s separation from service (other than a payment that is not subject to Section 409A of the Code) shall be delayed for the first six months following such separation from service (or, if earlier, until the date of death of the specified employee) and shall instead be paid (in a manner set forth in the Award Agreement) upon expiration of such delay period.

14.18 Successor and Assigns. The Plan shall be binding on all successors and permitted assigns of a Participant, including, without limitation, the estate of such Participant and the executor, administrator, or trustee of such estate.

14.19 Severability of Provisions. If any provision of the Plan shall be held invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions hereof, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if such provisions had not been included.

14.20 Headings and Captions. The headings and captions herein are provided for reference and convenience only, shall not be considered part of the Plan, and shall not be employed in the construction of the Plan.

ARTICLE XV

EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN

The Plan shall become effective on March 17, 2021, which is the date of its adoption by the Board and the approval of the Plan by the stockholders of the Company in accordance with the requirements of the laws of the State of Delaware.

ARTICLE XVI

TERM OF PLAN

No Award shall be granted pursuant to the Plan on or after the 10th anniversary of the earlier of the date that the Plan is adopted or the date of stockholder approval, but Awards granted prior to such 10th anniversary may extend beyond that date.

 

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Exhibit 10.12

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

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purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

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limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Wayne Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ Eric Marsh

Name:   Eric Marsh
Title:   President, Chief Executive Officer and
Chairman of the Board

 

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Exhibit 10.13

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

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purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

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limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ David Elkin

Name:   David Elkin
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer

 

10

Exhibit 10.14

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

3


purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

4


limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

7


or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ Wayne Stoltenberg

Name:   Wayne Stoltenberg
Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer

 

10

Exhibit 10.15

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

3


purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

4


limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

9


Indemnitee:

By:  

/s/ Jonathan Curth

Name:   Jonathan Curth
Title:   Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Corporate Secretary

 

10

Exhibit 10.16

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

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purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

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limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an

 

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appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ Angelo Acconcia

Name:   Angelo Acconcia
Title:   Director

 

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Exhibit 10.17

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

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purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

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limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ Murat Konuk

Name:   Murat Konuk
Title:   Director

 

10

Exhibit 10.18

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

3


purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

4


limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.

By:

 

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:

 

Eric D. Marsh

Title:

  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ Charles Sledge

Name:   Charles Sledge
Title:   Director

 

10

Exhibit 10.19

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

3


purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

4


limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

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or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ H. Paulett Eberhart

Name:   H. Paulett Eberhart
Title:   Director

 

10

Exhibit 10.20

 

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

This Indemnification Agreement is effective as of March 17, 2021, (this “Agreement”) and is between Vine Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company”), and the undersigned director/officer of the Company (the “Indemnitee”).

Background

The Company believes that, in order to attract and retain highly competent persons to serve as directors or in other capacities, including as officers, it must provide such persons with adequate protection through indemnification against the risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their services to and activities on behalf of the Company.

The Company desires and has requested Indemnitee to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company and, in order to induce the Indemnitee to serve in such capacity, the Company is willing to grant the Indemnitee the indemnification provided for herein. Indemnitee is willing to so serve on the basis that such indemnification be provided.

The parties by this Agreement desire to set forth their agreement regarding indemnification and the advancement of expenses.

In consideration of Indemnitee’s service to the Company and the covenants and agreements set forth below, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows.

Section 1. Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”): The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party to, or is otherwise involved in, as a witness or otherwise, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in any such capacity.

(a) The indemnification provided by this Section 1 shall be from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals.


Section 2. Advance Payment of Expenses. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by Indemnitee in appearing at, participating in or defending any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with an enforcement action as contemplated by Section 3(e), shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding within 30 days after receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to time. The Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay any amounts advanced (without interest) to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled under this Agreement to be indemnified by the Company in respect thereof. No other form of undertaking shall be required of Indemnitee other than the execution of this Agreement. This Section 2 shall be subject to Section 3(b) and shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 6.

Section 3. Procedure for Indemnification; Notification and Defense of Claim.

(a) Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company hereunder, notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof. The failure to promptly notify the Company of the commencement of the action, suit or proceeding, or of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee hereunder, except to the extent the Company is actually and materially prejudiced in its defense of such action, suit or proceeding as a result of such failure. To obtain indemnification under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request therefor including such documentation and information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is reasonably necessary to enable the Company to determine whether and to what extent Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification.

(b) With respect to any action, suit or proceeding of which the Company is so notified as provided in this Agreement, the Company shall, subject to the last two sentences of this paragraph, be entitled to assume the defense of such action, suit or proceeding, with counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any subsequently-incurred fees of separate counsel engaged by Indemnitee with respect to the same action, suit or proceeding unless the employment of separate counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Indemnitee, based on the advice of his or her counsel, shall have reasonably concluded (with written notice being given to the Company setting forth the basis for such conclusion) that, in the conduct of any such defense, there is or is reasonably likely to be a conflict of interest or position between the Company and Indemnitee with respect to a significant issue, then the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume such defense. In addition, the Company will not be entitled, without the written consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company.

(c) To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, the Company’s assumption of the defense of an action, suit or proceeding in accordance with paragraph (b) above will constitute an irrevocable acknowledgement by the Company that any loss and liability suffered by

 

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Indemnitee and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement by or for the account of Indemnitee incurred in connection therewith are indemnifiable by the Company under Section 1 of this Agreement.

(d) The determination whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall be made promptly and in any event within 30 days following the Company’s receipt of a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 3(a). If the Company determines that Indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification or, as contemplated by paragraph (c) above, the Company has acknowledged such entitlement, the Company will make payment to Indemnitee of the indemnifiable amount within such 30 day period. If the Company is not deemed to have so acknowledged such entitlement or the Company’s determination of whether to grant Indemnitee’s indemnification request shall not have been made within such 30 day period, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, subject to Section 6, nonetheless be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under the DGCL.

(e) In the event that (i) the Company determines in accordance with this Section 3 that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) the Company denies a request for indemnification, in whole or in part, or fails to respond or make a determination of entitlement to indemnification within 30 days following receipt of a request for indemnification as described above, (iii) payment of indemnification is not made within such 30 day period, (iv) advancement of expenses is not timely made in accordance with Section 2, or (v) the Company or any other person takes or threatens to take any action to declare this Agreement void or unenforceable, or institutes any litigation or other action or proceeding designed to deny, or to recover from, the Indemnitee the benefits provided or intended to be provided to Indemnitee hereunder, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in any court of competent jurisdiction of his or her entitlement to such indemnification or advancement of expenses. Indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified for all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred in connection with such a proceeding and to have such expenses advanced by the Company in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL.

(f) Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of expenses under this Agreement upon submission of a request therefor in accordance with Section 2 or Section 3 of this Agreement, as the case may be. The Company shall have the burden of proof in overcoming such presumption, and such presumption shall be used as a basis for a determination of entitlement to indemnification and advancement of expenses unless the Company overcomes such presumption by clear and convincing evidence.

Section 4. Insurance and Subrogation. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to purchase and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies with A.M. Best ratings of “A” or better, providing Indemnitee with coverage for any liability asserted against, and incurred by, Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for

 

3


purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, fiduciary, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement. Such insurance policies shall have coverage terms and policy limits at least as favorable to Indemnitee as the insurance coverage provided to any other director or officer of the Company. If the Company has such insurance in effect at the time the Company receives from Indemnitee any notice of the commencement of an action, suit or proceeding, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such action, suit or proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the policy. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policy.

(a) Subject to Section 9(b), in the event of any payment by the Company under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee with respect to any insurance policy. Indemnitee shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights in accordance with the terms of such insurance policy. The Company shall pay or reimburse all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such subrogation.

(b) Subject to Section 9(b), the Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment of amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and excise taxes or penalties relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) if and to the extent that Indemnitee has otherwise actually received such payment under this Agreement or any insurance policy, contract, agreement or otherwise.

Section 5. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) The term “action, suit or proceeding” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, the investigation, preparation, prosecution, defense, settlement, arbitration and appeal of, and the giving of testimony in, any threatened, pending or completed claim, action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute mechanism or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative.

(b) The term “by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any actual or alleged act or omission to act.

(c) The term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including, without

 

4


limitation, all attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, appeal bonds, other out-of-pocket costs and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party), actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense or appeal of an action, suit or proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement or otherwise incurred in connection with a claim that is indemnifiable hereunder.

(d) The term “judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect payments of any type or nature whatsoever, as well as any penalties or excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan).

Section 6. Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to this Agreement:

(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to Indemnitee with respect to an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof), however denominated, initiated by Indemnitee, other than (i) an action, suit or proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification or advancement of expenses under this Agreement (which shall be governed by the provisions of Section 6(b) of this Agreement) and (ii) an action, suit or proceeding (or part thereof) that was authorized or consented to by the board of directors of the Company, it being understood and agreed that such authorization or consent shall not be unreasonably withheld in connection with any compulsory counterclaim brought by Indemnitee in response to an action, suit or proceeding otherwise indemnifiable under this Agreement.

(b) Action for Indemnification. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, unless Indemnitee is successful in such action, suit or proceeding in establishing Indemnitee’s right, in whole or in part, to indemnification or advancement of expenses hereunder (in which case such indemnification or advancement shall be to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL), or unless and to the extent that the court in such action, suit or proceeding shall determine that, despite Indemnitee’s failure to establish his or her right to indemnification, Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification for such expenses; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 6(b) is intended to limit the Company’s obligations with respect to the advancement of expenses to Indemnitee in connection with any such action, suit or proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, as provided in Section 2 hereof.

(c) Section 16(b) Matters. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any suit in which judgment is rendered against Indemnitee for disgorgement of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(d) Fraud or Willful Misconduct. To indemnify Indemnitee on account of conduct by Indemnitee where such conduct has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to have been knowingly fraudulent or constitute willful misconduct.

 

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(e) Prohibited by Law. To indemnify Indemnitee in any circumstance where such indemnification has been determined by a final (not interlocutory) judgment or other adjudication of a court or arbitration or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as to which there is no further right or option of appeal or the time within which an appeal must be filed has expired without such filing to be prohibited by law.

Section 7. Certain Settlement Provisions. The Company shall have no obligation to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit or proceeding without the Company’s prior written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit or proceeding in any manner that would impose any fine or other obligation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold his, her, its or their consent to any proposed settlement.

Section 8. Savings Clause. If any provision or provisions (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (brought in the right of the Company or otherwise), whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative and whether formal or informal, including appeals, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was or has agreed to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or while serving as a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving or has agreed to serve at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent (which, for purposes hereof, shall include a trustee, partner or manager or similar capacity) of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, from and against all loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated.

Section 9. Contribution/Jointly Indemnifiable Claims.

(a) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for herein is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part, it is agreed that, in such event, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, contribute to the payment of all of Indemnitee’s loss and liability suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals, in an amount that is just and equitable in the circumstances; provided, that, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, such contribution shall not be required where such holding by the court is due to any limitation on indemnification set forth in Section 4(c), 6 (other than clause (e)) or 7 hereof.

 

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(b) Given that certain jointly indemnifiable claims may arise due to the service of the Indemnitee as a director and/or officer of the Company at the request of the Indemnitee-related entities, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Company shall be fully and primarily responsible for the payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses in connection with any such jointly indemnifiable claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, irrespective of any right of recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities. Under no circumstance shall the Company be entitled to any right of subrogation against or contribution by the Indemnitee-related entities and no right of advancement, indemnification or recovery the Indemnitee may have from the Indemnitee-related entities shall reduce or otherwise alter the rights of the Indemnitee or the obligations of the Company hereunder. In the event that any of the Indemnitee-related entities shall make any payment to the Indemnitee in respect of indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to any jointly indemnifiable claim, the Indemnitee-related entity making such payment shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Indemnitee against the Company, and Indemnitee shall execute all papers reasonably required and shall do all things that may be reasonably necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents as may be necessary to enable the Indemnitee-related entities effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. The Company and Indemnitee agree that each of the Indemnitee-related entities shall be third-party beneficiaries with respect to this Section 9(b), entitled to enforce this Section 9(b) as though each such Indemnitee-related entity were a party to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 9(b), the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(i) The term “Indemnitee-related entities” means any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (other than the Company or any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise Indemnitee has agreed, on behalf of the Company or at the Company’s request, to serve as a director, officer, employee or agent and which service is covered by the indemnity described in this Agreement) from whom an Indemnitee may be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses with respect to which, in whole or in part, the Company may also have an indemnification or advancement obligation (other than as a result of obligations under an insurance policy).

(ii) The term “jointly indemnifiable claims” shall be broadly construed and shall include, without limitation, any action, suit or proceeding for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification or advancement of expenses from both the Indemnitee-related entities and the Company pursuant to the DGCL, any agreement or the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, partnership agreement, operating agreement, certificate of formation, certificate of limited partnership or comparable organizational documents of the Company or the Indemnitee-related entities, as applicable.

Section 10. Form and Delivery of Communications. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if (a) delivered by hand, upon receipt by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, (b) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on which it is so mailed, (c) mailed by reputable overnight courier, one day after deposit with such courier and with written verification of receipt

 

7


or (d) sent by email or facsimile transmission, with receipt of oral or written confirmation that such transmission has been received. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Jonathan Curth, the General Counsel, by fax at (877) 992-0118 or by mail to Vine Energy Inc., 5800 Granite Parkway, Suite 550, Plano, Texas 75024. Notice to Indemnitee shall be directed to Indemnitee’s contact information on file with the Company’s Secretary or its Human Resources Department.

Section 11. Nonexclusivity. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, in any court in which a proceeding is brought, other agreements or otherwise, and Indemnitee’s rights hereunder shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. No amendment or alteration of the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws or any other agreement shall adversely affect the rights provided to Indemnitee under this Agreement.

Section 12. No Construction as Employment Agreement. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as giving Indemnitee any right to be retained as a director of the Company or in the employ of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided under this Agreement shall continue as to the Indemnitee even though he may have ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.

Section 13. Interpretation of Agreement. It is understood that the parties hereto intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide indemnification to Indemnitee to the fullest extent now or hereafter permitted by the DGCL.

Section 14. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the documents expressly referred to herein constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the matters covered hereby, and any other prior or contemporaneous oral or written understandings or agreements with respect to the matters covered hereby are expressly superseded by this Agreement.

Section 15. Modification and Waiver. No supplement, modification, waiver or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. For the avoidance of doubt, this Agreement may not be terminated by the Company without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

Section 16. Successor and Assigns. All of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of such indemnitor, by written agreement in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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Section 17. Service of Process and Venue. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”), and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country, (ii) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) appoint, to the extent such party is not otherwise subject to service of process in the State of Delaware, irrevocably Intertrust Corporate Services Delaware Ltd., 200 Bellevue Parkway, Suite 210, Wilmington, Delaware 19809 as its agent in the State of Delaware and as such party’s agent for acceptance of legal process in connection with any such action or proceeding against such party with the same legal force and validity as if served upon such party personally within the State of Delaware, (iv) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court, and (v) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum.

Section 18. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. If a court of competent jurisdiction shall make a final determination that the provisions of the law of any state other than Delaware govern indemnification by the Company of Indemnitee, then the indemnification provided under this Agreement shall in all instances be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted under such law, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary.

Section 19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, notwithstanding that both parties are not signatories to the original or same counterpart.

Section 20. Headings. The section and subsection headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered to be effective as of the date first above written.

 

Company:
VINE ENERGY INC.
By:  

/s/ Eric D. Marsh

Name:   Eric D. Marsh
Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer

 

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Indemnitee:
By:  

/s/ David Foley

Name:   David Foley
Title:   Director

 

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