UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 17, 2023
VOLTA INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 001-39508 | 35-2728007 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
155 De Haro Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (888) 264-2208
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ | 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)) |
Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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.
Agreement and Plan of Merger
On January 17, 2023, Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Volta”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Shell USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Shell”), and, following its formation and becoming a party to the Merger Agreement, SEV Subsidiary, Inc., a Delaware corporation to be formed as a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”). The Merger Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into Volta (the “Merger” and, collectively with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Transactions”), with Volta continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell.
Consideration to Volta Stockholders. At the effective time of the Merger (“Effective Time”), each share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Volta (the “Common Stock”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than (i) (a) shares of Common Stock owned by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective subsidiaries or (b) shares of Common Stock or Class B common stock owned by Volta or any of its subsidiaries, including shares held as treasury stock, each of which shall be cancelled and ceased to exist, or (iii) for which appraisal rights have been demanded properly in accordance with Section 262 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware), shall be converted into the right to receive $0.86 per share in cash, without interest and net of withholding taxes (the “Merger Consideration”).
Treatment of Volta Equity Awards and Company Stock Plans.
Immediately prior to the Effective Time, each then outstanding stock option award (whether or not vested or exercisable) that has an exercise price per share of Common Stock that is less than the Merger Consideration (an “Option”) and time-based restricted stock unit (“RSU”) award (whether or not vested) granted under any of the Company Stock Plans (as defined below) (collectively, the “Volta Equity Awards”) will vest in full and be canceled and converted into the right to receive, with respect to each share of Common Stock subject to such Volta Equity Award (as determined in accordance with the applicable award agreement), the Merger Consideration (less the exercise price in the case of the Options), less all applicable withholding and other authorized deductions. With respect to the performance-based RSU awards, all outstanding and unvested performance-based RSUs will be canceled in connection with the Merger, excluding the performance-based RSU grants held by each of Christopher Wendel (Volta’s former President) and Scott Mercer (Volta’s former Chief Executive Officer) (both grants collectively, the “Founder Awards”). Pursuant to Mr. Wendel’s and Mr. Mercer’s separation agreements with Volta Charging Industries, LLC, in each case, dated as of March 26, 2022, the Founder Awards will fully vest in connection with the Merger and be canceled and converted into the right to receive, with respect to each share of Common Stock subject to their respective equity awards, the Merger Consideration, less all applicable withholding and other authorized deductions. Each Option that has an exercise price that is equal to or greater than the Merger Consideration will be canceled for no consideration as of the Effective Time.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Volta will take all actions necessary with respect to its 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and Founder Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Company Stock Plans”) to provide that, subject to the consummation of the Merger, the Company Stock Plans will terminate as of immediately prior to the Effective Time.
Board Approval. The Board of Directors of Volta (the “Board”) has unanimously (i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger of Merger Sub with and into Merger, are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of Volta and its stockholders; (ii) approved and declared advisable the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger; (iii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement by Volta and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger and the Voting Agreements, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement; (iv) directed that the adoption of the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of the stockholders of Volta at a meeting of the stockholders of Volta; and (v) recommended that the stockholders of Volta vote in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended.
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Conditions to Closing. The consummation of the Merger (the “Closing”) is subject to certain conditions, including (i) the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock to adopt the Merger Agreement (the “Stockholder Approval”), (ii) the expiration or termination of any waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, (iii) the approval of the change of control of Volta France Sàrl contemplated by the Merger Agreement with the French Ministry of Economy to be made under article L151-3 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier (the “French FDI approval”), and (iv) the absence of any order or law enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the Merger. Each of Shell’s and Volta’s obligation to consummate the Merger is also subject to additional customary conditions, including (x) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party, subject to specified materiality qualifications, and (y) performance and compliance in all material respects by the other party with its obligations, covenants and agreements under the Merger Agreement. Consummation of the Merger is not subject to a financing condition.
Representations, Warranties and Covenants. The Merger Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants made by each of Volta, Shell and Merger Sub, including, among others, covenants by Volta regarding the conduct of its business during the pendency of the Transactions, public disclosures and other matters. Shell has agreed to customary covenants related to treatment of employees and their compensation and benefits after Closing, including commitments to honor compensatory arrangements in connection with the Transactions. Volta is required, among other things, not to solicit alternative business combination transactions and, subject to certain exceptions, not to engage in discussions or negotiations regarding an alternative business combination transaction. Volta is required to convene a meeting of its stockholders to vote on the adoption of the Merger Agreement.
Volta and Shell are required to (i) use their respective reasonable best efforts to take all actions to consummate the Transactions, including taking all actions necessary to obtain antitrust approval and the French FDI approval, subject to certain limitations, and (ii) cooperate in connection with their efforts to obtain antitrust approval and French FDI approval.
Termination Rights. Both Shell and Volta may terminate the Merger Agreement under certain specified circumstances, including (a) if the Merger is not consummated by April 30, 2023, (b) if a governmental order prohibiting the Merger has become final and non-appealable, (c) if the approval of the Volta stockholders is not obtained, (d) if either party materially breaches its representations, warranties or covenants, and such breach is not cured on or before the earlier of (i) April 30, 2023 and (ii) 30 days after delivery of notice or (e) if Volta’s board makes an adverse recommendation change with respect to the proposed transaction or to enter into a superior acquisition proposal, or Volta is in willful breach of the no-shop restrictions. In certain circumstances in connection with the termination of the Merger Agreement, including if the Board changes or withdraws its recommendation of the Merger to its stockholders or terminates the Merger Agreement to enter into an agreement with respect to a “superior proposal,” or Volta is in willful breach of the no-shop restrictions, Volta will be required to pay Shell a termination fee equal to $5,919,165 in cash.
The Merger Agreement and the above description have been included to provide investors and security holders with information regarding the terms of the agreement. They are not intended to provide any other factual information about Shell, Volta or their respective subsidiaries or affiliates or stockholders. The representations, warranties, and covenants of Volta contained in the Merger Agreement were made solely for the benefit of Shell and Merger Sub. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties were made solely for purposes of allocating risk among Volta, Shell and Merger Sub rather than establishing matters of fact and may be subject to important qualifications and limitations agreed to by Volta, Shell, and Merger Sub in connection with the negotiated terms. Moreover, some of those representations and warranties may not be accurate or complete as of any specified date, may be subject to a contractual standard of materiality different from those generally applicable to Volta’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or may have been used for purposes of allocating risk among Volta, Shell, and Merger Sub rather than establishing matters as facts. Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties, and covenants or any description thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts of Volta or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.
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If the Merger is consummated, the Common Stock will be delisted from the NYSE and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
This summary of the principal terms of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 2.1, and incorporated herein by reference, (i) does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Merger Agreement and (ii) is intended to provide information regarding the terms of the Merger Agreement and is not intended to modify or supplement any factual disclosures about Volta in its public reports filed with the SEC. In particular, the Merger Agreement and related summary are not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, disclosures regarding any facts and circumstances relating to Volta.
Voting Agreement
Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, Parent entered into a voting agreement (each, a “Voting Agreement”) with each of Volta’s executive officers and directors who beneficially own Common Stock (each, a “Supporting Stockholder”) that hold in the aggregate, approximately 2.3% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock. The Voting Agreement provides that the Supporting Stockholders, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, will vote their shares of Common Stock (i) in favor of the proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement and (ii) against any competing transaction that may be proposed, any proposal which would reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant of Volta under the Merger Agreement, and any proposal that would reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the consummation of the Merger.
The Voting Agreement terminates upon the earliest to occur of (such earliest date, the “Expiration Time”): (i) the Effective Time; (ii) the making of an adverse recommendation change by Volta’s board of directors or a committee thereof; (c) the date on which the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms; (d) the date upon which an Adverse Amendment (defined below) is effected; and (e) the termination of the Voting Agreement by mutual written consent of the Volta and Shell. “Adverse Amendment” means any amendment to the Merger Agreement that is effected, or any waiver of Volta’s or Supporting Stockholders’ rights under the Merger Agreement that is granted, in each case, without the Supporting Stockholder’s prior written consent, that (i) reduces the Merger Consideration to be received by the stockholders of Volta, (ii) changes the form of Merger Consideration payable to the stockholders of Volta, (iii) could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the timing of payment of the Merger Consideration to the Supporting Stockholder, (iv) imposes new liabilities and/or obligations of the Supporting Stockholders under the Merger Agreement or otherwise amends or modifies the Merger Agreement in a manner adverse in any material respect to the Supporting Stockholders, or (v) changes the conditions to Closing or termination rights of the Merger Agreement in a manner that adversely affects Volta in any material respect.
The Voting Agreement does not limit or affect any actions taken, inaction or omissions by a Supporting Stockholder in Stockholder’s capacity as a director, officer, employee, trustee or fiduciary of Volta, including in exercising rights under the Merger Agreement,
A copy of the form of Voting Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the Voting Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the form of the Voting Agreement.
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Loan Agreement
Equilon Loan Agreement: On January 17, 2023 (the “Loan Closing Date”), Volta entered into a term loan, guarantee and security agreement (the “Equilon Loan Agreement”) with Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (“Equilon”), an affiliate of Shell, concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which Equilon has provided a subordinated secured delayed draw term loan facility to Volta and certain of Volta’s subsidiaries of up to $20 million (the “Equilon Loans”), of which initially $5 million is available at signing. Additional amounts are to be drawn in minimum increments of $5 million. The Equilon Loans shall mature on the earliest of (i) the acceleration of obligations by Equilon under the Equilon Loan Agreement, (ii) the later to occur of (x) the date that is 60 days after termination of the Merger Agreement in compliance with Article IX of the Merger Agreement (other than pursuant to a superior proposal), and (y) the date that is 91 days following maturity of the company’s existing senior credit facilities with EICF Agent LLC (“EICF”, and the associated loan agreement, the “EICF Loan Agreement”), (iii) the Effective Time of the Merger and (iv) termination of the Merger Agreement in connection with a superior proposal.
The Equilon Loans will bear interest at 15% per annum, increasing to 18% per annum three months after signing. Interest is capitalized (with monthly compounding). The default interest rate is an additional 2.0% per annum.
Volta’s obligations under the Equilon Loan Agreement are secured by a second priority security interest in the assets securing Volta’s obligations under the EICF Loan Agreement.
The Equilon Loan Agreement contains certain representations, covenants and events of default which are substantially based on the analogous provisions of the EICF Loan Agreement. Prior to a “trigger date”, only certain “key” representations, covenants and defaults are to be applicable under the Equilon Loan Agreement. A “trigger date” occurs upon the earlier of: (x) the date of acceptance of a superior proposal under the Merger Agreement and (y) the date of termination of the Merger Agreement.
In connection with the Equilon Loan Agreement, on January 17, 2023, Equilon, EICF and Volta entered into a subordination and intercreditor agreement (the “Intercreditor Agreement”), pursuant to which Volta’s obligations (and the liens securing those obligations) under the Equilon Loan Agreement are subordinated to Volta’s obligations (and the liens securing those obligations) under the EICF Loan Agreement.
The foregoing summary description of the Equilon Loan Agreement and Intercreditor Agreement is not intended to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Equilon Loan Agreement and Intercreditor Agreement, each of which is filed as an exhibit hereto.
Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information provided in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
On January 18, 2023, Volta issued a press release announcing the entry into the Merger Agreement. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This Current Report on Form 8-K does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This Current Report on Form 8-K may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger between a subsidiary of Shell USA, Inc. (“Shell”) and Volta Inc. (“Volta”). In connection with the proposed transaction, Volta plans to file a proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). STOCKHOLDERS OF VOLTA ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION THAT VOLTA WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Stockholders and investors will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials (when they become available) and other documents filed by Volta at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the Proxy Statement (when they become available) and the filings that will be incorporated by reference therein may also be obtained, without charge, on Volta’s website at investors.voltacharging.com or by contacting Volta Investor Relations at drew@voltacharging.com.
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Participants in the Solicitation
Volta and its directors, executive officers and certain employees, may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed merger. Information regarding Volta’s directors and executive officers is available in its proxy statement filed with the SEC on June 13, 2022 and in its current reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 13, 2022, July 12, 2022, August 2, 2022 and January 6, 2023. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC (when they become available). Investors should read the proxy statement and other relevant materials carefully when they become available before making any voting or investment decisions. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Such statements include statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. All statements included in this communication other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions about future events and currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Such statements are inherently subject to numerous business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Volta’s control. No assurance can be given that such expectations will be correct or achieved or that the assumptions are accurate or that any transaction will ultimately be consummated. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “estimate,” “continue,” “positions,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “goal,” “objective,” “prospects,” “possible” or “potential,” by future conditional verbs such as “assume,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could” or “may,” or by variations of such words or by similar expressions or the negative thereof. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) risks related to the consummation of the transaction, including the risks that (a) the transaction may not be consummated within the anticipated time period, or at all, (b) the parties may fail to obtain Volta stockholder approval of the merger agreement, (c) the parties may fail to secure the termination or expiration of the waiting period applicable under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act or other applicable regulatory approvals, and (d) other conditions to the consummation of the merger under the merger agreement may not be satisfied; (2) the possibility of the termination of the merger agreement and the effects that any termination of the merger agreement may have on Volta or its business, including the risks that Volta’s stock price may decline significantly and that Volta may not be able to continue as a going concern if the transaction is not completed; (3) the effects that the announcement or pendency of the merger may have on Volta and its business, including the risks that as a result (a) Volta’s business, operating results or stock price may suffer, (b) Volta’s current plans and operations may be disrupted, (c) Volta’s ability to retain or recruit key employees may be adversely affected, (d) Volta’s business relationships (including, customers and suppliers) may be adversely affected, or (e) Volta’s management’s or employees’ attention may be diverted from other important matters; (4) the effect of limitations that the merger agreement places on Volta’s ability to operate its business, return capital to stockholders or engage in alternative transactions; (5) the nature, cost and outcome of pending and future litigation and other legal proceedings, including any such proceedings related to the merger and instituted against Volta and others; (6) the risk that the transaction and related transactions may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; (7) other economic, business, competitive, legal, regulatory, and/or tax factors; and (8) other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of Volta’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, each as updated or supplemented by subsequent reports that Volta has filed or files with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (including supply chain constraints, labor shortages and inflationary pressure). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which such statement is made. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this communication occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, Volta’s actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Volta undertakes no obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this communication, or otherwise.
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Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
* | Schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. Volta Inc. agrees to furnish supplementally to the Securities and Exchange Commission a copy of any omitted schedule upon request. |
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
VOLTA INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Michelle Kley | |
Name: | Michelle Kley | |
Title: | Executive Vice President, | |
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary |
Date: January 18, 2023
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Exhibit 2.1
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
Dated as of January 17, 2023
among
VOLTA INC.
and
SHELL USA, INC.,
SEV SUBSIDIARY, INC.
Article I Definitions | 2 | ||
Section 1.1 | Certain Definitions | 2 | |
Article II The Merger | 15 | ||
Section 2.1 | The Merger | 15 | |
Section 2.2 | Closing | 15 | |
Section 2.3 | Effective Time | 15 | |
Section 2.4 | Effects | 15 | |
Section 2.5 | Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws | 15 | |
Section 2.6 | Directors and Officers of Surviving Corporation | 15 | |
Article III Effect on the Capital Stock of the Constituent Entities; Exchange of Certificates | 16 | ||
Section 3.1 | Effect on Capital Stock | 16 | |
Section 3.2 | Exchange of Certificates; Payment Fund. | 17 | |
Section 3.3 | Dissenting Shares. | 19 | |
Section 3.4 | Treatment of Company Stock Awards. | 20 | |
Section 3.5 | Treatment of Company Warrants. | 21 | |
Section 3.6 | Necessary Further Actions | 21 | |
Article IV Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub | 21 | ||
Section 4.1 | Organization, Standing and Power | 21 | |
Section 4.2 | Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability | 22 | |
Section 4.3 | No Conflicts; Consents. | 22 | |
Section 4.4 | Litigation | 23 | |
Section 4.5 | Absence of Certain Agreements | 23 | |
Section 4.6 | Brokers’ Fees and Expenses | 23 | |
Section 4.7 | Capitalization of Merger Sub | 23 | |
Section 4.8 | Ownership of Company Class A Common Stock | 23 | |
Section 4.9 | Adequacy of Funds | 23 | |
Article V Representations and Warranties of the Company | 24 | ||
Section 5.1 | Organization, Standing and Power | 24 | |
Section 5.2 | Company Subsidiaries. | 24 |
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Section 5.3 | Capital Structure. | 25 | |
Section 5.4 | Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability | 26 | |
Section 5.5 | Requisite Stockholder Approval | 27 | |
Section 5.6 | No Conflicts; Consents. | 27 | |
Section 5.7 | Company SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities. | 28 | |
Section 5.8 | Absence of Certain Changes or Events | 30 | |
Section 5.9 | Taxes. | 30 | |
Section 5.10 | Benefits Matters; ERISA Compliance. | 32 | |
Section 5.11 | Litigation | 34 | |
Section 5.12 | Compliance with Applicable Laws | 34 | |
Section 5.13 | Material Permits | 34 | |
Section 5.14 | Contracts | 34 | |
Section 5.15 | Real Properties; Title to Assets. | 37 | |
Section 5.16 | Intellectual Property Rights. | 38 | |
Section 5.17 | Privacy and Cybersecurity | 40 | |
Section 5.18 | Advertising | 43 | |
Section 5.19 | Labor Matters. | 43 | |
Section 5.20 | Environmental Matters | 45 | |
Section 5.21 | Regulatory Matters | 45 | |
Section 5.22 | Anti-Takeover Provisions | 45 | |
Section 5.23 | Insurance | 46 | |
Section 5.24 | Anti-Corruption Laws | 46 | |
Section 5.25 | International Trade Compliance; CFIUS. | 46 | |
Section 5.26 | Interested Party Transactions | 47 | |
Section 5.27 | Product Warranty; Products Liability | 47 | |
Section 5.28 | Brokers’ Fees and Expenses | 47 | |
Section 5.29 | Opinion of Company Financial Advisor | 48 | |
Article VI Covenants Relating to Conduct of Business | 48 | ||
Section 6.1 | Conduct of Business by the Company | 48 | |
Section 6.2 | No Control | 52 | |
Section 6.3 | No Solicitation by the Company; Company Recommendation. | 52 |
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Article VII Additional Agreements | 57 | ||
Section 7.1 | Proxy Statement and Other Required SEC Filings. | 57 | |
Section 7.2 | Access to Information; Confidentiality; Cooperation. | 59 | |
Section 7.3 | Regulatory Approvals; Consents. | 60 | |
Section 7.4 | Indemnification, Exculpation and Insurance. | 62 | |
Section 7.5 | Notification of Certain Matters; Transaction Litigation. | 63 | |
Section 7.6 | Section 16 Matters; Takeover Laws. | 64 | |
Section 7.7 | Stock Exchange De-listing | 64 | |
Section 7.8 | Public Announcements | 64 | |
Section 7.9 | Director and Officer Resignations | 64 | |
Section 7.10 | Merger Sub; Parent Subsidiaries | 65 | |
Section 7.11 | Employee Matters. | 65 | |
Section 7.12 | Company Stockholder Meeting. | 67 | |
Section 7.13 | Payoff of Credit Facilities | 68 | |
Article VIII Conditions Precedent | 68 | ||
Section 8.1 | Conditions to Each Party’s Obligation to Effect the Merger | 68 | |
Section 8.2 | Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub | 69 | |
Section 8.3 | Conditions to the Company’s Obligations to Effect the Merger | 69 | |
Article IX Termination, Amendment and Waiver | 70 | ||
Section 9.1 | Termination | 70 | |
Section 9.2 | Effect of Termination | 71 | |
Section 9.3 | Fees and Expenses | 71 | |
Section 9.4 | Amendment | 72 | |
Section 9.5 | Extension; Waiver | 72 |
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Article X General Provisions | 73 | ||
Section 10.1 | Nonsurvival of Representations and Warranties | 73 | |
Section 10.2 | Acknowledgment of Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties. | 73 | |
Section 10.3 | Notices | 74 | |
Section 10.4 | Interpretation | 75 | |
Section 10.5 | Severability | 75 | |
Section 10.6 | Counterparts | 75 | |
Section 10.7 | Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries | 75 | |
Section 10.8 | Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction. | 75 | |
Section 10.9 | Assignment | 76 | |
Section 10.10 | Specific Performance | 76 | |
Section 10.11 | Non-Recourse | 77 | |
Section 10.12 | WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL | 77 |
Exhibits | |
Exhibit A | Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation |
Exhibit B | Form of Voting Agreement |
Exhibit C | Form of Bridge Loan Agreement |
Exhibit D | Form of Intercreditor Agreement |
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AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this “Agreement”), dated as of January 17, 2023, among Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Shell USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and, following its formation and becoming a party to the Agreement, SEV Subsidiary, Inc., a Delaware corporation to be formed as a direct wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”).
WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company (the “Company Board”) has unanimously (i) determined that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company (the “Merger”), are advisable, fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders; (ii) approved and declared advisable this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger; (iii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger and the Voting Agreements, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement; (iv) directed that the adoption of this Agreement be submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Company at a meeting of the stockholders of the Company; and (v) recommended that the stockholders of the Company vote in favor of the adoption of this Agreement in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended (the “DGCL”);
WHEREAS, the board of directors of Parent has (and immediately following Merger Sub’s formation the board of directors of Merger Sub shall have) approved this Agreement and declared it advisable for Parent and Merger Sub, respectively, to enter into this Agreement and consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in this Agreement and in accordance with the DGCL, and Parent, as the sole stockholder of Merger Sub, will duly execute and deliver to Merger Sub (immediately following its formation) and the Company a written consent, to be effective by its terms immediately following execution of this Agreement, adopting this Agreement;
WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and as a condition to Parent’s willingness to enter into this Agreement, certain stockholders of the Company have entered into a voting agreement in the form attached as Exhibit B hereto with Parent (the “Voting Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, such Persons have agreed, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Voting Agreement, to vote all of such Persons’ shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of the Company (the “Company Class A Common Stock”), in favor of the adoption of this Agreement, among other matters;
WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and as a condition to the Company’s willingness to enter into this Agreement, (i) the Company and certain of the Company Subsidiaries have entered into that certain subordinated secured loan agreement in the form attached as Exhibit C hereto, dated as of the date of this Agreement (together with any promissory notes issued thereunder, the “Bridge Loan Agreement”), with an Affiliate of Parent pursuant to which such Affiliate of Parent has agreed, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, to provide a subordinated secured loan in the amount of $5,000,000 (the “Initial Bridge Loan”) to the Company and the applicable Company Subsidiaries immediately following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, and to make additional secured loans to the Company and the applicable Company Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount of $15,000,000 (together with the Initial Bridge Loan, the “Bridge Loans”) from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Agreement upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in the Bridge Loan Agreement; and (ii) such Affiliate of Parent, the Company and certain of the Company Subsidiaries, and EICF Agent LLC have entered into a subordination and intercreditor agreement in the form attached as Exhibit D hereto, dated as of the date of this Agreement (the “Intercreditor Agreement”), providing for, among other things, the subordination of the Bridge Loans to that certain Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated June 19, 2019 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Existing Term Loan”), by and among the Company, as parent, certain of the Company Subsidiaries, as borrowers and/or as guarantors, EICF Agent LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, the lenders party thereto and the other parties thereto, subject to the terms and conditions of the Intercreditor Agreement;
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WHEREAS, the Company, Parent and Merger Sub desire to make certain representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the Merger and also to prescribe various conditions to the Merger; and
WHEREAS, certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Section 1.1.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements herein and intending to be legally bound, the parties hereto agree as follows:
Article I
Definitions
Section 1.1 Certain Definitions. For all purposes of this Agreement, the following capitalized terms have the following respective meanings:
“Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(f)(iii).
“Ad Material” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.18.
“Adverse Recommendation Change” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, another Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such first Person.
“Affordable Care Act” means, collectively, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
“Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Preamble.
“Alternative Acquisition Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Alternative Proposal” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(f)(i).
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means (a) the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended; (b) the UK Bribery Act, as amended; or (c) all applicable national, regional, provincial, state, municipal or local laws and regulations that prohibit tax evasion, money laundering or otherwise dealing in the proceeds of crime or the bribery of, or the providing of unlawful gratuities, facilitation payments, or other benefits to, any Government Official or any other Person.
“Antitrust Division” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(b).
“Applicable Parent Plan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.11(b).
“Benefit Plan” means the following, whether or not subject to ERISA, (a) any “employee benefit plan”, as such term is defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA, (b) any plan that would be an “employee benefit plan”, as such term is defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA, if it were subject to ERISA, such as foreign plans and plans for directors, (c) any stock bonus, stock ownership, stock option, stock purchase, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock, or other equity-based compensation (whether qualified or nonqualified), and (d) any bonus, employment, deferred compensation, incentive compensation, severance, change in control, retention or termination pay, fringe benefit, education reimbursement, vacation or holiday pay, welfare, cafeteria, flexible spending, hospitalization or other medical, dental, vision life, disability, accident or other insurance, supplemental unemployment benefits, savings, profit-sharing, pension, or retirement plan, program, agreement or arrangement (including any employment agreement), and each other employee benefit plan, program, policy, agreement or arrangement, in each case whether formal or informal, written or oral, funded or unfunded.
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“Bridge Loan Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Bridge Loans” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Business Day” means any day other than (i) a Saturday or a Sunday, or (ii) a day on which banking institutions are authorized or required by Law to be closed in New York City.
“Capitalization Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.3(a).
“Certificate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(c).
“Certificate of Merger” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.3.
“Class B Common Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.3(a).
“Closing” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.2.
“Closing Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.2.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Company” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Preamble.
“Company 401(k) Plan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.11(e).
“Company Benefit Plan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.10(a).
“Company Benefit Plans” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.10(a).
“Company Board” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Company Bylaws” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.1.
“Company Capital Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.3(a).
“Company Charter” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.1.
“Company Class A Common Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Company Disclosure Letter” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article V.
“Company Employees” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.19(a).
“Company Entity” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.10(a).
“Company Financial Advisor” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.28.
“Company Indemnified Parties” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.4(a).
“Company Intellectual Property” means all Intellectual Property Rights that are owned by or purported to be owned by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries.
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“Company Material Adverse Effect” means any fact or circumstance arising after the date of this Agreement, occurrence, effect, change, event or development that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have, a material adverse effect on (i) the business, assets, liabilities or results of operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) the ability of the Company to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby on or before the End Date; provided, however, that for the purposes of clause (i), any fact, or circumstance arising after the date of this Agreement, occurrence, effect, change, event or development to the extent arising out of, resulting from or related to (in each case, individually or in the aggregate): (A) conditions affecting the United States economy, or any other national or regional economy or the global economy generally, including inflation or any changes in the rate of increase or decrease of inflation; (B) legislative or political conditions in the United States or any other country or region in the world, acts of war (whether or not declared), the commencement, continuation or escalation of a war, acts of armed hostility, sabotage, terrorism or any material worsening of such conditions; (C) natural or man-made disasters, force majeure events, domestic or foreign social protest or social unrest (whether or not violent) or national or international emergency (including any escalation or general worsening of any of the foregoing, including, in each case, the response of Governmental Entities) in the United States or any other country or region of the world; (D) pandemics (including the COVID-19 pandemic), epidemics or contagious disease outbreaks (or escalation or worsening of any such events or occurrences), including, in each case, the response of Governmental Entities (including COVID-19 Measures); (E) changes in the financial, credit, banking or securities markets in the United States or any other country or region in the world (including any disruption thereof and any decline in the price of any security or any market index); (F) changes required by GAAP or other accounting standards (or interpretation or enforcement thereof); (G) changes in any Laws issued by any Governmental Entity (or interpretation or enforcement thereof); (H) changes, including the continuation or worsening of supply chain disruptions, generally affecting the industries in which the Company and the Company Subsidiaries operate; (I) any failure by the Company to meet any internal or published projections, estimates, forecasts, predictions or expectations of revenue, earnings or other financial performance metrics or any budgets or plans or any change in the market price or trading volume of the Company Class A Common Stock, as well as any changes in credit ratings and any changes in any analysts’ recommendations or ratings with respect to the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries (provided that the underlying causes of any such failure or decline may be considered in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred to the extent not otherwise excluded by another exception herein); (J) the public announcement (including as to the identity of the parties and Parent’s plans or intentions with respect to the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries) or pendency or consummation of the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby, including by reason of the identity of Parent or any communication by Parent or any of its Affiliates regarding the plans or intentions of Parent with respect to the conduct of the business of the Company, including the impact of the foregoing on any relationships with customers, suppliers, vendors, employees or regulators; (K) Transaction Litigation or any suit, action or other proceeding relating to Dissenting Shares; (L) any action expressly required to be taken in accordance with this Agreement, including any action taken or refrained from being taken pursuant to or in accordance with this Agreement, or taken at the written direction of Parent; (M) any failure to take any action resulting from Parent’s failure to grant any approval or consent requested by the Company to take any action restricted or prohibited by this Agreement; (N) any breach by Parent or Merger Sub of this Agreement, or by the Affiliate of Parent party to the Bridge Loan Agreement of the Bridge Loan Agreement or the Intercreditor Agreement, or (O) any failure to provide Bridge Loans under the Bridge Loan Agreement (regardless of whether the Affiliate of Parent party to the Bridge Loan Agreement is entitled to withhold funding under the Bridge Loan Agreement) or any default under the Bridge Loan Agreement (provided that the underlying causes of any such failure or default may be considered in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred to the extent not otherwise excluded by another exception herein), shall not constitute a Company Material Adverse Effect and shall not be taken into account in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred or would reasonably be expected to occur; provided, however, that the incremental disproportionate adverse effect of any fact or circumstance arising after the date of this Agreement, occurrence, effect, change, event or development referred to in each of the foregoing clauses (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), (G) or (H) may be taken into account in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred to the extent disproportionately adversely affecting the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, relative to other companies in the industries in which the Company and the Company Subsidiaries operate.
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“Company Recommendation” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.4.
“Company Related Parties” means, collectively, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and any of their respective former, current or future stockholders, managers, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors, other representatives or successors or assignees of any of the foregoing.
“Company RSU” means any restricted stock unit granted under any of the Company Stock Plans.
“Company SEC Documents” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.7(a).
“Company Source Code” means any source code for any Software used in the conduct of the businesses of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries that is owned by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries.
“Company Stock Award” means any Company Stock Option or Company RSU.
“Company Stock Option” means any option to purchase Company Class A Common Stock granted under any of the Company Stock Plans.
“Company Stock Plans” means the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, Founder Incentive Plan and 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, including appendices, in each case, as may be amended from time to time.
“Company Stockholder Meeting” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.12(a).
“Company Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary of the Company.
“Company Voting Debt” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.3(d).
“Company Warrants” means, collectively, the SPAC Warrants and the Legacy Warrants.
“Confidentiality Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(a).
“Consent” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(b).
“Continuing Employees” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.11(a).
“Contract” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(a).
“Copyrights” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Intellectual Property Rights.
“COVID-19” means SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, and any variants, evolutions or mutations thereof, or any related or associated epidemics, pandemics or disease outbreaks, or any escalation or worsening of any of the foregoing (including any subsequent waves).
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“COVID-19 Measures” means any quarantine, “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” workforce reduction, social distancing, shut down, closure, sequester, safety or similar Law, directive, guideline or recommendation of or promulgated by any Governmental Entity, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, in connection with or in response to COVID-19 that is aimed at protecting the health and safety of individuals (and excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, Laws, directives, guidelines or recommendations that are primarily focused on addressing issues relating to the economy) and including, in each case, any changes in any such Law, directive, guideline or recommendation.
“Credit Facilities” means the (i) Premium Finance Agreement, by and between Volta Inc. and AFCO Acceptance Corporation, dated October 26, 2022; and (ii) Existing Term Loan.
“Delaware Secretary” means the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
“DGCL” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Dissenting Shares” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.3(a).
“dollars” and “$” shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in Section 10.4.
“Effective Time” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.3.
“End Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.1(b)(i).
“Environmental Laws” means applicable Laws governing pollution or protection of the environment (including ambient air, surface water, ground water, land surface or subsurface strata and natural resources), human health and worker safety, including applicable Laws governing production, use, storage, treatment, transportation, disposal, handling, emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of, or exposure to, Hazardous Substances or the investigation, clean-up or remediation of Hazardous Substances.
“Environmental Permits” means Permit required by Environmental Laws for the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and other guidance promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to any entity, trade or business, any other entity, trade or business that is a member of a group described in Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code or Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA that includes the first entity, trade or business, or that is a member of the same “controlled group” as the first entity, trade or business pursuant to Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Existing Term Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Filed Company Contract” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.14(a).
“Foreign Plan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.10(i).
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“Founder PSUs” means the performance-based Company RSUs granted to each of Scott Mercer (grant number of VAR00355) and Christopher Wendel (grant number of VAR00351) on November 15, 2021.
“Fraud” shall mean common law fraud that is committed with actual knowledge of falsity and with the intent to deceive or mislead another party hereto.
“French Ministry of Economy” means the French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty (Ministère de l’Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique).
“FTC” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(b).
“GAAP” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.7(b).
“Government Official” means any official or employee of any government, or any agency, ministry, department of a government (at any level), person acting in an official capacity for a government regardless of rank or position, official or employee of an entity wholly or partially controlled by a government (for example, a state owned oil company), political party and any official of a political party; candidate for political office, officer or employee of a public international organization, such as the United Nations or the World Bank, or immediate family member (meaning a spouse, child, sibling, parent, or household member) of any of the foregoing.
“Governmental Entity” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(b).
“Hazardous Substances” means any pollutant, contaminant, chemical, petroleum (including any fraction, derivatives, by-products thereof and petroleum hydrocarbons), regulated asbestos-containing material, polychlorinated biphenyls, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or industrial, solid, toxic, radioactive, ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or hazardous substance, material, waste, chemicals or agent, including all substances, materials, wastes, chemicals or agents which are regulated, the subject of liability or requirements for investigation or remediation under, or otherwise subject to, any Environmental Law.
“HSR Act” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(b).
“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person, without duplication, (i) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money, (ii) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (iii) obligations under letters of credit, bank guarantees and other similar contractual obligations entered into by or on behalf of such Person, (iv) leases that are required to be capitalized in accordance with GAAP under which such Person is the lessee, (v) the deferred purchase price of goods or services (other than trade payables, prepayments, deposits or accruals in the Ordinary Course of Business), including any “earn-out” payments, contingent payments, seller notes or other similar obligations in connection with the acquisition of a business, (vi) net liabilities arising out of interest rate and currency swap arrangements and any other arrangements designed to provide protection against fluctuations in interest or currency rates, or (vii) any guarantee of (or similar commitment regarding) any of the foregoing.
“Initial Bridge Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Inquiry” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Insurance Policies” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.23.
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“Intellectual Property Rights” means all intellectual property rights, whether registered or unregistered, of every kind and description throughout the world, including rights in and to (i) all classes and types of patents and patent applications in any jurisdiction worldwide, invention disclosures and all related continuations, continuations-in-part, divisionals, reissues, re-examinations, substitutions and extensions thereof (“Patents”); (ii) trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain names, social media accounts, trade dress, design rights and other similar designations of source or origin, together with the goodwill associated with any of the foregoing in any jurisdiction worldwide (“Trademarks”); (iii) copyrights and copyrightable subject matter, including moral rights, whether registered or unregistered (“Copyrights”); (iv) rights in Software (whether in source code, object code or other form), algorithms, databases, works or other materials, manuals, compilations and data; (v) trade secrets and all other confidential and proprietary information, ideas, know-how, marketing and technical information, product specifications, compositions, inventions, processes, formulae, models and methodologies, whether or not patentable; (vi) all rights in the foregoing and in other similar intangible assets; and (vii) all applications and registrations for the foregoing.
“Intercreditor Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
“Interim Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.1.
“Intervening Event” means any occurrence, effect, change, event or development materially affecting the business, assets or operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, that first becomes known to the Company Board after the date of this Agreement but before the obtaining the Requisite Stockholder Approval, to the extent not known to or reasonably foreseeable by the Company Board as of or prior to the date hereof; provided, however, that in no event will (i) the receipt, existence or terms of an Alternative Proposal or any matter relating thereto or consequence thereof, (ii) any changes in Law or the settlement (or any offer or proposal of settlement) of any lawsuits, investigations, inquiries, audits, suits, proceedings, claims, examinations or other administrative or judicial proceedings, including any matter set forth in Section 6.1(l) of the Company Disclosure Letter, (iii) changes in the market price or trading volume of the shares of Company Class A Common Stock, or the Company or any Company Subsidiary meeting or exceeding internal or published projections, forecasts or revenue or earnings predictions for any period (provided that the underlying causes of any of the foregoing may be considered in determining whether an Intervening Event has occurred or would reasonably be expected to result), or (iv) any event, development or change relating solely to Parent or its Affiliates, in each case, constitute an “Intervening Event” or be taken into account in determining whether an Intervening Event has occurred or would reasonably be expected to result.
“IP License Agreements” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.14(b)(vii).
“IRS” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
“IT Systems” means all Software, firmware, hardware (including computers, servers, databases, peripheral devices and telecommunications devices), networks, interfaces, platforms and related systems, in each case, whether owned, leased, licensed or used by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries.
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“Knowledge” means, with respect to any matter in question, (i) in the case of the Knowledge of the Company, the actual knowledge of the Persons set out in Section 10.04(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, in each case, after reasonable inquiry of those employees and individual contractors of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries who would reasonably be expected to have actual knowledge of the matter in question, and (ii) in the case of the Knowledge of Parent and Merger Sub, the actual knowledge of the Persons set out in Section 10.04(a) of the Parent Disclosure Letter, in each case, after reasonable inquiry of those employees and individual contractors of Parent and its Affiliates who would reasonably be expected to have actual knowledge of the matter in question. With respect to matters involving Intellectual Property Rights, reasonable inquiry does not require the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any of the foregoing natural persons to have conducted or obtained any freedom-to-operate opinions or similar opinions of counsel or any Patent, Trademark, or other Intellectual Property Right clearance searches or perform any prior art, prior use or similar searches of Intellectual Property Right records or make inquires of any third parties.
“Law” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(a).
“Leased Real Property” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.15(b).
“Legacy Warrant” means a warrant issued pursuant to a Legacy Warrant Agreement.
“Legacy Warrant Agreement” means each of the following warrant agreements: (i) that certain Stock Purchase Warrant, dated March 26, 2020, by and between Volta Charging Industries, LLC (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.). and Energize Ventures LLC, (ii) that certain Common Stock Warrant, dated April 15, 2019, by and between Volta Charging Industries, LLC (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.) and Virgo Hermes, LLC, (iii) that certain Common Stock Warrant, dated March 31, 2017, by and between Volta Charging Industries, LLC (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.) and Virgo Hermes, LLC, (iv) that certain Common Stock Warrant, dated November 15, 2016, by and between Volta Charging Industries, LLC (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.) and Virgo Hermes, LLC, and (v) that certain Warrant to purchase Class A Common Stock of Volta Charging Industries, LLC (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.), dated December 26, 2018, by and between Volta, Inc. (as successor to Volta Industries, Inc.) and Energize Ventures LLC (formerly known as Invenergy Future Fund, LP.).
“Letter of Transmittal” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2(b).
“Liens” means any pledge, lien, easement, right-of-way, encroachment, restriction, charge, mortgage, encumbrance, claim, infringement, option, right of first refusal, preemptive right, transfer restriction, security interest or other restriction of any nature.
“Losses” means all claims, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, inquiries, fines and reasonable fees, costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and disbursements.
“Material Contract” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.14(b).
“Maximum Amount” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.4(b).
“Merger” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals.
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“Merger Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Annex I.
“Merger Consideration” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(c).
“Merger Sub” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Preamble.
“Merger Sub Common Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.
“Multiemployer Plan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.10(b).
“Negotiation Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in paragraph (B) of Section 6.3(d).
“Notice” has the meaning assigned to such term in paragraph (A) of Section 6.3(d).
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.
“Off-the-Shelf Software” means any Software, data or content that is generally available on standard terms.
“Open Source Software” means any Software that is licensed, distributed or conveyed as “open source software,” “free software,” “copyleft,” or under a contract that requires as a condition of its use, modification or distribution that it, or other Software into which such Software is incorporated, integrated or with which such Software is combined or distributed or that is derived from or linked to such Software, be disclosed or distributed in source code form, delivered at no charge or be licensed, distributed or conveyed under some or all of the terms of such contract, including under any of the following licenses or distribution models, or licenses or distribution models similar to any of the following: (i) GNU’s General Public License (GPL) or Lesser/Library GPL (LGPL); (ii) the Artistic License (e.g., PERL); (iii) the Mozilla Public License; (iv) the Sun Industry Standards License (SISL); (v) the BSD License; and (vi) the Apache License.
“Order” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.3(a).
“Ordinary Course of Business” means the ordinary course of business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, as conducted as of the date of this Agreement (including the past practice of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries in responding to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic).
“Other Required Company Filing” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(e).
“Other Required Parent Filing” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(f).
“Parent” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Preamble.
“Parent Disclosure Letter” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article IV.
“Parent Material Adverse Effect” means, with respect to Parent or Merger Sub, any fact, circumstance, occurrence, effect, change, event or development that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Merger on or before the End Date.
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“Parent Related Parties” means, collectively, Parent, Merger Sub and their respective Affiliates or any of their or their Affiliates’ respective, direct or indirect, former, current or future general or limited partners, stockholders, managers, members, directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors, other representatives or successors or assignees of any of the foregoing.
“Parent Welfare Plans” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.11(c).
“Patents” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Intellectual Property Rights.
“Paying Agent” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2(a).
“Payment Fund” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2(a).
“Payoff Amount” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.13.
“Permits” means licenses, permits, certificates, consents, franchises (including similar authorizations or permits), exemptions, variances, qualifications, accreditations, and other approvals and authorizations of any Governmental Entity.
“Permitted Liens” means, collectively: (i) suppliers’, mechanics’, carriers’, workmen’s, repairmen’s, materialmen’s, warehousemen’s, construction and other similar Liens arising or incurred by operation of Law or otherwise incurred in the Ordinary Course of Business (A) that are for amounts not yet due and payable or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate accruals or reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP in the consolidated financial statements of the Company, and (B) that are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries; (ii) Liens for Taxes, utilities and other governmental charges that are not yet due and payable or which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate accruals or reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP in the consolidated financial statements of the Company; (iii) all present and future Laws, including requirements and restrictions of zoning, building and other applicable Laws and municipal bylaws, and development, site plan, subdivision or other agreements with municipalities that do not materially interfere with the market value or marketability of the impacted property or the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries as currently conducted; (iv) statutory Liens of landlords for amounts not yet due and payable; (v) deposits made in the Ordinary Course of Business to secure payments of worker’s compensation, unemployment insurance or other types of social security benefits or the performance of bids, tenders, sales, contracts (other than for the repayment of borrowed money), public or statutory obligations, and surety, stay, appeal, customs or performance bonds, or similar obligations arising, in each case, in the Ordinary Course of Business; (vi) Liens resulting from securities Laws; (vii) recorded or unrecorded easements, quasi-easements, rights of re-entry, rights of way, covenants and other similar encumbrances or defects or imperfections of title to real property that do not materially impair the use, operation or occupancy of the Leased Real Property by the Company or applicable Company Subsidiary or materially detract from the value or marketability of such property based upon its current use; (viii) Liens that affect the underlying fee interest of the Leased Real Property; (ix) any non-exclusive licenses to Intellectual Property Rights granted in the Ordinary Course of Business; (x) Liens securing the Existing Term Loan; and (xi) Liens set forth on Section 10.04(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter.
“Person” means any natural person, firm, corporation, partnership, company, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, Governmental Entity or other entity.
“Personal Data” means any data or information that identifies, is reasonably capable of being used to identify, or could reasonably be identifiable, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer, or any other data or information that constitutes personal data or personal information under any applicable Privacy Law or any policy of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries relating to privacy.
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“Pre-consummation Warning Letter” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.3(d).
“Preferred Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.3(a).
“Privacy Laws” means all applicable Laws worldwide relating to the privacy or security of Personal Data and all binding guidance thereunder issued by a Governmental Entity, including, to the extent applicable, Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the CAN-SPAM Act, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and all laws implementing it, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and the California Privacy Rights Act (upon and after its entry into effect), the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, state data breach notification Laws, state data security Laws and state social security number protection Laws.
“Privacy Obligations” means all applicable Privacy Laws and any obligations under Contracts, the Privacy Policies of the Company, or any consents obtained by the Company, in each case that are related to privacy, security, data protection or Processing of Personal Data.
“Privacy Policies” means, collectively, all of the Company’s applicable rules, policies and procedures and notices published on any of the Company’s websites, domains or software, contained within any of the Company’s terms of use, online privacy policies or otherwise made available by the Company regarding (a) the collection, use, storage, disposal, protection, disclosure, sale, transfer or distribution of Personal Data of individuals, including such information from visitors and users of any of the Company’s websites, domains or software, and (b) the rights made available to such individuals under applicable Privacy Laws.
“Private Placement Warrants” has the meaning assigned to such term in the SPAC Warrant Agreement.
“Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on Personal Data, whether or not by automated means, including collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation, alteration, moderation, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure, transmission, dissemination, control or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.
“Products” mean any products or services, developed, manufactured, performed, out-licensed, sold, distributed or otherwise made publicly available by or on behalf of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, from which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has derived previously, is currently deriving revenue from the sale or provision thereof.
“Proxy Statement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(a).
“Public Warrants” has the meaning assigned to such term in the SPAC Warrant Agreement.
“Real Estate Leases” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.15(b).
“Regulation S-K” means Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act.
“Release” means any actual or threatened release, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, abandonment, disposing, or allowing to escape or migrate into or through the environment (including ambient air (indoor or outdoor), surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) of any Hazardous Substance.
“Representatives” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Requisite Stockholder Approval” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.5.
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“Sanctioned Country” means any country or territory with which dealings are broadly and comprehensively prohibited by any country or territory-wide Sanctions Laws (as of the date of this Agreement, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, the Crimea region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, and the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic).
“Sanctioned Person” means any Person (i) subject to Sanctions Laws imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, or the United Nations; (ii) any Person located, organized, operating, or resident in, or a government instrumentality of, any Sanctioned Country, (iii) the government of a Sanctioned Country or the Government of Venezuela; and (iv) any Person directly or indirectly fifty percent (50%) or greater owned or controlled by a Person described in the foregoing clauses.
“Sanctions Laws” means all national and supranational laws, regulations, decrees, orders, or other acts with force of law of the United States, the United Kingdom, or the European Union, or United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning trade and economic sanctions, including embargoes, the freezing or blocking of assets of targeted Persons, other restrictions on exports, imports, investment, payments, or other transactions targeted at particular Persons or countries, including any Laws threatening to impose such trade and economic sanctions on any Person for engaging in proscribed or targeted behavior.
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” means the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended.
“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Security Breach” means any action that compromises the availability, authenticity, integrity or confidentiality of data (including Personal Data) or outputs, or a material systems failure, data loss or theft, unauthorized access, malware attack or other security breach or failure.
“Site Lease” each lease, sublease, and license pursuant to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary leases, subleases or licenses any real property used, or reserved or held for future use, as a charging area or to place charging equipment used to supply electricity to charge electric vehicles.
“Software” means computer programs, including all source code, object code, and documentation related thereto and all software modules, tools, algorithms, data, compilations of data and databases.
“SPAC Warrant” means, prior to the Effective Time, the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants each exercisable to purchase one (1) share of Company Class A Common Stock and, after the Effective Time, a warrant to purchase Merger Consideration.
“SPAC Warrant Agreement” means that certain Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement, dated August 26, 2021, by and among Volta Inc., Computershare Trust Company, N.A. and Computershare Inc.
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A “Subsidiary” of any Person means, (i) any other Person (other than a partnership, joint venture or limited liability company) of which 50% or more of the total voting power of shares of stock or other equity interests entitled to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees is at the time of determination owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such first Person, and (ii) any partnership, joint venture or limited liability company of which (A) 50% or more of the total voting interests are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person, whether in the form of membership, general, special or limited partnership interests or otherwise (or if there are no such voting interests 50% or more of the capital accounts, distribution rights, equity interests or general or limited partnership interests, as applicable) are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such Person, or (B) such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person is a controlling general partner of such entity.
“Superior Proposal” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(f)(ii).
“Surviving Corporation” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.1.
“Takeover Laws” shall mean any “moratorium,” “control share acquisition,” “fair price,” “supermajority,” “affiliate transactions,” or “business combination statute or regulation” or other similar state anti-takeover laws and regulations.
“Tax Law” means any Law relating to Taxes or Tax Returns.
“Tax Return” means any return, declaration, statement, report, schedule, form, election, notice, information return or other document (including any attachment thereto or amendment thereof) filed or required to be filed with any Governmental Entity with respect to any Tax (in each case, whether in written, electronic or other form).
“Taxes” means all federal, state, local, provincial and non-U.S. taxes and other withholdings, charges, fees, levies, assessments or similar charges of any kind whatsoever that are in the nature of a tax that are imposed, administered, assessed or collected by any Governmental Entity, including any income, excise, gross receipts, gross income, ad valorem, profits, gains, property, capital, sales, transfer, use, payroll, employment, unemployment, escheat, abandoned or unclaimed property, withholding, franchise, value added, stamp, occupation, licensing, recording, documentary, environmental, and windfall profit taxes, together with all interest, penalties and additions imposed with respect to such amounts, whether or not disputed.
“Termination Fee” means $5,919,165.00.
“Trademarks” has the meaning assigned to such term in the definition of Intellectual Property Rights.
“Transaction Litigation” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.5(b).
“Treasury Regulations” means the temporary and final regulations promulgated under the Code by the United States Department of Treasury.
“Union” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.19(f).
“U.S. Antitrust Agencies” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.3(d).
“Voting Agreement” has the meanings assigned to such terms in the Recitals.
“Willful Breach” means a material breach of this Agreement by a party hereto (or, solely with respect to Section 6.3(a), by any Affiliate or Representative of the Company acting at the authorization or direction of the Company) that is the consequence of an action undertaken or omission by the breaching party (or, if applicable, the breaching the Representative or Affiliate), with the actual knowledge that the taking of such action or omission would, or would reasonably be expected to, cause such material breach of this Agreement.
“Work Product Protection” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(a).
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Article II
The Merger
Section 2.1 The Merger. On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, and in accordance with the DGCL, at the Effective Time, Merger Sub shall merge with and into the Company. At the Effective Time, the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub shall cease, and the Company shall continue its corporate existence as the surviving corporation in the Merger (the “Surviving Corporation”) and as a direct wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent.
Section 2.2 Closing. Unless this Agreement shall have been terminated pursuant to Article IX, the closing (the “Closing”) of the Merger shall take place through an electronic exchange of documents, at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on a date to be agreed upon by Parent, Merger Sub and the Company that is no later than two (2) Business Days after the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by Law) waiver by the party or parties entitled to the benefits thereof of the conditions set forth in Article VIII (other than those conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by Law) waiver of those conditions at the Closing), or at such other place, time and date as may be agreed in writing between the Company and Parent. Any such electronic exchange of documents referenced in the prior sentence shall be deemed to have occurred at the offices of Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, 555 California Street, Suite 3300, San Francisco, California 94104. The date on which the Closing occurs is referred to in this Agreement as the “Closing Date.”
Section 2.3 Effective Time. Concurrently with the Closing, the parties shall file with the Delaware Secretary the certificate of merger relating to the Merger (the “Certificate of Merger”), executed and filed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. The Merger shall become effective at the time that the Certificate of Merger has been duly filed with the Delaware Secretary, or at such later time as the Company and Parent may agree in writing and specify in the Certificate of Merger (the time the Merger becomes effective being the “Effective Time”).
Section 2.4 Effects. The Merger shall have the effects set forth in this Agreement and the applicable provisions of the DGCL.
Section 2.5 Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. The certificate of incorporation of the Company shall, at the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any further action by any party, be amended and restated to read in its entirety as set forth on Exhibit A and, as so amended and restated, shall be the certificate of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter changed or amended as provided therein or by applicable Law, subject to Section 7.4(a). The bylaws of Merger Sub, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall at the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any further action by any party, be the bylaws of the Surviving Corporation until thereafter changed or amended as provided therein or by applicable Law, subject to Section 7.4(a), except that references to the name of Merger Sub shall be replaced by references to the name of the Surviving Corporation.
Section 2.6 Directors and Officers of Surviving Corporation. The directors of Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the directors of the Surviving Corporation until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified in accordance with the certificate of incorporation and the bylaws of the Surviving Corporation, as the case may be. The officers of the Company immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the officers of the Surviving Corporation until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified in accordance with the certificate of incorporation and the bylaws of the Surviving Corporation, as the case may be.
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Article III
Effect on the Capital Stock of the Constituent Entities; Exchange of Certificates
Section 3.1 Effect on Capital Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the Company, Parent, Merger Sub, any holder of shares of Company Class A Common Stock or shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Merger Sub (the “Merger Sub Common Stock”) or any other Person:
(a) Conversion of Merger Sub Common Stock. Each share of Merger Sub Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into and become one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Surviving Corporation, and all such shares together shall constitute the only outstanding shares of capital stock of the Surviving Corporation. From and after the Effective Time, all certificates representing shares of Merger Sub Common Stock shall be deemed for all purposes to represent the number of shares of common stock of the Surviving Corporation into which they were converted in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence.
(b) Cancellation of Treasury Stock; Cancellation of Parent-Owned Stock.
(i) Each share of Company Class A Common Stock held by the Company (or held in the Company’s treasury) or any Company Subsidiary immediately prior to the Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and no consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.
(ii) Each share of Company Class A Common Stock that is owned directly by Parent or Merger Sub or any of their respective Subsidiaries or any Person that directly or indirectly owns all of the equity interests in Parent or Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and shall cease to exist, and no consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.
(iii) Each share of Company Class B Common Stock held by the Company (or held in the Company’s treasury) or any Company Subsidiary immediately prior to the Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and no consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.
(c) Conversion of Company Class A Common Stock. Subject to Section 3.2 and Section 3.3, each share of Company Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than shares to be canceled or converted into shares of the Surviving Corporation in accordance with Section 3.1(b)) shall be converted into the right to receive the $0.86, without interest (the “Merger Consideration”) and net of withholding of Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g). All such shares of Company Class A Common Stock converted pursuant to this Section 3.1(c), when so converted, shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and shall cease to exist, and each holder of a certificate (or evidence of shares in book-entry form) that immediately prior to the Effective Time represented any such shares of Company Class A Common Stock (each, a “Certificate”) shall cease to have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to receive the Merger Consideration.
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(d) Adjustments to the Merger Consideration. Without limiting the restrictions set forth in Section 6.1, if between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time the outstanding shares of Company Class A Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable into or exercisable for shares of such capital stock (including the Company Stock Options, Company RSUs and Company Warrants) shall have been changed into a different number of shares or a different class, by reason of any stock dividend or distribution, subdivision, reclassification, recapitalization, stock split (including a reverse stock split), merger, combination, issue, tender, exchange offer or other exchange of shares, or any other similar event shall have occurred, then the Merger Consideration will be appropriately adjusted to provide to Parent, Merger Sub and the holders of Company Class A Common Stock the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to such event; provided, however, that this sentence shall not be construed to permit the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any other Person to take any action that is prohibited by the terms of this Agreement, and in no event shall this Section 3.1(d) result in the Merger Consideration or any other consideration hereunder being increased in the aggregate.
Section 3.2 Exchange of Certificates; Payment Fund.
(a) Paying Agent. As reasonably promptly as practicable after the date hereof and in any event, prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall appoint a bank or trust company reasonably acceptable to the Company to act as agent (the “Paying Agent”) for purposes of effecting the payment of the aggregate Merger Consideration to which such holders shall become entitled pursuant to Section 3.1(c). At or prior to the Closing, Parent shall deposit with the Paying Agent, cash sufficient to pay the aggregate Merger Consideration payable pursuant to Section 3.1(c). All such cash deposited pursuant to this Section 3.2(a) is hereinafter referred to as the “Payment Fund.”
(b) Letter of Transmittal. As reasonably promptly as practicable after the Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Paying Agent to mail or otherwise provide to each holder of record of any shares of Company Class A Common Stock as of immediately prior to the Effective Time that have been converted at the Effective Time into the right to receive the Merger Consideration pursuant to Section 3.1(c) a form of letter of transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”) (which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to the Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Certificates to the Paying Agent, shall be in such form and have such other provisions (including customary provisions with respect to delivery of an “agent’s message” with respect to shares held in book-entry form) as Parent may specify subject to the Company’s reasonable approval, and shall be prepared prior to the Effective Time), together with instructions thereto.
(c) Merger Consideration Received in Connection with Exchange. Upon (i) in the case of shares of Company Class A Common Stock represented by a Certificate, the surrender of such Certificate for cancellation to the Paying Agent together with the Letter of Transmittal, duly, completely and validly executed in accordance with the instructions thereto, or (ii) in the case of shares of Company Class A Common Stock held in book-entry form, the receipt of an “agent’s message” by the Paying Agent, in each case together with such other documents as may reasonably be required pursuant to such instructions or by the Paying Agent, the holder of such shares shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor the Merger Consideration into which such shares of Company Class A Common Stock have been converted pursuant to Section 3.1(c). In the event of a transfer of ownership of Company Class A Common Stock that is not registered in the transfer records of the Company, the Merger Consideration may be paid to a transferee if the Certificate representing such Company Class A Common Stock (or, if such Company Class A Common Stock is held in book-entry form, proper evidence of such transfer) is presented to the Paying Agent, accompanied by all documents required to evidence and effect such transfer and by evidence that any applicable stock transfer Taxes have been paid, in each case, to the satisfaction of the Paying Agent. Each share of Company Class A Common Stock and, until surrendered as contemplated by this Section 3.2(c), any Certificate with respect thereto, shall be deemed at any time from and after the Effective Time to represent only the right to receive upon such surrender (together with the transmittal materials, duly completed and validly executed in accordance with the instructions thereto, and such other documents as may reasonably be required pursuant to such instructions or by the Paying Agent) the Merger Consideration, without any interest thereon and net of any withholding, that the holders of shares of Company Class A Common Stock are entitled to receive in respect of such shares pursuant to Section 3.1(c). No interest shall be paid or shall accrue on the cash payable upon surrender of any Certificate (or shares of Company Class A Common Stock held in book-entry form).
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(d) No Further Ownership Rights in Company Class A Common Stock. The Merger Consideration paid in accordance with the terms of this Article III upon conversion of any shares of Company Class A Common Stock shall be deemed to have been paid in full satisfaction of all rights pertaining to such shares of Company Class A Common Stock. From and after the Effective Time, there shall be no further registration of transfers on the stock transfer books of the Surviving Corporation of shares of Company Class A Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. Subject to Section 3.2(e), if, after the Effective Time, any Certificates formerly representing shares of Company Class A Common Stock (or shares of Company Class A Common Stock held in book-entry form) are duly and validly presented to Parent or the Paying Agent, they shall be canceled and exchanged as provided in this Article III.
(e) No Liability. Any portion of the Payment Fund (including any interest received with respect thereto) made available to the Paying Agent that remains unclaimed by the holders of Certificates formerly representing shares of Company Class A Common Stock (or shares of Company Class A Common Stock held in book-entry form) twelve (12) months after the Effective Time shall be returned to Parent or an Affiliate thereof designated by Parent, upon demand, and any such holder who has not tendered its Certificates formerly representing shares of Company Class A Common Stock (or shares of Company Class A Common Stock held in book-entry form) for the Merger Consideration in accordance with Section 3.1(c) prior to such time shall thereafter look only to Parent (subject to applicable abandoned property, escheat or other similar Laws) for delivery of the Merger Consideration, without interest and net of withholding of Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g), in respect of such holder’s surrender of their Certificates formerly representing shares of Company Class A Common Stock; provided, that none of the Company, Parent, the Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent or any other Person shall be liable to any Person in respect of any portion of the Payment Fund delivered to a public official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat or other similar Law. Any portion of the Payment Fund remaining unclaimed by such holders at such time at which such amounts would otherwise escheat to or become property of any Governmental Entity shall become, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, the property of the Surviving Corporation or its designee, free and clear of all claims or interest of any Person previously entitled thereto.
(f) Investment of Payment Fund. The Paying Agent shall invest any cash in the Payment Fund if and as directed by Parent; provided, that such investment shall be in obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States of America, in commercial paper obligations of issuers organized under the Law of a state of the United States of America, rated A-1 or P-1 or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service, respectively, or in certificates of deposit, bank repurchase agreements or bankers’ acceptances of commercial banks with capital exceeding Ten Billion Dollars ($10,000,000,000), or in mutual funds investing in such assets. Any interest and other income resulting from such investments shall be paid to, and be the property of, Parent. No investment losses resulting from investment of the Payment Fund shall diminish the rights of any of the Company’s stockholders to receive the Merger Consideration or any other payment as provided herein.
(g) Withholding Rights. Each of Parent, the Surviving Corporation, the Paying Agent (without duplication) shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration otherwise payable to any holder of Company Class A Common Stock and any holder of a Company Stock Award described in Section 3.4 such amounts as such payor reasonably determines in good faith that it is required to deduct or withhold with respect to the making of such payment under applicable Tax Law. Any amounts so withheld and paid over to the appropriate taxing authority shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of Company Class A Common Stock or Company Stock Award, as the case may be, in respect of which such deduction or withholding was made. Parent, the Surviving Corporation, the Paying Agent shall timely remit any amounts that are deducted or withheld under this Section 3.2(g) to the appropriate Governmental Entity.
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(h) Lost Certificates. If any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of a customary affidavit of that fact by the Person claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed, the Paying Agent shall, in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate, pay the Merger Consideration deliverable in respect thereof pursuant to this Agreement without any interest thereon and subject to any applicable withholding for Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g); provided, however, that the Paying Agent may, in accordance with its customary procedures and as a condition precedent to the payment of such Merger Consideration, require the owners of such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificates to deliver a bond in a sum as it may determine is reasonably necessary as indemnity against any claim that may be made against Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent with respect to the Certificates alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
Section 3.3 Dissenting Shares.
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, to the extent that holders thereof are entitled to appraisal rights under Section 262 of the DGCL, shares of Company Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and held by a holder who has properly exercised and perfected his or her demand for appraisal rights under Section 262 of the DGCL (the “Dissenting Shares”), shall not be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration. At the Effective Time, the Dissenting Shares shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and shall cease to exist, and each holder of Dissenting Shares shall cease to have any rights with respect thereto, but the holders of such Dissenting Shares shall be entitled to receive only such consideration as shall be determined pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL; provided, however, that if, after the Effective Time, any such holder shall have failed to perfect or shall have effectively withdrawn or lost his or her right to appraisal and payment under the DGCL (whether occurring before, at or after the Effective Time), such holder’s shares of Company Class A Common Stock shall thereupon be deemed to have been converted as of the Effective Time into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, without any interest and net of withholding of Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g), and such shares shall not be deemed to be Dissenting Shares. From and after the Effective Time, a holder of Dissenting Shares shall not be entitled to exercise any of the voting rights or other rights of an equity owner of the Surviving Corporation or of a stockholder of Parent.
(b) The Company shall give reasonably prompt written notice to Parent of any demands for appraisal of any shares of Company Class A Common Stock, withdrawals of such demands and any other instruments, notices or demands served pursuant to the DGCL or other applicable Law received by the Company relating to appraisal demands, and Parent shall have the opportunity and right to direct, all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such demands. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Parent, make any payment (unless required pursuant to a binding, non-appealable Order of a court of competent jurisdiction) with respect to, or settle or offer to settle, any such demands, or waive any failure to timely deliver a written demand for appraisal in accordance with the DGCL, or agree to do or commit to do any of the foregoing.
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Section 3.4 Treatment of Company Stock Awards.
(a) No Assumption of Awards. No Company Stock Award shall be continued, converted, assumed or replaced by the Surviving Corporation in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby. From and after the Effective Time, there shall be no outstanding Company Stock Awards.
(b) Company Stock Options. As of the Effective Time, each then outstanding Company Stock Option (whether or not vested or exercisable) that has an exercise price per share of Company Class A Common Stock that is less than the Merger Consideration shall fully vest and shall be canceled and converted automatically into the right of the holder thereof to receive from the Surviving Corporation an amount in cash, without interest, payable as soon as practicable, but in any event within thirty (30) days, following the Effective Time equal to the product of (i) the excess, if any, of (A) the Merger Consideration over (B) the per share exercise price of such Company Stock Option multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of Company Class A Common Stock subject to such Company Stock Option, net of withholding of Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g). As of the Effective Time, each then outstanding Company Stock Option with a per share exercise price equal to or greater than the Merger Consideration shall cease to be outstanding, be canceled and cease to exist and the holder of any such Company Stock Option shall not be entitled to payment of any consideration therefor.
(c) Company RSUs. As of the Effective Time, each then outstanding time-based Company RSU (whether or not vested) and the Founder PSUs (irrespective of the share price targets) shall fully vest (to the extent not previously vested) and shall be canceled and converted automatically into the right of the holder thereof to receive a cash payment, without interest, from the Surviving Corporation payable as soon as practicable, but in any event within thirty (30) days, following the Effective Time equal to the product of (A) the Merger Consideration, and (B) the number of shares of Company Class A Common Stock subject to such time-based Company RSU or Founder PSU, as applicable, net of withholding of Taxes as provided in Section 3.2(g). As of the Effective Time, each then outstanding performance-based Company RSU (excluding the Founder PSUs) shall cease to be outstanding, be canceled and cease to exist, and the holder of any such performance-based Company RSU shall not be entitled to payment of any consideration therefor.
(d) Board Actions. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company Board (or, if appropriate, any committee thereof administering any Company Stock Plan) shall take all such actions as are necessary to (i) approve and effectuate the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.4, and (ii) terminate the Company Stock Plans effective as of the Effective Time, in each case, including making any determinations or adopting resolutions of the Company Board or a committee thereof or any administrator of a Company Stock Plan as may be necessary. The Company shall take all actions necessary to ensure that, from and after the Effective Time, neither Parent nor the Surviving Corporation will be required to deliver shares of Company Class A Common Stock or other capital stock of the Company to any Person pursuant to or in settlement of Company Stock Options, Company RSUs or any other awards under any Company Stock Plan.
(e) Parent Actions. Immediately following the Effective Time, Parent shall transfer to the Surviving Corporation cash sufficient to pay the aggregate amounts payable with respect to outstanding Company Stock Awards pursuant to this Section 3.4, to the extent, if any, the Surviving Corporation does not otherwise have sufficient funds to make such payments.
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Section 3.5 Treatment of Company Warrants.
(a) SPAC Warrants. At the Effective Time, each outstanding SPAC Warrant shall, in accordance with its terms, automatically and without any required action on the part of the holder thereof, cease to represent a SPAC Warrant exercisable for Company Class A Common Stock and shall become a SPAC Warrant exercisable for the Merger Consideration. If a holder properly exercises a SPAC Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of the Merger pursuant to a current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the Warrant Price (as defined in the SPAC Warrant Agreement) shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Merger Consideration minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the SPAC Warrant Agreement).
(b) Legacy Warrants. At the Effective Time, each outstanding Legacy Warrant shall, in accordance with its terms, automatically and without any required action on the part of the holder thereof, cease to represent a Legacy Warrant exercisable for Company Class A Common Stock and shall become a Legacy Warrant exercisable for the Merger Consideration.
Section 3.6 Necessary Further Actions. If, at any time after the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall consider or be advised that any deeds, bills of sale, assignments, assurances or any other actions or things are necessary or desirable to continue, vest, perfect or confirm of record or otherwise the Surviving Corporation’s right, title or interest in, to or under, or duty or obligation with respect to, any of the property, rights, privileges, powers or franchises, or any of the debts or liabilities, of the Company as a result of, or in connection with, the Merger, or otherwise to carry out the intent of this Agreement, the officers and directors of the Surviving Corporation shall be authorized to execute and deliver, in the name and on behalf of the Company, all such deeds, bills of sale, assignments, assumptions and assurances and to take and do, in the name and on behalf of the Company or otherwise, all such other actions and things as may be necessary or desirable to continue, vest, perfect or confirm of record or otherwise any and all right, title and interest in, to and under, or duty or obligation with respect to, such property, rights, privileges, powers or franchises, or any such debts or liabilities, in the Surviving Corporation or otherwise to carry out the intent of this Agreement.
Article IV
Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub
Parent and Merger Sub each hereby represents and warrants to the Company that, except as set forth in the corresponding sections or subsections of the disclosure letter delivered to the Company by Parent and the Merger Sub concurrently with entering into this Agreement (the “Parent Disclosure Letter”), it being agreed that disclosure of any item in any section or subsection of the Parent Disclosure Letter shall also be deemed to qualify or apply to each with respect to any other section or subsection of this Agreement to which the relevance of such item is reasonably apparent on its face:
Section 4.1 Organization, Standing and Power. Parent is, and Merger Sub shall upon its formation be, duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is organized and has all requisite corporate power and authority to conduct its businesses as presently conducted and to own, lease and use its assets in the manner in which its assets are currently owned, leased and used, except where the failure to have such power or authority, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 4.2 Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability. Parent has, and Merger Sub shall upon its formation have, all requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder, and to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by Parent and Merger Sub and the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the transactions contemplated hereby (including the Merger) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of Parent and upon its formation, Merger Sub, and, assuming that the Merger is consummated in accordance with Section 251(h) of the DGCL, no other corporate proceedings (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any stockholder approval) on the part of Parent or Merger Sub are necessary to authorize, adopt or approve, as applicable, this Agreement or to consummate the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Parent has and upon its joinder Merger Sub shall have duly executed and delivered this Agreement and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by the Company, this Agreement constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against Parent and upon its joinder, Merger Sub, in accordance with its terms except, in each case, as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity.
Section 4.3 No Conflicts; Consents.
(a) The execution and delivery by Parent of this Agreement does not, and the joinder of Merger Sub to this Agreement will not, and the performance by each of Parent and Merger Sub of its obligations hereunder and the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not, conflict with, or result in any violation of or default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any obligation, any obligation to make an offer to purchase or redeem any Indebtedness or capital stock or any loss of a material benefit under, or result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of Parent or Merger Sub under, any provision of (i) the governing or organizational documents of Parent or Merger Sub; (ii) any written and legally binding contract, lease, license, indenture, note, bond, agreement, undertaking or other instrument (a “Contract”) to which either Parent or Merger Sub is a party or by which any of their respective properties or assets is bound; or (iii) subject to the filings and other matters referred to in Section 4.3(b), any judgment, decree, decision, injunction, ruling, writ or other similar order (“Order”) or statute, law, ordinance, rule, regulation, code, treaty, or other pronouncement having the effect of law, including common law enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered by any Governmental Entity (“Law”), in each case, applicable to Parent or Merger Sub or their respective properties or assets, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, any matters that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
(b) No consent, approval, clearance, waiver or order (each a “Consent”) of or from, or registration, declaration, notice or filing made to or with any government, court of competent jurisdiction, administrative agency or commission or other governmental authority or instrumentality, whether federal, national, state, provincial or local and whether domestic, foreign or supranational (a “Governmental Entity”), is required to be obtained or made by or with respect to Parent or its Affiliates in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or its performance of its obligations hereunder or the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than (i) the filing of the pre-merger notification report under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “HSR Act”), with the United States Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice (the “Antitrust Division”) and compliance with the waiting period requirements under the HSR Act, (ii) such filings and reports as may be required pursuant to the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and any other applicable state or federal securities, takeover and “blue sky” laws, (iii) any filings and approvals required under the rules and regulations of NYSE, (iv) the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Delaware Secretary, (v) the filing of a request for prior approval of the change of control of Volta France Sàrl contemplated by this Agreement with the French Ministry of Economy to be made under article L151-3 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier, and (vi) such other matters that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 4.4 Litigation. As of the date hereof, there is no suit, action or other proceeding pending or, to the Knowledge of Parent, threatened against Parent or Merger Sub that, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Parent Material Adverse Effect, nor is there any Order outstanding against or, to the Knowledge of Parent, threatened against Parent or Merger Sub that, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.5 Absence of Certain Agreements. Other than the Voting Agreement, Parent has not entered into any contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding, or authorized, committed or agreed to enter into any Contract, arrangement or understanding, pursuant to which: (a) any stockholder of the Company would be entitled to receive consideration of a different amount or nature than the Merger Consideration or pursuant to which any stockholder of the Company (i) agrees to vote to adopt this Agreement or the Merger, or (ii) agrees to vote against any Superior Proposal; or (b) any third party has agreed to provide equity capital, directly or indirectly, to Parent or Merger Sub to finance in whole or in part the Merger.
Section 4.6 Brokers’ Fees and Expenses. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s or other similar fee or commission in connection with the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of Parent or its Affiliates for which Company or any of its Affiliates would be liable.
Section 4.7 Capitalization of Merger Sub. Upon its formation, the authorized share capital of Merger Sub shall consist of 1,000 shares, par value $0.001 per share, 1,000 of which are validly issued and outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding share capital of Merger Sub upon its joinder and at the Effective Time will be, owned by Parent, and Merger Sub, upon its formation, shall be a direct wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent. Merger Sub was formed solely for the purpose of engaging in the transactions contemplated hereby, and it has not conducted any business prior to the date hereof other than business and activities incidental to its formation and organization and maintenance of its corporate existence and has no, and prior to the Effective Time will have no, assets, liabilities or obligations of any nature other than those incident to its formation and pursuant to this Agreement and the Merger and other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 4.8 Ownership of Company Class A Common Stock. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub, nor any “affiliate” or “associate” of either of the foregoing, is, nor at any time during the last three (3) years has been, an “interested stockholder” of the Company, in each case as defined in Section 203 of the DGCL. Neither Parent nor any of its Affiliates beneficially own (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) any shares of Company Class A Common Stock or any options, warrants or other rights to acquire Company Class A Common Stock or other securities of, or any other economic interest (through derivative securities or otherwise) in, the Company.
Section 4.9 Adequacy of Funds. (i) Parent or an Affiliate of Parent (with respect to the Initial Bridge Loan) has, as of the date hereof, access to sufficient and immediately available funds to provide the Initial Bridge Loan to the Company or the applicable Company Subsidiary immediately following the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (ii) Parent or an Affiliate of Parent (with respect to any other Bridge Loan) has, as of the date hereof, and Parent or an Affiliate of Parent (with respect to any other Bridge Loan) will have, as and when needed, access to sufficient and immediately available funds to provide any other Bridge Loans to the Company or the applicable Company Subsidiary, and (iii) Parent has, as of the date hereof, and will have, as and when needed, including as of the Closing Date, access to sufficient and immediately available funds to pay, and to cause Merger Sub to pay, the aggregate consideration payable in the Merger and to consummate and perform, and to cause Merger Sub to consummate and perform, its respective obligations with respect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby on the terms and subject to the conditions contemplated hereby.
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Article V
Representations and Warranties of the Company
The Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Sub as of the date hereof and, subject to Section 8.3(a), as of the Closing Date, that, except (a) as disclosed in the Company SEC Documents filed with, or furnished to, the SEC on or after August 26, 2021 and publicly available no less than one (1) Business Day prior to the date of this Agreement (but excluding in the case of this clause (a) any disclosures set forth therein under the heading “Risk Factors” (other than factual information contained therein) or any disclosure constituting “forward-looking statements” or other disclosures to the extent they are similarly predictive or forward-looking in nature (it being agreed that nothing disclosed in a Company SEC Report will be deemed to modify or qualify the representations and warranties set forth in Section 5.1, Section 5.2, Section 5.3, Section 5.4, or Section 5.28)), or (b) as set forth in the corresponding sections or subsections of the disclosure letter delivered to Parent by the Company concurrently with entering into this Agreement (the “Company Disclosure Letter”), it being agreed that, except as expressly indicated on any section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Letter, disclosure of any item in any section or subsection of the Company Disclosure Letter shall also be deemed to qualify or apply to each with respect to any other section or subsection of this Agreement to which the relevance of such item is reasonably apparent on its face:
Section 5.1 Organization, Standing and Power. Each of the Company and each of the Company Subsidiaries is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is organized (in the case of good standing, to the extent such jurisdiction recognizes such concept). Each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries has all requisite power and authority to conduct its businesses as presently conducted and to own, lease and use its assets in the manner in which its assets are currently owned, leased and used, except as would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in Section 5.1 of the Company Disclosure Letter, each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries is duly qualified or licensed to do business in each jurisdiction where the nature of its business or the ownership or leasing of its properties make such qualification necessary, other than in such jurisdictions where the failure to be so qualified or licensed would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company has delivered or made available to Parent, prior to execution of this Agreement, true and complete copies of the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Company in effect as of the date of this Agreement (the “Company Charter”) and the amended and restated bylaws of the Company in effect as of the date of this Agreement (the “Company Bylaws”) and true and complete copies of the articles of incorporation, bylaws and limited liability company agreements (or equivalent constituent documents) of each Company Subsidiary in effect as of the date of this Agreement and all of the foregoing documents are in full force and effect and none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is in material violation of any applicable provisions of any such documents.
Section 5.2 Company Subsidiaries.
(a) All of the outstanding shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, each Company Subsidiary have been validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable and are owned by the Company, by a Company Subsidiary or by the Company and a Company Subsidiary, free and clear of all Liens, excluding Permitted Liens, and free of any other material restriction (including any restriction on the right to vote, sell or otherwise dispose of such capital stock, voting securities or other equity interests), except for restrictions imposed by applicable securities Laws. Except as set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there are no issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding, and there are no outstanding obligations of any Company Subsidiary to issue, deliver or sell, or cause to be issued, delivered or sold, (x) any capital stock or any securities of such Company Subsidiary convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, such Company Subsidiary, (y) any warrants, calls, options, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights or other rights to acquire from such Company Subsidiary, any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, such Company Subsidiary, or (z) any rights issued by, or other obligations of, such Company Subsidiary that are linked in any way to the price of any class of capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, such Company Subsidiary, the value of such Company Subsidiary or any part of such Company Subsidiary or any dividends or other distributions declared or paid on any shares of capital stock of or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, such Company Subsidiary. Section 5.2(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a true, correct and complete list as of the date of this Agreement of each of the Company Subsidiaries and their respective jurisdictions of organization.
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(b) Except for the capital stock and voting securities of, and other equity interests in, the Company Subsidiaries, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary owns, directly or indirectly, any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, or any interest convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, any Person, in each case, other than securities held for investment by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries in the Ordinary Course of Business.
(c) Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary (i) owns any share capital of, or any equity interest of any nature in, any other Person, other than Subsidiaries of the Company, or (ii) has agreed or is obligated to make, or is bound by any Contract under which it may become obligated to make, any material future investment in or material capital contribution to any other Person.
Section 5.3 Capital Structure.
(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 350,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, 50,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class B Common Stock”), and 10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Preferred Stock” and, together with the Company Class A Common Stock and the Company Class B Common Stock, the “Company Capital Stock”). At the close of business on January 13, 2023 (the “Capitalization Date”), (i) 174,411,561 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were issued and outstanding (of which no shares were subject to vesting restrictions pursuant to the Company Stock Plans); (ii) no shares of Company Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock were issued and held in treasury; (iii) no shares of Class B Common Stock were issued and outstanding; (iv) no shares of Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding; (v) 25,583,711 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were reserved and available for issuance pursuant to the Company Stock Plans; (vi) 6,272,041 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were issuable upon exercise of outstanding Company Stock Options; (vii) 18,313,743 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were subject to outstanding Company RSUs; (viii) 8,621,440 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were issuable upon exercise of outstanding Public Warrants; (ix) 5,933,333 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were issuable upon exercise of outstanding Private Placement Warrants; and (x) 9,773,835 shares of Company Class A Common Stock were issuable upon exercise of outstanding Legacy Warrants. There is no current purchase period in effect under the Volta Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Except as set forth in Section 5.3(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter and for the issuance of any Class A Common Stock pursuant to a Company Stock Award or a Company Warrant that was issued and outstanding as of the Capitalization Date, since the Capitalization Date, the Company has not issued any Company Capital Stock, Company Warrants, Company Stock Options or Company RSUs or other equity or equity-based awards or warrants. Except as set forth in Section 5.3(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there are no issued, reserved for issuance or outstanding, and there are no outstanding obligations of the Company to issue, deliver or sell, or cause to be issued, delivered or sold, (x) any capital stock or any securities of the Company convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, the Company, (y) any warrants, calls, options, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights or other rights to acquire from the Company, or any other obligation of the Company to issue, deliver or sell, or cause to be issued, delivered or sold, any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, the Company, or (z) any rights issued by, or other obligations of, the Company that are linked in any way to the price of any class of Company Capital Stock, the value of the Company or any part of the Company or any dividends or other distributions declared or paid on any shares of capital stock of the Company. No Company Stock Option has been granted with an exercise price less than the fair market value of a share of Company Class A Common Stock on the date of grant.
(b) Section 5.3(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list, as of the Capitalization Date, of each outstanding Company Stock Award, in each case specifying the employee ID of the holder, the type of award, the number of underlying shares of Company Class A Common Stock, the date of grant, and, if applicable, the exercise price per share of Company Class A Common Stock and the expiration date.
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(c) Section 5.3(c) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list, as of the Capitalization Date, of each outstanding Company Warrant, in each case specifying the holder, the type of Company Warrant, the number of underlying shares of Company Class A Common Stock, the exercise price (including any adjustments thereto), and the expiration date.
(d) All outstanding shares of Company Class A Common Stock are, and, at the time of issuance, all such shares that may be issued (i) upon the exercise of Company Stock Options, (ii) upon the vesting or settlement of Company RSUs pursuant to the Company Stock Plans and applicable award agreements, or (iii) upon the exercise of Company Warrants, will be, duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and not subject to, or issued in violation of, any purchase option, call option, right of first refusal, preemptive right, subscription right or any similar right under any provision of the DGCL, the Company Charter, the Company Bylaws or any Contract to which the Company is a party or bound. All grants of equity-based awards or other rights with respect to shares of Company Class A Common Stock to current or former directors, officers, employees, agents or consultants of the Company or any Company Subsidiary have been made in all material respects in accordance with applicable Law and the terms of the applicable Company Stock Plans and award agreements thereunder, as applicable, and any policy of the Company or Company Board (including any committee thereof) relating to the grant of such awards or rights. Except for acquisitions, or deemed acquisitions, of Company Class A Common Stock or other equity securities of the Company in connection with (x) the payment of the exercise price of Company Stock Options with Company Class A Common Stock (including in connection with “net exercises”), (y) required Tax withholding in connection with the exercise of, vesting or settlement of Company Stock Awards, and (z) forfeitures of Company Stock Awards, there are no outstanding obligations of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any shares of capital stock or voting securities or other equity interests of the Company or any Company Subsidiary. There are no debentures, bonds, notes or other Indebtedness of the Company or any Company Subsidiary having the right to vote (or convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matters on which the Company’s stockholders may vote (“Company Voting Debt”). None of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is a party to or otherwise bound by any voting agreement voting trust, shareholder agreement, proxy or other agreement in effect with respect to the voting of any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, the Company, or restricting the transfer of, or providing registration rights with respect to such capital stock, voting securities or other equity.
Section 5.4 Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder, and subject to receiving the Requisite Stockholder Approval, to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company Board has, by resolutions duly adopted by the requisite vote of the directors, (a) determined that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, are advisable, (b) determined that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, (c) approved this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger and the Voting Agreement, (d) assuming the accuracy of the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.8, taken all actions necessary so that the restrictions on business combinations and stockholder vote requirements contained in Section 203 of the DGCL will not apply with respect to or as a result of the Merger, this Agreement, the Voting Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby, (e) directed that the adoption of this Agreement be submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Company at a meeting of the stockholders of the Company; and (f) recommended that the stockholders of the Company vote in favor of the adoption of this Agreement in accordance with the DGCL (such recommendation, the “Company Recommendation”) (provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, any Adverse Recommendation Change by the Company Board in accordance with Section 6.3(d) shall not be a breach of the representation or warranty in this sentence). The Company has duly executed and delivered this Agreement, and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery hereof by Parent and the joinder of Merger Sub, this Agreement constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms except as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity.
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Section 5.5 Requisite Stockholder Approval. Assuming the accuracy of the representations in Section 4.8, the only vote of stockholders of the Company required under the DGCL, the Company Charter, the Company Bylaws and the rules and regulations of NYSE in order for the Company to validly perform its obligations under this Agreement is the adoption of this Agreement by the affirmative vote of a majority of the aggregate voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of Company Class A Common Stock (the “Requisite Stockholder Approval”).
Section 5.6 No Conflicts; Consents.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 5.6 of the Company Disclosure Letter, the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement does not, and the performance by it of its obligations hereunder and the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not, conflict with, or result in any violation of or default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any obligation under, any obligation to make an offer to purchase or redeem any Indebtedness or capital stock or any loss of a material benefit under, or result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Company Subsidiary under, any provision of (i) the Company Charter, the Company Bylaws or the governing or organizational documents of any Company Subsidiary; (ii) any Material Contract to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party or by which any of their respective properties or assets is bound; or (iii) subject to the filings and other matters referred to in Section 5.6(b), any Order or Law, in each case, applicable to the Company or any Company Subsidiary or their respective properties or assets, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, any matters that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(b) No Consent of or from, or registration, declaration, notice or filing made to or with any Governmental Entity is required to be obtained or made by or with respect to the Company or any Company Subsidiary in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or its performance of its obligations hereunder and thereunder or the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than (i) the filing of the pre-merger notification report under the HSR Act with the FTC and the Antitrust Division and compliance with the waiting period requirements of the HSR Act; (ii) the filing with the SEC of the Proxy Statement; (iii) the filing with the SEC of such reports under, and such other compliance with, the Exchange Act and the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as may be required in connection with this Agreement, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (iv) the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Delaware Secretary and appropriate documents with the relevant authorities of the other jurisdictions in which the Company and the Company Subsidiaries are qualified to do business; (v) compliance with NYSE rules and regulations; (vi) the filing of a request for prior approval of the change of control of Volta France Sàrl contemplated by this Agreement with the French Ministry of Economy to be made under article L151-3 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier; and (vii) such other Consent, registration, declaration, notice or filing (x) that arises as a result of the identity, nature or ownership of Parent or Merger Sub or (y) the failure of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 5.7 Company SEC Documents; Undisclosed Liabilities.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 5.7 of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company has timely furnished or filed (as applicable), together with any amendments required to be made with respect thereto, all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents (including exhibits and other information incorporated therein) required to be furnished or filed by the Company with the SEC since August 26, 2021 (such documents, together with any documents filed with the SEC during such period by the Company on a voluntary basis on a Current Report on Form 8-K, being collectively referred to as the “Company SEC Documents”).
(b) Each Company SEC Documents (i) at the time filed, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or the Securities Act, as the case may be, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder applicable to such Company SEC Documents, and (ii) did not at the time it was filed (or if amended or superseded by a filing or amendment prior to the date of this Agreement, then at the time of such filing or amendment) contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. As of the date of this Agreement, there are no outstanding comments from or unresolved issues raised by the SEC with respect to any Company SEC Document. None of the Company Subsidiaries are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Each of the consolidated financial statements of the Company (including any related notes and schedules) included in the Company SEC Documents (A) have been prepared from, and are in accordance with, the books and records of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, and (B) complied at the time it was filed as to form in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, was prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) (except, in the case of unaudited statements, as permitted by Form 10-Q of the SEC) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be indicated in the notes thereto) and fairly presented in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated Company Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and the consolidated results of their operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders’ equity for the periods shown (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to the absence of footnote disclosure and to normal year-end adjustments that are not material in nature). No financial statements of any Person other than the consolidated Company Subsidiaries are required by GAAP to be included in the consolidated financial statements of the Company. Since January 1, 2022, there has been no material change in the Company’s accounting methods or principles that would be required to be disclosed in the Company’s financial statements in accordance with GAAP, except as described in the notes thereto. The accounting books and records of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have since December 31, 2019 been, and are being, maintained in all material respects in accordance with GAAP and reflect only actual transactions. Grant Thornton LLP has not resigned (or informed the Company that it intends to resign) or been dismissed as independent public accountants of the Company as a result of or in connection with any disagreements with the Company on a matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure.
(c) The Company has made available to Parent copies of all comment letters received by the Company from the SEC since August 26, 2021 relating to the Company SEC Documents, together with all written responses of the Company thereto. As of the date of this Agreement, (i) there are no outstanding or unresolved comments in any such comment letters received by the Company from the SEC, and (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, none of the Company SEC Documents is the subject of any ongoing review by the SEC.
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(d) Neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries is a party to, or has any commitment to become a party to, any joint venture, off-balance sheet partnership or any similar Contract (including any Contract or arrangement relating to any transaction or relationship between or among the Company and any Company Subsidiary, on the one hand, and any unconsolidated affiliate, including any structured finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity or person, on the other hand, or any “off-balance sheet arrangements” (as defined in Item 303(a) of Regulation S-K)), where the result, purpose or intended effect of such Contract is to avoid disclosure of any material transaction involving, or material liabilities of, the Company or any Company Subsidiary in the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s published financial statements or other Company SEC Documents.
(e) Except (i) as reflected or reserved against in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2022 (or the notes thereto) included in the Company SEC Documents, (ii) for liabilities and obligations incurred in connection with the negotiation, execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement or the Merger, and (iii) for liabilities and obligations that have been incurred in the Ordinary Course of Business since September 30, 2022, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has any liabilities or obligations of any nature (whether accrued, absolute, contingent, matured or unmatured or otherwise) which are required to be recorded or reflected on a balance sheet, including the footnotes thereto, under GAAP.
(f) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries have established and maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting, including assurance that (i) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis, (ii) receipts and expenditures are executed in accordance with the authorization of management, and (iii) any unauthorized use, acquisition or disposition of the Company’s assets that would materially affect the Company’s financial statements would be detected or prevented in a timely manner. The Company has, in material compliance with Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, designed disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated Subsidiaries, is made known to the principal executive officer of the Company and the principal financial officer of the Company by others within those entities. Except as set forth on Section 5.7(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter, since December 31, 2020, there has not been and is not any (A) “significant deficiency” or “material weakness” (as such terms are defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) which would be reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information, or (B) fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
(g) The Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a 15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) are designed to ensure that (i) all information (both financial and non-financial) required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported to the individuals responsible for preparing such reports within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and (ii) all such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management or to other individuals responsible for preparing such reports as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company required under the Exchange Act with respect to such reports.
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(h) Since December 31, 2020, (i) neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, employee with responsibility for bookkeeping or accounting functions, auditor or accountant of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries has received any substantive written complaint, allegation, assertion or claim regarding the accounting or auditing practices, procedures or methodologies of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries or their respective internal accounting controls, including any material written complaint, allegation, assertion or claim that the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries has engaged in illegal or improper accounting or auditing practices, and (ii) no attorney representing the Company or any of Company Subsidiaries, whether or not employed by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, has reported evidence of a material violation of securities Laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or agents to the Company Board or any committee thereof or to any director or officer of the Company or any Company Subsidiary.
(i) Except as set forth in Section 5.7(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all current listing and corporate governance requirements of NYSE.
(j) Section 5.7(j) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth the Indebtedness of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and the Company’s good faith estimate of the aggregate amount of cash and cash equivalents of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, in each case, as of the date immediately prior to the date hereof.
Section 5.8 Absence of Certain Changes or Events. Except as set forth in Section 5.8 of the Company Disclosure Letter, from September 30, 2022 to the date of this Agreement, (a) there has not occurred a Company Material Adverse Effect, (b) each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries has conducted its respective business in the Ordinary Course of Business in all material respects, and (c) neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has taken any action that, if taken after the date hereof, would have required Parent’s consent pursuant to Section 6.1.
Section 5.9 Taxes.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 5.9(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, each of the Company and each Company Subsidiary has: (i) timely filed or caused to be filed, taking into account any applicable extensions, all income and other material Tax Returns required to have been filed by it, such Tax Returns are true, accurate and complete in all material respects and were prepared in compliance with all applicable Laws in all material respects; and (ii) paid all income and other material Taxes required to have been paid by it. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary is the beneficiary of any extension of time within which to file any Tax Return (other than automatic extensions that do not require any action by any tax authority).
(b) For taxable years for which the applicable statute of limitations for an assessment of Taxes has not expired, no deficiency for any Tax has been proposed, asserted or assessed in writing by a taxing authority against the Company or any Company Subsidiary which deficiency has not been fully paid, fully settled or finally withdrawn. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has waived or extended any statute of limitation for the assessment or collection of any Tax (other than an extension or waiver arising as a result of obtaining any automatic extension of time to file a Tax Return that does not require any action by any tax authority), which waiver or extension is still outstanding.
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(c) Except as set forth in Section 5.9(c) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there are no audits, suits, proceedings, investigations, claims, examinations or other administrative or judicial proceedings ongoing, pending or threatened in writing with respect to any Taxes or Tax Returns of the Company or any Company Subsidiary.
(d) Each of the Company and each Company Subsidiary has complied in all material respects with all applicable Tax Laws with respect to the collection or withholding of Taxes, including all related information reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
(e) Except as set forth in Section 5.9(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter, no Liens for Taxes exist against the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries or any of their assets, except for Liens for Taxes not yet due and payable.
(f) Within the past six (6) years, no written claim has been received by the Company or any Company Subsidiary from any taxing authority (whether within or without the United States) in a jurisdiction where the Company or Company Subsidiary, as applicable, does not file a particular Tax Return or pay a particular Tax that indicates that the Company or Company Subsidiary, as applicable, may by obligated to file such Tax Return or pay such Tax, which claim has not been settled, resolved or withdrawn.
(g) For taxable years for which the applicable statute of limitations for an assessment of Taxes has not expired, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has any liability for Taxes of any Person (other than the Company and the Company Subsidiaries) under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar provision of local, state or foreign Law), or as a transferee or successor. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary will have any liability to make any payment pursuant to Section 965 of the Code after the Closing.
(h) Except as set forth in Section 5.9(h) of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary (i) has any application pending with the IRS or other taxing authority requesting permission for any changes in accounting methods nor has the IRS or any other taxing authority notified the Company or any Company Subsidiary in writing that it is or may be required to change any accounting method; (ii) has requested or received a letter ruling from the IRS or other tax authority; or (iii) will be required to include any material item of income in, or exclude any material item of deduction from, taxable income for any taxable period (or portion thereof) ending after the date of the Closing under any provision of federal, state, local or foreign Tax Law or by agreement with any Governmental Entity as a result of (A) an installment sale or open transaction disposition on or prior to the Closing, (B) a closing agreement (whether under Section 7121 of the Code or under any corresponding provision of state, local or foreign Tax Law) executed on or prior to the Closing, (C) any intercompany transaction within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-13 occurring prior to the Closing or any excess loss account within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-19 (or any corresponding or similar provision or administrative rule of state, local or non-U.S. Tax Law) in existence as of the Closing, (D) any “gain recognition agreement” described in Treasury Regulations issued under Section 367 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision or administrative rule of state, local or non-U.S. Tax Law) entered into by the Company or any Company Subsidiary prior to the Closing, (E) the use of an improper method of accounting for a period (or portion thereof) ending on or prior to the date of the Closing, or (F) any prepaid amount received outside of the Ordinary Course of Business on or prior to the date of the Closing.
(i) None of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party to or is bound by any Tax sharing, allocation or indemnification agreement or arrangement, other than such an agreement or arrangement (i) solely between or among the Company and the wholly owned Company Subsidiaries or between or among wholly owned Company Subsidiaries, or (ii) that was entered into in the Ordinary Course of Business and the primary purpose of which is not related to Taxes.
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(j) None of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is or has been a member of an affiliated group filing consolidated or combined Tax Returns (other than a group of which the Company or a Company Subsidiary is or was the common parent).
(k) Within the past two (2) years or otherwise as part of a “plan (or series of related transactions)” within the meaning of Section 355(e) of the Code of which the merger is also a part, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has been a “distributing corporation” or a “controlled corporation” in a distribution intended to qualify for tax-free treatment under Section 355 of the Code.
(l) None of the Company or any Company Subsidiary has participated in any “listed transaction” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.6011-4(b)(2).
(m) To the Company’s Knowledge, the Company and each Company Subsidiary are in compliance in all material respects with all transfer pricing requirements and Laws in all jurisdictions in which the Company or such Company Subsidiary, as the case may be, does business or has a taxable presence.
Section 5.10 Benefits Matters; ERISA Compliance.
(a) Section 5.10(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a list, as of the date of this Agreement, of all Benefit Plans maintained, or contributed (or with respect to which there is an obligation to contribute) to, by the Company or a Company Subsidiary (each, a “Company Entity”) or any ERISA Affiliate for the benefit of any present or former director, officer, employee, or service provider of any Company Entity, or with respect to which any Company Entity has any liability, including through an affiliation with an ERISA Affiliate (collectively, the “Company Benefit Plans”). Each Company Benefit Plan has been maintained and administered in material compliance with its terms and in compliance with applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code or any other applicable Law. Each Company Benefit Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and has received a favorable determination letter from the IRS, or, in the case of a preapproved plan, the underlying preapproved plan is subject to a favorable opinion or advisory letter from the IRS and no event has occurred and no condition exists that is reasonably likely to result in the revocation by the IRS of the tax-qualification of any such Company Benefit Plan. All contributions and premiums required by and due from any Company Entity under the terms of each Company Benefit Plan or applicable Law have been timely paid or accrued in accordance with the terms of such Company Benefit Plan and the requirements of applicable Laws in all material respects.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 5.10(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter, none of the Company Entities has incurred, and, to the Company’s Knowledge, no event has occurred and no condition or circumstance exists that could result, directly or indirectly, in, any liability of any Company Entity (including, without limitation, any indirect, contingent or secondary liability, including through an ERISA Affiliate) (i) under Title IV or Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 or 4971 of the Code arising in connection with any employee pension benefit plan covered or previously covered by Title IV or Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or (ii) for failure to comply with the continuation of coverage requirements of ERISA Section 601 et seq. and Section 4980B of the Code. No Company Benefit Plan is a self-funded health or welfare benefit plan or a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association (within the meaning of Section 501(c)(9) of the Code). No asset or property of any Company Entity is subject to any lien arising under Section 430(k) of the Code or Section 303(k) or Section 4068 of ERISA. None of the Company Entities nor any of its ERISA Affiliates has ever maintained, contributed to, or ever had any liability with respect to, any Benefit Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA or any “multiemployer plan” (as described in Section 4001(a)(3) or Section 3(37) of ERISA) (a “Multiemployer Plan”) for which any Company Entity has any liability.
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(c) Each Company Entity and each Company Benefit Plan, as applicable, have complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, and no Company Entity has incurred or expects to incur any penalty or Tax (whether or not assessed) under Section 4980H or Section 4980D of the Code related to the applicable requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The Company Entities have timely filed true, complete and correct Forms 1094-C and Forms 1095-C with respect to their employer group medical coverage, in each case to the extent required by Law.
(d) Other than as required under Section 601 et seq. of ERISA or Section 4980B of the Code or applicable Law, no Company Benefit Plan provides, and no Company Entity has any obligation to provide, for post-employment or retiree health, life insurance and/or other welfare benefits the full premium cost of which is paid by the applicable covered individual.
(e) With respect to each Company Benefit Plan, the Company has made available to Parent, to the extent applicable: (i) the most recent governing plan documents and all amendments thereto and the most recent trust documents and all amendments thereto, (ii) the most recent summary plan description and summaries of material modification thereto, and (iii) the most recent determination, advisory and/or opinion letter received from the IRS and (iv) the most recent annual report (Form 5500 series, including all required schedules and financial statements with respect thereto). There are no (x) pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened claims (other than routine claims for benefits) or (y) pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened investigations or audits by a Governmental Entity against any Company Entity with respect to any Company Benefit Plan as to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has received written notice.
(f) Except as set forth in Section 5.10(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, whether alone or together with any other event, will (i) entitle any employee of any Company Entity to severance pay or any other payment or benefit; nor (ii) trigger any funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise), accelerate the time of payment, funding or vesting, or increase the amount of any compensation, severance or other benefits to any employee of any Company Entity or under any Company Benefit Plan.
(g) All compensation plans, programs, policies, contracts and arrangements of the Company Entities are either exempt from or in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, in both documentation and operation. No Company Entity has any obligation to “gross-up,” reimburse, make whole or otherwise indemnify any individual for the imposition of any tax, interest, or penalties under Section 4999 of the Code or under Section 409A of the Code.
(h) Section 5.10(h) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a true and complete list of each individual who is a “covered employee” (within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code) with respect to the Company.
(i) Section 5.10(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a list of all Company Benefit Plans providing for compensation or benefits to employees of any Company Entity or any ERISA Affiliate of any Company Entity who are providing services at a location, which are subject to the Laws of any jurisdiction outside of the United States (other than statutory plans) (a “Foreign Plan”). With respect to any Foreign Plan: (i) each such Foreign Plan has been maintained in all material respects in accordance with all applicable requirements and all applicable Laws; (ii) if it is intended to qualify for special tax treatment, such Foreign Plan meets all applicable requirements for such treatment; (iii) if it is intended to be funded and/or book-reserved, then each such Foreign Plan is fully funded and/or book reserved, as appropriate, based upon reasonable actuarial assumptions and applicable GAAP; and (iv) no material liability exists or reasonably could be imposed upon the assets of any Company Entity or any ERISA Affiliate of any Company Entity by reason of such Foreign Plan.
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Section 5.11 Litigation. Except as set forth on Section 5.11 of the Company Disclosure Letter, as of the date hereof, there is no, and since December 31, 2019, there has been no claim, demand, charge, complaint, suit, action, arbitration, audit, examination, other proceeding or, to the Knowledge of the Company, investigation, pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any present or former officer or director of the Company that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, nor as of the date hereof is there any Order outstanding against or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any Company Subsidiary (or that, upon consummation of the Merger, would apply to the Surviving Corporation or any of its Affiliates) that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
Section 5.12 Compliance with Applicable Laws. Except as set forth in Section 5.12 of the Company Disclosure Letter, since December 31, 2019, the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries has been conducted in compliance with all Laws applicable thereto in all material respects. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect, since December 31, 2019, the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries has at all times maintained and been in compliance with all franchises, licenses, permits, authorizations, variances, exemptions or approvals required by all Laws applicable thereto. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has received any written notice from a Governmental Entity since December 31, 2019, alleging that the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is not in material compliance with any Law applicable to the Company or such Company Subsidiary, as applicable.
Section 5.13 Material Permits. Except as set forth in Section 5.13 of the Company Disclosure Letter or as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of the Company Subsidiaries possesses all material Permits that are necessary for it to own, lease or otherwise hold and operate its properties and assets and to carry on its businesses and operations as conducted as of the date hereof. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect, (a) all such Permits are in full force and effect, and (b) neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received written notice of any material default under, or the revocation, cancellation, non-renewal or adverse modification of, any such Permit.
Section 5.14 Contracts.
(a) As of the date of this Agreement, none of the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party to any Contract required to be filed by the Company as a “material contract” pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K (a “Filed Company Contract”) that has not been so filed.
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(b) Except for this Agreement, the Filed Company Contracts, the Bridge Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement, Section 5.14(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth, as of the date of this Agreement, a true and complete list, and the Company has made available to Parent true and complete copies, of:
(i) each Contract to which the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is a party that purports to restrict in any material respect the ability of the Company or any Company Subsidiaries to (A) compete in any line of business or geographic area, or (B) solicit any customers or individuals for employment, in each case that is material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(ii) each Contract that relates to the creation, incurrence, assumption, security of, or guarantee of Indebtedness in excess of $1,000,000 (other than any Indebtedness described in clause (iii) of the definition of Indebtedness) of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries that is outstanding or may be incurred by its terms, other than any such agreement solely between or among the Company and the wholly owned Company Subsidiaries or between or among wholly owned Company Subsidiaries;
(iii) each partnership, joint venture, limited liability agreement or similar Contract to which the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is a party relating to the formation, creation, operation, management or control of any partnership or joint venture or to the ownership of any equity interest in any entity or business enterprise other than the Company Subsidiaries or securities held for investment by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(iv) each material Contract between the Company or any Company Subsidiary, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, (A) any present executive, officer or director of either the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries, or (B) to the Knowledge of the Company, any affiliate of any such executive, officer or director (other than the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries), in each case, other than those Contracts filed as exhibits (including exhibits incorporated by reference) to any Company SEC Documents and other than any Company Benefit Plan;
(v) any labor, collective bargaining agreement or similar agreement with any collective bargaining representative, works council or industry trade group to which the Company or a Company Subsidiary is a party;
(vi) each Contract relating to the disposition or acquisition by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries of any material business or any material amount of assets (x) with material obligations remaining to be performed or material liabilities continuing after the date of this Agreement, and (y) involving consideration in excess of $1,000,000;
(vii) each Contract that is material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, pursuant to which the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is a party that currently grants to any Person an exclusive license with respect to any Company Intellectual Property that (A) grants any license to any Person to use any of the Company Intellectual Property, excluding non-exclusive licenses granted to customers in connection with the sale of products or services entered into in the Ordinary Course of Business, or (B) receives any license from any Person to use the Intellectual Property Rights of a third party, in each case, excluding any Contract pursuant to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary receives any license to use any Off-the-Shelf Software or receives any non-exclusive licenses entered into in the Ordinary Course of Business (collectively, the “IP License Agreements”);
(viii) each research or development agreement (whether related to singular or joint research or development) to which the Company or a Company Subsidiary is a party that is material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
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(ix) each Contract with a third party to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party that would reasonably be expected to involve aggregate payments by the Company or such Company Subsidiary during calendar year 2021 or any subsequent twelve (12)-month period of at least $1,500,000;
(x) each Contract with a third party to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party that would reasonably be expected to involve aggregate payments to the Company or such Company Subsidiary during calendar year 2022 of at least $1,500,000;
(xi) any Contract pursuant to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary grants any third party any “most favored nation” or similar most favored customer status, or rights of first or last offer, negotiation or refusal, in each case, that cannot be cancelled by the Company or any Company Subsidiary without penalty upon less than ninety (90) days’ notice and which is material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(xii) any Contract that requires the Company to incur to any future capital expenditures by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries in excess of $1,000,000 individually or $10,000,000 in the aggregate;
(xiii) any Contract between the Company or any Company Subsidiary and a U.S. federal or state Governmental Entity of which the Company has Knowledge, pursuant to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary provides any goods or services;
(xiv) any Contract with a third party that provides for indemnification or assumption of liability by the Company or any Company Subsidiary without limit as to aggregate amount but excluding any such Contract with resellers, customers, licensees or suppliers in their capacity as such;
(xv) any Contract to which the Company or a Company Subsidiary is a party providing for the payment, increase or vesting of any material benefits or compensation in connections with the transactions contemplated hereby;
(xvi) any hedging, swap, derivative or similar Contract; and
(xvii) any Contract that involves any resolution or settlement of any actual or threatened suit, action or proceeding (x) with a value in excess of $500,000 individually, (y) that provides for any injunctive relief, or (z) pursuant to which the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries have any other continuing non-monetary, material obligations, liabilities or restrictions.
Each Contract described in this Section 5.14(b) and each Filed Company Contract, in each case, is referred to herein as a “Material Contract”.
(c) Except as set forth in Section 5.14(c) of the Company Disclosure Letter or for matters which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect, (i) each Material Contract is in full force and effect and a valid, binding and legally enforceable obligation of the Company or one of the Company Subsidiaries, as the case may be, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, of the other parties thereto, except, in each case, as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity, and (ii) none of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) in breach or default under any such Material Contract and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no other party to any such Material Contract is (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) in breach or default thereunder, except, in the case of clause (i), with respect to any Material Contract which expires by its terms (as in effect as of the date hereof). As of the date of this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has received any written notice regarding any actual or alleged material violation or breach of or material default under, or intention to cancel or materially modify to the detriment of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, any Material Contract, except in each case as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
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Section 5.15 Real Properties; Title to Assets.
(a) Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary owns or has owned any real property.
(b) Section 5.15(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains, as of the date of this Agreement, a true, correct and complete list of all real property, other than Site Leases, that is leased, subleased, sub-subleased, or licensed to, or otherwise occupied by, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, as applicable, (such property, the “Leased Real Property”), and sets forth a list of any and all leases, subleases, sub-subleases, licenses, sublicenses and occupancy agreements and purchase options for the use of the Leased Real Property to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party with respect thereto (collectively, including all modifications and amendments thereto, the “Real Estate Leases”). The Company or one of the Company Subsidiaries, as the case may be, hold good, valid and subsisting leasehold interests in the Leased Real Property and, except as would not be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole, the Site Leases, pursuant to the applicable Real Estate Lease or Site Leases, subject to proper authorization and execution of such Real Estate Lease or Site Leases by the other parties thereto and Permitted Liens, except in each case (in the case of each Real Estate Lease), or as would not be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole (in the case of the Site Leases), as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. True and complete copies of all Real Estate Leases and material Site Leases have been made available to Parent, and such Real Estate Leases and material Site Leases have not been amended, modified or supplemented in any material respect except as reflected in the modifications, amendments and supplements thereto made available to Parent.
(c) Each Real Estate Lease and, except as would not be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole (in the case of the Site Leases), the Site Lease Leases, (i) are in full force and effect and valid, binding and legally enforceable obligations of the Company or one of the Company Subsidiaries, as the case may be, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, of the other parties thereto, except, in each case as enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity; and (ii) except with respect to any Permitted Liens, have not been assigned in any manner by the Company or any of the applicable Company Subsidiaries.
(d) Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received written notice of any existing material default or event of default by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries under any Real Estate Lease or with respect to the Site Leases that are material to the Company and the Company subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no other party or parties to any such Real Estate Lease or with respect to the Site Leases that are material to the Company and the Company subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) is in material breach or default thereunder.
(e) The Leased Real Property and the Site Leases constitute all of the real property occupied or otherwise used by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries as of the date hereof. The Leased Real Property, and with respect to the Site Leases that are material to the Company and the Company subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are in all material respects in good operating condition and in a state of good and working maintenance and repair, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and is believed by the management of the Company to be adequate and suitable for its current uses and purposes. To the Knowledge of the Company, there are no physical conditions or defects on any part of the Leased Real Property or with respect to the Site Leases that are material to the Company and the Company subsidiaries, taken as a whole, that would materially impair or would be reasonably expected to materially impair the continued operation of the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries as presently conducted at such Leased Real Property or Site Leases.
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(f) Except as set forth in Section 5.15(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter, Each of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries has legal and valid title to, all of its properties and assets, tangible and intangible, real, personal and mixed, used or held for use in its business, free and clear of all Liens other than Permitted Liens, except as would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.16 Intellectual Property Rights.
(a) Section 5.16(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a list, as of the date hereof, of all (i) issued registrations for any Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and domain names that have not expired or been abandoned in the Ordinary Course of Business and (ii) currently pending applications for registration for any Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and domain names, that are owned by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries, specifying in each case as applicable, the title, whether such item is an application or registration, either the application number or, if registered, the registration number, the jurisdiction, the record owner thereof and the registration date, if applicable. Each such registration and pending application is subsisting, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, each such registration is valid and enforceable.
(b) Section 5.16(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list of all IP License Agreements as of the date hereof. Except pursuant to the IP License Agreements, Company has not entered into any options, licenses or agreements of any kind relating to the Company Intellectual Property or the marketing or distribution thereof that is material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except nonexclusive licenses to end-users in the Ordinary Course of Business consistent with past practice.
(c) The Company or a Company Subsidiary owns, is licensed or otherwise has the right to use all material Intellectual Property Rights necessary for, currently used in, or held for use in the conduct of the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, and will, immediately following the Closing, continue to own, be licensed, or have the right to use such Company Intellectual Property on substantially consistent terms and conditions as it was available to the Company immediately prior to the Closing, without restriction and without payment of any kind to any third party (other than amounts that would have been payable by the Company even if the transaction contemplated hereby did not occur); provided, however, that the foregoing representation and warranty shall not constitute a representation or warranty with respect to any actual or alleged infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of third-party Intellectual Property Rights. Except as set forth in Section 5.16(c) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company or a Company Subsidiary is the sole and exclusive owner of (i) all registrations and applications for Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights included in the Company Intellectual Property and (ii) except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other Intellectual Property Rights included in the Company Intellectual Property, in each case, free and clear of all Liens other than Permitted Liens. As of the date hereof, there is no suit, action or other proceeding pending or threatened by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries that a third party has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated any Company Intellectual Property and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no third party has or is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating any Company Intellectual Property. Since December 31, 2019, the Company has a complete and accurate record of all material correspondence with Persons with whom the Company has accused of infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating any Company Intellectual Property. Section 5.16(c) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a list of all post-grant administrative proceedings worldwide as of the date hereof challenging the validity of any Company Intellectual Property, specifying in each case as applicable, the type and forum of proceeding, the applicable case number and the current procedural status. Except for proceedings disclosed in Section 5.16(c), as of the date hereof, no Company Intellectual Property is involved in any post-grant administrative proceeding and, to the Company’s Knowledge, no such action is or has been threatened in writing with respect to any such Company Intellectual Property.
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(d) To the Knowledge of the Company, the operation of the businesses of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries does not infringe, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate, and has not, since December 31, 2019, infringed, misappropriated, or diluted or otherwise violated any Intellectual Property Rights of third parties. There is no suit, action or other proceeding pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing against the Company or any Company Subsidiary that alleges that the use of Intellectual Property Rights by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries or that the Company or any Company Subsidiary infringes, misappropriates or dilutes or violates any Intellectual Property Rights of third parties.
(e) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries exercise ordinary and reasonable care in connection with the use of Open Source Software. The Company and the Company Subsidiaries are in compliance in all material respects with all Open Source Software licenses. The Company and the Company Subsidiaries do not use or distribute any Open Source Software in a manner that: (i) requires material source code owned by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries to be disclosed, licensed, publicly distributed or dedicated to the public, (ii) requires the licensing of any such owned source code for the purpose of making derivative works or (iii) imposes limitations on the Company’s or any Company Subsidiaries’ ability to charge consideration for the distribution, or restrict further distribution, of such owned source code.
(f) Neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has (i) disclosed, delivered or licensed (or agreed to disclose, deliver or license) to any Person that is not an Affiliate, or (ii) permitted the disclosure or delivery to any escrow agent or other Persons that are not Affiliates of the Company of any Company Source Code (other than, in each case of clauses (i) and (ii), disclosure, delivery or licensing of Company Source Code to employees, consultants, service providers or other agents of the Company or any Company Subsidiary whose rights to use Company Source Code are limited to use primarily for the benefit of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries and subject to reasonable confidentiality restrictions). To the Knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred that (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) has or would reasonably be expected to result in the disclosure or delivery by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries of any Company Source Code to any Person (other than employees, consultants service providers or other agents of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries) that is not an Affiliate of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries.
(g) Except as set forth in Section 5.16(g) of the Company Disclosure Letter, each Person who participated in the development of any material Intellectual Property Rights for or on behalf of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries has executed and delivered a written Contract with the Company or one of the Company Subsidiaries that is valid and enforceable as to the Company or Company Subsidiary and, to the Knowledge of the Company, the Person, that contains a present assignment to the Company or one of the Company Subsidiaries exclusive ownership of all such Intellectual Property Rights, on a worldwide basis, without payment of any additional consideration, including rights to sue for past, present and future damages with respect thereto, other than standard compensation that is payable for the employment of such Person. Without limiting the foregoing, to the Knowledge of the Company, no such Person owns, or has any right, claim, interest or option (including the right to further remuneration or consideration, other than standard compensation that is payable for the employment of such Person) with respect to, any such Company Intellectual Property.
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(h) Except as set forth in Section 5.16(h) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries own or have a valid right to access and use all material information technology assets and computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, data and databases and other data and information of their respective users, customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any material third party data maintained, stored or otherwise processed by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries; provided, however, that the foregoing representation and warranty shall not constitute a representation or warranty with respect to any actual or alleged infringement, misappropriation or other violation of third-party Intellectual Property Rights. All of the Company’s IT Systems in the possession of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries are in all material respects in good working order and condition and are sufficient in all material respects for the purposes for which they are used in the businesses of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries as currently conducted and have not materially malfunctioned or failed in a manner that has not been remediated prior to the date hereof. The Company and each of the Company Subsidiaries has established and maintains disaster recovery plans consistent in all material respects with: (i) all applicable Laws, (ii) all Material Contracts (including customer contracts) and (iii) all policies of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries relating to IT Systems security. To the Knowledge of the Company, none of the Software products (or any Software therein) distributed by the Company or any Company subsidiaries contains any computer virus, unauthorized disabling or erasing mechanism, worm, unauthorized software lock, drop dead device, Trojan horse, back door, time bomb or similar malicious contaminant.
(i) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries have implemented reasonable measures to maintain the confidentiality of their material trade secrets and other material proprietary information that the Company and the Company Subsidiaries own and intend to maintain as trade secrets or confidential information. Except as required by applicable Laws in connection with the filing of Patent applications, there has not been any intentional or unintentional disclosure or other release of any such trade secrets or such confidential information of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries by any of them to any third party in a manner that has resulted or is likely to result in the loss of trade secret or rights in and to such information that the Company and the Company Subsidiaries intend to maintain as trade secrets or confidential information.
(j) The representations and warranties set forth in this Section 5.16 set forth the Company’s and the Company’s Subsidiaries’ only representations and warranties regarding the Company’s or the Company Subsidiaries’ infringement, misappropriation or violation of Intellectual Property Rights of any Person.
Section 5.17 Privacy and Cybersecurity.
(a) Except as set forth in Section 5.17(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, (i) since December 31, 2019, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have been in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Privacy Obligations, including all applicable contractual obligations and all policies of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries relating to privacy, data protection and the collection and use of Personal Data processed by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, (ii) the Company and the Company Subsidiaries maintain commercially reasonable policies, procedures and security measures with respect to the physical and electronic security and privacy of Personal Data, (iii) to the Knowledge of the Company, there has been no material unauthorized access to, exfiltration, disclosure or theft of any Personal Data processed by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries nor any breach, disruption or misuse of IT Systems, that would interfere with the operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, and (iv) as of the date hereof, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have not received any written notice or claim since December 31, 2019 alleging a violation of any Privacy Law, contractual obligations relating to privacy or Personal Data or any policy of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries relating to privacy or Personal Data in each case that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
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(b) As of the date hereof, no written complaint, claim or enforcement action relating to an improper use or disclosure of, or a breach in the security of, any confidential or sensitive information, payment card data, personally identifiable information (including Personal Data), or other protected information relating to individuals has been made or threatened in writing since December 31, 2019 against the Company or any Company Subsidiary whether by a data subject or a Governmental Entity in each case that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. As of the date hereof, there has been no material: (i) unauthorized disclosure by the Company or any Company Subsidiary of any sensitive information, payment card data, personally identifiable information (including Personal Data) or other information relating to individuals in the possession, custody or control of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, or (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, breach of the Company’s security procedures resulting in unauthorized disclosure of such information to a third Person. Solely with respect to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the Closing will, pursuant to any relevant contract between the Company or any Company Subsidiary and a third party, result in a material breach or violation of, or constitute a material default under, any Privacy Obligations.
(c) All material Personal Data processing with respect to customers, employees, suppliers and business partners of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries is comprehensively mapped and included in a register of processing activities which is compliant in all material respects with Article 30 GDPR (to the extent applicable). A data protection officer is appointed in respect of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries where one is required to be appointed by applicable Law and where the Company and Company Subsidiaries have determined that a data protection officer is not mandatory, an analysis of why the appointment is not mandatory is made. The Company and the Company Subsidiaries have in place a data protection governance structure and accountability program which are intended to ensure compliance with applicable Law and Privacy Obligations. All notices and consents required by applicable Privacy Laws to ensure that Personal Data held by the Company and the Company Subsidiaries may be used to conduct the business in the same manner following the Closing as currently conducted, have been given and obtained in all material respects in accordance with applicable Privacy Laws. All marketing activities conducted with respect to the Company, any Company Subsidiary or the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries are and have been since December 31, 2019 compliant in all material respects with Privacy Obligations.
(d) Since December 31, 2019, to the Company’s Knowledge, all third parties to whom the Company and the Company Subsidiaries or any of its Affiliates disclose Personal Data relating to the business of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any of their respective business relations: (i) have had legitimate grounds to process such Personal Data and the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and/or its Affiliates has imposed limitations on such third parties’ use to ensure that their use remains within the scope of those grounds, and such use remains within the scope of these grounds; or (ii) process the disclosed Personal Data on the Company’s or its Affiliates’ behalf under data processing agreements which contain all mandatory provisions that meet the applicable Privacy Obligations and are subject to information security requirements that meet the applicable Privacy Obligations.
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(e) Except as set forth in Section 5.17(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter, all exports of Personal Data related to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective business relations outside the country in which the Personal Data was collected comply with Privacy Obligations in all material respects and in each case, where required, export agreements or arrangements that are compliant in all material respects with the Privacy Obligations have been entered into and all associated authorizations, registrations and notification requirements have been completed in all material respects. All valid requests from data subjects in respect of their statutory rights (e.g., access, deletion, portability and rectification) have been complied with in material compliance with Privacy Obligations. Any Security Breach relating to Personal Data has been handled in compliance in all material respects with applicable Privacy Obligations and no such Security Breach has been reported to the relevant Governmental Entity. Since December 31, 2019, there have been no material written complaints or claims made by a data subject or sanctions or enforcement actions imposed by a Governmental Entity, in each case received by the Company or any Company Subsidiary and, to the Knowledge of the Company, there is no fact or circumstance that may lead to any of the foregoing.
(f) Since December 31, 2019, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have implemented and maintain a written information security program comprised of processes, policies and technical, physical and administrative safeguards necessary to comply in all material respects with Privacy Obligations. Such written information security program is intended to (A) identify and address internal and external risks to the privacy, confidentiality, security, integrity and availability of the Company systems including Personal Data Processed therein against loss, theft, unauthorized or unlawful Processing, or other misuse and (B) maintain notification procedures in compliance in all material respects with applicable Privacy Obligations in the event of a Security Breach. The Company is and, since December 31, 2019, has been in compliance with its written information security program.
(g) To the Company’s Knowledge, the IT Systems are free of any and all material “back door,” “time bomb,” “Trojan horse,” “worm,” “drop dead device,” “virus” or other software routines or hardware components that permit unauthorized access or the unauthorized disablement or erasure of, or unintended or unauthorized behavior by, such Systems (or all parts thereof) or data or other software of users. Since December 31, 2019, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have implemented commercially reasonable safeguards intended to protect the IT Systems against the introduction of material malware into the IT Systems from software and technology platforms licensed from third parties.
(h) Since December 31, 2019, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have implemented and maintain reasonable safeguards, including using virus checking software, penetration testing, consistent with reasonable industry standards applicable to the industry, intended to monitor all Company systems with respect to introduction of any malicious software (e.g., ransomware).
(i) Except as set forth in Section 5.17(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have back-ups, disaster recovery business continuity and emergency mode operation procedures in place to ensure the availability of Company information.
(j) Since December 31, 2019, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have used commercially reasonable efforts to cause all third-party service providers, vendors, suppliers, subcontractors or other third parties Processing Personal Data, in each case on behalf of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, to (i) comply with applicable Privacy Obligations in all material respects, (ii) maintain reasonable and appropriate technical, physical and administrative safeguards to protect the privacy, confidentiality, integrity and security of all Personal Data, and (iii) take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data from loss, theft, unauthorized or unlawful Processing or other misuse. To the Knowledge of the Company, since December 31, 2019, none of the Company’s and the Company Subsidiaries’ material third-party service providers, vendors, suppliers, subcontractors, or other third parties Processing the Company and the Company Subsidiaries Personal Data, have (A) suffered any Security Breach that resulted in any unauthorized access to or use of any Personal Data, (B) breached any obligations relating to Personal Data or (C) violated any Privacy Obligations, in each case of clauses (A)-(C), that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
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(k) The information technology equipment and systems owned, used, or held for use by the Company are reasonably sufficient for the Company’s immediate needs; provided, however, that the foregoing representation and warranty shall not constitute a representation or warranty with respect to any actual or alleged infringement, misappropriation, or other violation of third-party Intellectual Property Rights. Since December 31, 2019, to the Knowledge of the Company, there have has been no unauthorized access, use, intrusion or breach of security, or material failure, breakdown, performance failure or other adverse event affecting any systems that has caused or would reasonably be expected to cause any substantial disruption to the use of such systems or the Company any material loss or harm to Company, its personnel, property or other assets.
Section 5.18 Advertising. The Company represents and warrants that all materials and digital files published and/or displayed (“Ad Material”) and campaigns comply in all material respects with all applicable laws, regulations, and FTC and industry guidelines, including but not limited to: local, state and federal laws regarding political advertising and fair housing, and Native Advertising: A Guide for Business at https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/native-advertising-guide-businesses. To the Knowledge of the Company, at no time since December 31, 2019 has the Company received any written complaint about the truth, falsity or deceptive nature of the Ad Material it has broadcast.
Section 5.19 Labor Matters.
(a) Section 5.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list as of January 15, 2023 of each full-time and part-time employee (including employees on workers’ compensation, maternity leave, or disability or medical leave, and employees on any other leaves of absence with a legal or contractual or policy right to reinstatement) employed by any Company Entity (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Company Employees”), and sets forth for each Company Employee the following: title or job position; hire date; rate of pay or current annual base compensation rate; fiscal year 2022 actual and fiscal year 2023 target percentage commission, bonus, or other incentive-based compensation; any other unpaid commission, bonus, or other incentive-based compensation; classification by the Company Entities as exempt or nonexempt for minimum wage and overtime purposes under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other applicable wage and hour Laws; employment status; if the employee is anything but an at-will employee; termination date; leave status and type of leave; accrued but unused vacation or other paid time off; and accrued sick leave. Unless otherwise identified in Section 5.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, all current Company Employees are at-will employees.
(b) Section 5.19(b) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a true, correct and complete list of each independent contractor, consultant, or advisor of the Company Entities as of the date hereof, together with the aggregate amount paid to such independent contractor, consultant, or advisor.
(c) Except as set forth on Section 5.19(c)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, to the Company’s Knowledge, no Company Entity has made any commitments, understandings, or representations in any respect to any Person regarding (i) potential employment by Parent or any Company Entity after the Closing Date, or (ii) any terms and conditions of such potential employment by Parent or any Company Entity following the Closing Date. Except as set forth on Section 5.19(c)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter, as of the date hereof, no employee of the Company Entities have given notice to the Company Entities that any such Company Employee intends to terminate his or her employment with any Company Entity.
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(d) Except as set forth on Section 5.19(d) of the Company Disclosure Letter, each Company Entity is in material compliance with all legally required forms related to immigration and work authorization of employees, including without limitation an Employment Eligibility Verification on USCIS Form I-9, and all applicable Laws respecting employment and employment practices, and terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, all Laws relating to labor relations, unfair labor practices, equal employment opportunities, fair employment practices, reasonable accommodation, disability rights or benefits, wages and hours, minimum wage and overtime compensation, meal and rest periods, workplace safety, occupational health and safety, COVID-19, working conditions, vacation pay, paid sick leave, overtime pay, pay equity, notice of termination, promotion, immigration, child labor, employee privacy, family, medical and other leaves, classification of exempt versus non-exempt employees, and workers versus consultants and independent contractors, workers’ compensation and assessments, human rights and nondiscrimination, affirmative action, non-harassment, and non-retaliation in employment, hiring, background checks, drug testing, salary history inquiries, pay transparency, whistleblowing, unemployment insurance, and with all applicable recordkeeping laws, including, but not limited to, all accountings related to wages, sick pay, vacation accrual, and time records. No employee, officer or director of any Company Entity (i) is the subject of a pending allegation of workplace sexual harassment or assault, nor (ii) has any current employee, officer or director of any Company Entity been accused since December 31, 2019 of engaging in workplace sexual harassment or assault, in each case with respect to or in connection with such individual’s relationship with a Company Entity.
(e) Except as forth on Section 5.19(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter, (i) each Company Entity has withheld all amounts required by applicable Law or by agreement or policy to be withheld from the wages, salaries, and other payments to employees; (ii) no Company Entity is liable for any arrears of wages, salaries or other compensation, Taxes, penalties or other sums for failure to comply with any of the foregoing (including commissions, bonuses, overtime, vacation pay, paid time off or other compensation); (iii) each Company Entity has paid in full to all employees, independent contractors, and consultants all wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, benefits, fees, and other compensation that has come due and payable to or on behalf of such employees, independent contractors and consultants; and (iv) all individuals characterized and treated by the Company Entities as consultants or independent contractors are properly treated as independent contractors under all applicable Laws. To the Knowledge of the Company, no Company Employee is a party to any confidential information or other agreement that restricts the ability of such Company Employee to perform his or her duties for any Company Entity.
(f) No Company Entity is party to or bound by or negotiating a collective bargaining agreement or similar agreement with a labor organization, union, staff association, or works council (collectively, “Union”). There are no, and since December 31, 2019 there have been no, activities or proceedings to organize employees of any Company Entity, and no union representation elections related to employees of any Company Entity. There are no pending or since December 31, 2019 there have been no threatened strikes, work stoppages, walkouts, lockouts, slowdowns, concerted refusal to work overtime, or other similar labor disruption or dispute against or involving any Company Entity or any employees of any Company Entity. No Company Entity has a duty to bargain with any Union and no Company Entity has voluntarily recognized any Union as the exclusive bargaining representative of its employees.
(g) Except as set forth in Section 5.19(g) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company Entities have complied with the WARN Act and any applicable state mini-WARN Act.
(h) Except as set forth in Section 5.19(h) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company Entities have not had any obligations as a federal contractor, including, but not limited to, Executive Order No. 11246 of 1965, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, or any comparable state or local Law. The Company Entities have not been subject to any audit, investigation, or enforcement motion by any governmental entity in connection with any government contractor as to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary has received written notice.
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Section 5.20 Environmental Matters. Except as have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, (a) the Company and the Company Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws, which compliance has included obtaining, maintaining and complying with all Environmental Permits necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted; (b) neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has received any written notice from a Governmental Entity since December 31, 2019 of, or is the subject of, or to the Knowledge of the Company, has been threatened since December 31, 2019 with, any claim or proceeding alleging non-compliance by the Company or such Company Subsidiary with any applicable Environmental Law or Environmental Permit or alleging liability of the Company or such Company Subsidiary under any Environmental Law; (c) to the Company’s Knowledge, there has been no Release or presence of or exposure to any Hazardous Substance that would reasonably be expected to result in material liability or a requirement for investigation, notification or remediation by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries under any Environmental Law; (d) neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has received notice from a Governmental Entity since December 31, 2019 of potential responsibility or liability relating to any waste generated by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries or any Hazardous Substance arising under or relating to any Environmental Law; (e) neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has entered into any contract with another Person of which the primary purpose is to assume, undertake or otherwise become subject to material liability of another Person under Environmental Law; and (f) the Company has delivered to, or has otherwise made available for inspection by Parent, all material investigation reports, studies, audits, test results or similar documents in the possession, control or custody of the Company or any Company Subsidiary relating to environmental, health or safety matters or Hazardous Substances.
Section 5.21 Regulatory Matters. None of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries is subject to regulation as a “public utility,” “electric utility,” “retail electric provider,” “distribution company” or similar term under applicable federal or state Laws. As of the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries has received any written notice of, or is the subject of, or to the Knowledge of the Company, has been threatened with, any claim or proceeding alleging that the Company or any Company Subsidiary is not in compliance with any state or federal regulations applicable to the sale of energy or energy services. None of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries is subject to, or not exempt from, regulation under the Public Utility Holding Company Act. No prior consents or filings are required by or with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or any state utility commission for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or the consummation of the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 5.22 Anti-Takeover Provisions. Assuming the accuracy of the representation contained in Section 4.8, the Company Board has taken all action necessary under the DGCL to ensure that no restrictions contained in any “fair price,” “control share acquisition,” “business combination,” or similar statute (including Section 203 of the DGCL) will apply to the execution, delivery, or performance of this Agreement, the Merger, or the other transactions contemplated hereby.
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Section 5.23 Insurance. The Company and the Company Subsidiaries maintain insurance policies and surety and fidelity bonds (collectively, the “Insurance Policies”) in all material respects in such amounts and against such losses and risks as required by applicable Law, and any Contract to which they are party. Section 5.23 of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth true, correct and complete list of all Insurance Policies maintained by or for the benefit of the Company or any Company Subsidiary. The Company has made available to Parent true and correct copies of each of the Insurance Policies. The Company and the Company Subsidiaries have paid, or caused to be paid, all premiums due under the Insurance Policies and have not received written notice that they are in default with respect to any obligations thereunder, and the limits of the Insurance Policies have not been materially eroded or the aggregate limits exhausted. Neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary has received any written notice of cancellation, nonrenewal or termination with respect to any Insurance Policies. Neither the Company nor the Company Subsidiaries has 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 from similar insurers. The Company has properly reported, in accordance with the terms of the Insurance Policies, all material claims by the Company or any Company Subsidiary, which the Company has made under its Insurance Policies. There are no material claims by the Company or any Company Subsidiary pending as of the date of this Agreement under any of the Insurance Policies as to which coverage has been denied or disputed or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened to be denied or disputed.
Section 5.24 Anti-Corruption Laws.
(a) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries are aware of, have since December 31, 2019 been and are in material compliance with all Anti-Corruption Laws.
(b) To the Knowledge of the Company, no officer, or employee of, or agent engaged by, Company or any Company Subsidiary while acting on its behalf, has, made, offered or authorized any payment, gift, promise or other advantage, whether directly or through any other Person, to or for the use or benefit of any Government Official or any other Person, where such payment, gift, promise or other advantage would constitute a violation of Anti-Corruption Laws. To the Knowledge of the Company, no subcontractor, agent, or any other third parties acting on behalf of the Company has violated any Anti-Corruption Law.
(c) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries maintain internal controls and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws, including but not limited to using commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that all transactions are accurately recorded and reported in its books and records to reflect the true activities to which they pertain, such as the purpose of each transaction, with whom it was entered into, for whom it was undertaken, or what was exchanged, and the Company and the Company Subsidiaries have retained such books and records for the period required by applicable Law.
(d) To the Knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary, or officer, agent or employee engaged by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or acting on its behalf, is or has been involved in any formal investigation or other enforcement action by any Governmental Entity concerning any alleged violation of applicable Anti-Corruption Laws.
(e) To the Knowledge of the Company, no officer, agent or employee engaged by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or acting on its behalf is a Government Official.
Section 5.25 International Trade Compliance; CFIUS.
(a) The Company and the Company Subsidiaries are and since December 31, 2019 have been in material compliance with, and have not engaged in any conduct that would reasonably be expected to be sanctionable under, all applicable Sanctions Laws, and there are not now, nor have there been, (i) any formal inquiries as to which the Company has received written notice, or (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, any other inquiries, proceedings, allegations, or inquiries pending, expected or threatened in writing against the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries concerning violations or potential violations of, or conduct sanctionable under any applicable Sanctions Law.
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(b) None of the Company, the Company Subsidiaries or Company Board members, officers or directors of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, is a Sanctioned Person. To the Knowledge of the Company, no Sanctioned Person or group of Sanctioned Persons beneficially owns more than 5% of the Company.
(c) Neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries (i) is engaging in any transactions or other activity, directly or, to the Knowledge of the Company, indirectly, with any Sanctioned Person, nor (ii) has exported, reexported, or retransferred any article, item, component, Software, technology, service or technical data or taken any other act in material violation of any applicable export control Laws, including the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the U.S. Export Administration Regulations.
(d) The Company is not a TID U.S. Business as defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800.248.
Section 5.26 Interested Party Transactions. All related party disclosures required to be disclosed by the Company pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K have been disclosed in the Company SEC Documents.
Section 5.27 Product Warranty; Products Liability.
(a) To the Knowledge of the Company, all of the Products conform in all material respects with all applicable contractual commitments and express and implied warranties. To the Knowledge of the Company, all Products comply in all material respects with all industry and trade association standards and legal requirements, if any, applicable to such Products, including consumer product, labeling, quality and safety Laws of the United States and each state in which the Company or any Company Subsidiary makes the Products available and each other jurisdiction (including foreign jurisdictions) in which the Company or any Company Subsidiary makes the Products available, in each case directly or indirectly through any reseller or distributor. None of the Products currently offered by the Company or in use has been subject to a recall.
(b) There are no existing or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened product liability claims against the Company for Products which are defective. The Company has not received any order from a Governmental Entity stating that any Product is defective or unsafe or fails to meet any standards promulgated by any such Governmental Entity.
Section 5.28 Brokers’ Fees and Expenses. No broker, investment banker, financial advisor or other Person, other than Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (the “Company Financial Advisor”), is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s fee or other similar fee or commission (or any expenses related to such fee or commission) in connection with the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of the Company or its Affiliates. The Company’s good faith estimates of the fees of the Company’s Financial Advisor and any other financial advisor to be incurred by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement are set forth in Section 5.28 of the Company Disclosure Letter.
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Section 5.29 Opinion of Company Financial Advisor. The Company Board has received the opinion of the Company Financial Advisor, to the effect that, as of the date thereof and based upon and subject to the various assumptions, qualifications, limitations and other matters set forth in such opinion, the Merger Consideration to be received by the holders of Class A Common Stock in the Merger pursuant to this Agreement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the holders of Company Class A Common Stock. The Company shall deliver or make available to Parent solely for informational purposes an executed copy of such opinion within one (1) Business Day of the later to occur of the date hereof and the date such written opinion is received by the Company.
Article VI
Covenants Relating to Conduct of Business
Section 6.1 Conduct of Business by the Company. Except (i) as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Letter; (ii) as expressly required by this Agreement; (iii) for actions taken in good faith pursuant to COVID-19 Measures (it being understood that the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to provide reasonable notice to, and seek to consult with, Parent in connection with such actions), (iv) as required by applicable Law; or (v) with the prior written consent of Parent (which consent in the case of subclauses (f) through (x) of clause (b) of this Section 6.1 shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), from the date of this Agreement to the earlier of the Effective Time and the date, if any, on which the Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to and in accordance with Article IX (the “Interim Period”), (A) the Company shall, and shall cause each Company Subsidiary to, (x) use reasonable best efforts to conduct the business of the Company and each Company Subsidiary in the Ordinary Course of Business, (y) conduct the business of the Company and each Company Subsidiary in compliance with all applicable Laws, including all applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, and (z) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact in all material respects its current business organization, assets and technology, keep available the services of the Company Employees (other than where termination of such services is for cause) and maintain its relations and goodwill as they exist as of the date of this Agreement with customers, suppliers, landlords, and other Persons having material business dealings with the Company, and (B) without limiting the foregoing (but subject in all respects to clauses (i) through (v) of this sentence), the Company shall not, and shall not permit any Company Subsidiary to, do any of the following:
(a) (i) declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock or property or any combination thereof) in respect of, any of its capital stock, other equity interests or voting securities, other than dividends and distributions solely between or among the Company and the wholly owned Company Subsidiaries or between or among wholly owned Company Subsidiaries; (ii) split, combine, subdivide or reclassify any of its capital stock, other equity interests or voting securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or other equity interests or voting securities, or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for its capital stock, other equity interests or voting securities, other than as permitted by Section 6.1(b); or (iii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or offer to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any capital stock or voting securities of, or equity interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any securities of the Company or any Company Subsidiary convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or voting securities of, or equity interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary, or any warrants, calls, options, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights or other rights to acquire any such capital stock, securities or interests, except for acquisitions, or deemed acquisitions, of Company Class A Common Stock or other equity securities of the Company in connection with (A) the payment of the exercise price of Company Stock Options outstanding on the date hereof with Company Class A Common Stock (including in connection with “net exercises”), (B) required Tax withholding in connection with the exercise, vesting and settlement of Company Stock Awards and other awards pursuant to the Company Stock Plans, (C) forfeitures of Company Stock Awards, or (D) transactions solely between or among the Company and the wholly owned Company Subsidiaries or between or among wholly owned Company Subsidiaries;
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(b) authorize for issuance, issue, deliver, sell, transfer, grant, pledge or otherwise subject to any Lien (other than Liens imposed by applicable securities Laws or Liens securing the Existing Term Loan): (i) any shares of Company Capital Stock or other equity interests or voting securities of the Company or any Company Subsidiary other than (A) the issuance of Company Class A Common Stock (x) upon the due exercise, vesting or settlement of Company Stock Awards issued pursuant to the Company Stock Plans, in each case outstanding on the date of this Agreement and in accordance with their terms in effect at such time, (y) upon the due exercise, vesting or settlement of Company Warrants, in each case outstanding at the close of business on the date of this Agreement and in accordance with their terms in effect at such time, or (z) in accordance with Section 6.1(i), or (B) transactions solely between or among the Company and the wholly owned Company Subsidiaries or between or among wholly owned Company Subsidiaries; (ii) any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, or rights of any kind to acquire or sell, capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary; (iii) any warrants, calls, options, phantom stock, stock appreciation rights or other rights to acquire any capital stock or voting securities of, or other equity interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary; (iv) any new Company Stock Awards or other rights issued by the Company or any Company Subsidiary that are linked in any way to the price of any class of Company Capital Stock or any shares of capital stock of any Company Subsidiary, the value of the Company, any Company Subsidiary or any part of the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any dividends or other distributions declared or paid on any shares of capital stock of the Company or any Company Subsidiary; or (v) any Company Voting Debt;
(c) (i) amend the Company Charter or the Company Bylaws; (ii) amend the charter or organizational documents of any Company Subsidiary, or (iii) amend or waive any material term of any securities of the Company or any Company Subsidiary (including the Company Warrants or Company Stock Awards);
(d) create any Company Subsidiary;
(e) make or adopt any material change in its accounting methods, principles or practices, except as may be required by a change in GAAP or Law;
(f) directly or indirectly acquire, dispose of, sell, assign or abandon or agree to acquire, dispose of, sell, assign or abandon in any transaction any equity interest in, or any business or business division of, any Person;
(g) acquire or sell, lease (as lessor), grant exclusive licenses to, mortgage, sell and leaseback or otherwise subject to any Lien (other than Permitted Liens), or otherwise dispose of any material properties or assets (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Patents) or any material interests therein other than with respect to (A) transactions between the Company, on the one hand, and any wholly owned Company Subsidiary, on the other hand, or between wholly owned Company Subsidiaries, (B) acquisitions of supplies or equipment and the sale or other disposition of Products in the Ordinary Course of Business, or (C) the sale or other disposition of unnecessary, obsolete or worthless equipment;
(h) incur, create, modify, assume, endorse or otherwise become liable for any Indebtedness, or guarantees thereof, other than the Bridge Loans, the refinancing of the Bridge Loan pursuant to Section 9.1(d), the Existing Term Loan and Indebtedness between the Company, on the one hand, and any wholly owned Company Subsidiary, on the other hand, or between wholly owned Company Subsidiaries;
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(i) except as required by the express terms of any Company Benefit Plan as in effect on the date hereof, (i) establish, adopt, amend or terminate any Company Benefit Plan or create or enter into any plan, agreement, program, policy, trust, fund or other arrangement that would be a Company Benefit Plan if it were in existence as of the date of this Agreement, (ii) increase in any manner the target annual cash compensation opportunity of any current or former employees of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries with annual base compensation in excess of $200,000 as of the date hereof, (iii) increase in any manner the severance, change in control, retention or similar compensation of any current or former employees of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, (iv) grant any equity or equity-based awards or any long-term cash incentive awards, or amend or modify the terms of any outstanding awards, under any Company Benefit Plan, or (v) take any action to accelerate the vesting or lapsing of restrictions or payment, or fund or in any other way secure the payment, of compensation or benefits under any Company Benefit Plan;
(j) (i) hire any employee or engage any individual contractor with annual compensation of $200,000 or higher, (ii) terminate the employment of any employee or the services of any individual contractor (other than where such termination is for cause) with annual compensation of $200,000 or higher, or (iii) hire any employee or engage any individual contractor with annual compensation of less than $200,000, except to fill an open position arising upon the termination of an employee or contractor employed or engaged by the Company or a Company Subsidiary as of the date of this Agreement;
(k) (i) become a party to, establish, adopt, amend, extend, commence participation in or terminate any collective bargaining agreement or other agreement or arrangement with a labor union, labor organization or other employee-representative body, or (ii) recognize or certify any labor union, labor organization or other employee-representative body as the bargaining representative for any employees of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(l) (i) settle or compromise any litigation, or release, dismiss or otherwise dispose of any claim, liability, obligation or arbitration related to any matter set forth in Section 6.1(l) of the Company Disclosure Letter, or (ii) except as permitted by Section 3.3(b) or Section 7.5, settle or compromise any other litigation, or release, dismiss or otherwise dispose of any claim, liability, obligation or arbitration, other than settlements or compromises of litigation or releases, dismissals or dispositions of claims, liabilities, obligations or arbitrations that involve monetary damages in an amount not in excess of $100,000 in any individual case and do not involve any injunctive or other non-monetary relief or impose material restrictions (other than confidentiality, non-disparagement or similar restrictions) on the business or operations of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as whole;
(m) assign or otherwise convey title (in whole or in part) to any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or grant any exclusive licenses to any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(n) take any action or fail to take any lawful action, if such action or failure to take such action would reasonably be likely to result in the loss, lapse, abandonment, invalidity or unenforceability of any material Patent, Trademark or Copyright within the Intellectual Property Rights;
(o) make, change or revoke any material election with respect to Taxes or any entity classification election pursuant to Section 7701 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder, file any material amended Tax Return, change any material accounting method or change any accounting period for Taxes, settle or compromise any material Tax liability, enter into any closing or similar agreement with a Governmental Entity with respect to a material amount of Taxes, surrender any right to claim a material Tax refund, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitations period applicable to any material Tax or material Tax Return (other than as a result of an automatic extension of time to file a Tax Return that does not require any action by any tax authority);
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(p) incur any capital expenditures in an amount in excess of $8,000,000 in the aggregate;
(q) materially amend, modify, renew or terminate any Real Estate Lease or material Site Lease, or Site Leases that are material to the Company and the Company subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than amendments, modifications, renewals or terminations pursuant to the express terms of the applicable Real Estate Lease or Site Lease or that lower the amount of rent payable thereunder without materially increasing any of the obligations thereunder, or enter into any new material lease, sublease, license or other agreement for the use or occupancy of any real property as office space;
(r) except as permitted by Section 7.4, terminate, cancel or make any material changes to the structure, limits or terms and conditions of any of the Insurance Policies, including allowing the Insurance Policies to expire without renewing such policies or obtaining comparable replacement insurance, or failing to pay premiums, in each case except as would not reasonably be likely to be material to the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(s) enter into a new line of business or abandon or discontinue any existing line of business;
(t) enter into, materially amend, accelerate any material term of, cancel, fail to exercise an expiring renewal option, grant a material waiver or release under or modify in any material respect, terminate or assign or transfer to any Person other than a Company Subsidiary any Material Contract or any contract that would constitute a Material Contract required to be disclosed on the Company Disclosure Letter if in effect as of the date of this Agreement;
(u) except as provided under this Agreement, adopt a plan of agreement of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization, or file a petition in bankruptcy under any provisions of applicable bankruptcy law on its behalf, or consent to the filing of any bankruptcy petition against it under any similar applicable Law, or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement with respect to the voting of equity securities of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(v) make or forgive any loan to any other Person (other than the advancement of expenses to its employees, officers or directors in connection with the performance of their duties in an amount not in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate);
(w) enter into a transaction with any stockholder, director or executive officer of the Company that would be required to be reported by the Company pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K;
(x) authorize or direct any officer or employee of, or agent engaged by, the Company or any Company Subsidiary while acting on its behalf, to make, offer or authorize any payment, gift, promise or other advantage, whether directly or through any other Person, to or for the use or benefit of any Government Official or any other Person, where such payment, gift, promise or other advantage would constitute a violation of applicable Anti-Corruption Laws; or
(y) authorize, commit to, agree to or otherwise enter into any binding commitment to take any of the foregoing actions prohibited pursuant to clauses (a) through (x) of this Section 6.1.
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Section 6.2 No Control. Without limiting any party’s rights or obligations under this Agreement, the parties understand and agree that nothing contained in this Agreement shall give Parent or Merger Sub, directly or indirectly, the right to control or direct the Company’s or any Company Subsidiaries’ operations prior to the Effective Time, and nothing contained in this Agreement shall give the Company, directly or indirectly, the right to control or direct Parent’s or its Subsidiaries’ operations prior to the Effective Time, and nothing herein shall be prohibited or required of any of the parties if such agreement would violate applicable Law. Prior to the Effective Time, each of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub shall exercise, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, complete control and supervision over its and its Subsidiaries’ respective operations.
Section 6.3 No Solicitation by the Company; Company Recommendation.
(a) Except as expressly permitted by this Section 6.3, the Company shall, and shall cause each of the Company Subsidiaries and its and the Company Subsidiaries’ officers and directors (and shall instruct and use its reasonable best efforts to cause its and their respective employees, consultants, legal counsel, financial advisors and agents and other representatives (such officers, directors employees, consultants, legal counsel, financial advisors and agents and other representatives, collectively, “Representatives”)), to:
(i) following execution of this Agreement, immediately cease any existing solicitations, knowing encouragement, knowing facilitation, discussions or negotiations with any Persons that may be ongoing with respect to any inquiry, indication of interest, proposal, discussion or offer that constitutes or would reasonably be expected to lead to, or result in, an Alternative Proposal (an “Inquiry”) and immediately terminate any such Person’s access to any physical or electronic data rooms;
(ii) (A) as promptly as reasonably practicable (and in any event within two (2) Business Days) following the date hereof, request the prompt return or destruction (to the extent provided for by the applicable confidentiality agreement) of all confidential information previously furnished to any Person (other than Parent and its Affiliates, and any Person contacted by the Company or any of its Representatives solely for the purpose of raising capital, and in each case their respective Representatives) that has made an Inquiry, and (B) until the earlier of the Effective Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, enforce the provisions of any existing confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement entered into with respect to any Inquiry (except with respect to immaterial breaches thereof); provided, that if the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with the Company’s outside legal counsel, that the failure to grant any waiver or release would reasonably be likely to be inconsistent with the Company Board’s fiduciary duties under applicable Law, the Company shall be permitted to grant waivers of, and not to enforce, any standstill provision to the extent necessary to permit the counterparty thereto to make such an Alternative Proposal directly to the Company Board in accordance with the terms of this Section 6.3;
(iii) from and after the date hereof until the earlier of the Effective Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, subject to the other provisions of this Section 6.3, not, directly or indirectly, (A) solicit, initiate or knowingly encourage or facilitate any Inquiry or an Alternative Proposal, (B) furnish non-public information to or afford access to the business, employees, officers, Contracts, properties, assets, books and records of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries to any Person in connection with an Inquiry or an Alternative Proposal, or (C) enter into, continue or otherwise participate in any discussions or negotiations with any Person with respect to an Inquiry or an Alternative Proposal (other than (x) informing any Person that has made or, to the Knowledge of the Company, is considering making, an Inquiry or an Alternative Proposal, or its Representatives, of the existence of the provisions of this Section 6.3(a), (y) contacting a Person that has made an unsolicited Alternative Proposal, or its Representatives, solely to clarify the terms and conditions of such Alternative Proposal (but not, for the avoidance of doubt, to negotiate the terms of such Alternative Proposal), or (z) contacting any Person that makes an Inquiry or an Alternative Proposal after the date hereof and is party to a confidentiality agreement in effect between such Person and Company as of the date hereof that by its terms would prohibit compliance by the Company with any of the provisions of Section 6.3(c), or its Representatives, solely to request that such confidentiality agreement be promptly waived to the extent required to permit the Company to comply with its obligations hereunder); and
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(iv) until the earlier of the Company’s receipt of the Requisite Stockholder Approval or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, subject to the other provisions of this Section 6.3, not, directly or indirectly, and the Company Board and each committee of the Company Board shall not, (A) approve, agree to, accept, endorse, recommend, declare advisable or submit to a vote of its stockholders any Alternative Proposal, (B) fail to make, or withdraw, qualify, withhold, modify or amend, in a manner adverse to Parent and Merger Sub, the Company Recommendation or fail to include the Company Recommendation in the Proxy Statement, (C) make any public statement, filing or release overtly and unambiguously adverse to the Company Recommendation, (D) fail to recommend, in a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, against any Alternative Proposal subject to Regulation 14D under the Exchange Act within ten (10) days after the commencement of such Alternative Proposal, (E) approve, adopt or recommend any Alternative Proposal, or propose publicly to approve, adopt or recommend, any Alternative Proposal, (any of the foregoing clauses (A) through (E) in this subsection (iv), an “Adverse Recommendation Change”), (F) following the commencement by a third party of any tender offer or exchange offer related to the Company Class A Common Stock, fail to publicly reaffirm the Company Recommendation within the later of (x) three (3) Business Days after Parent so requests in writing, and (y) seven (7) Business Days following the commencement by such third party of such tender offer or exchange offer related to the Company Class A Common Stock, (G) enter into any letter of intent, agreement in principle, term sheet, merger agreement, acquisition agreement, option agreement or other similar Contract (except for Acceptable Confidentiality Agreements) providing for any Alternative Proposal or a potential Alternative Proposal or requiring the Company to abandon, terminate, materially delay or fail to consummate, or that would otherwise materially impede or interfere with, the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby (an “Alternative Acquisition Agreement”), or (H) agree or resolve to take any action set forth in the foregoing clauses (A) through (G). Unless this Agreement has been validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, the Company shall not take any action to exempt any Person from the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL or any other applicable state takeover statute. It is agreed that any Willful Breach of the restrictions set forth in this Section 6.3(a) by any Affiliate or Representative of the Company acting at the authorization or direction of the Company shall be deemed a breach of this Section 6.3(a) by the Company.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 6.3(a), if at any time following the date hereof and prior to the earlier of the Company’s receipt of the Requisite Stockholder Approval or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, the Company or any Company Subsidiary or any of their respective Representatives receives a bona fide unsolicited written Alternative Proposal (which Alternative Proposal was first made after the date hereof and did not result from an intentional or material breach of this Section 6.3), the Company and its Representatives may, prior to (but not after) the Company’s receipt of the Requisite Stockholder Approval, subject to providing Parent prior written notice of such Alternative Proposal in accordance with Section 6.3(c), take the actions set forth in subsections (i) and (ii) of this Section 6.3(b) if the Company Board has determined in good faith (after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel), that such Alternative Proposal constitutes or would reasonably be expected to lead to a Superior Proposal and (after consultation with its outside legal counsel) that the failure to take such action would reasonably be likely to be inconsistent with the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary duties under applicable Law: (i) furnish non-public information to and afford access to the business, employees, officers, Contracts, properties, assets, books and records of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries to the Person who made such Alternative Proposal and such Person’s Representatives pursuant to (but only pursuant to) one or more Acceptable Confidentiality Agreements (provided that the Company has furnished, made available or provided access to Parent to any such non-public information (to the extent not previously furnished, made available or provided to Parent or its Representatives) prior to, concurrent with or within twenty-four (24) hours after such information or access is furnished or afforded to such Person or its Representatives); and (ii) enter into, or otherwise participate in, any discussions or negotiations with any Person and such Person’s Representatives regarding such Alternative Proposal pursuant to (but only pursuant to) one or more Acceptable Confidentiality Agreements.
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(c) Promptly (but in no event more than forty-eight (48) hours) following receipt of any Inquiry that constitutes, or would reasonably be expected to lead to, any Alternative Proposal from and after the date of this Agreement and prior to the earlier of the Effective Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, the Company shall advise Parent of the receipt of such Inquiry, and the terms and conditions of any such Alternative Proposal (including, in each case, the identity of the Person making any such Inquiry or Alternative Proposal), and the Company shall as promptly as reasonably practicable after so advising Parent provide to Parent: (i) a copy of such Inquiry, Alternative Proposal and all related material documentation, if in writing; or (ii) a written summary of the material terms of such Alternative Proposal, if oral. With respect to any Alternative Proposal described in the immediately preceding sentence the Company shall keep Parent reasonably informed on a current basis (but in any event within forty-eight (48) hours of any such event) of (x) material changes or modifications to the terms of any such Alternative Proposal, and (y) any material communications from such Person to the Company or from the Company to such Person with respect to any material changes or modifications to the terms of any such Alternative Proposal.
(d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time prior to the earlier of the Company’s receipt of the Requisite Stockholder Approval or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is validly terminated pursuant to Section 9.1, (i) if and only if (x) the Company receives a bona fide unsolicited written Alternative Proposal (which Alternative Proposal did not result from an intentional or material breach of this Section 6.3) that the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisors, constitutes a Superior Proposal, and (y) the Company Board determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel, that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary duties under applicable Law, then the Company Board may make an Adverse Recommendation Change and terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(d) to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to such Superior Proposal; and (ii) if and only if in response to an Intervening Event, the Company Board has determined in good faith, after consultation with its outside legal counsel, that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary duties under applicable Law, then the Company Board may make an Adverse Recommendation Change contemplated by clauses (B), (F) or (H) of the definition of Adverse Recommendation Change; provided, in each case that the Company Board may not make any Adverse Recommendation Change or terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 6.3(d) unless:
(A) the Company shall have first provided prior written notice to Parent (which notice shall not constitute an Adverse Recommendation Change or termination of this Agreement) (the “Notice”), at least four (4) Business Days in advance of the Company’s or the Company Board’s intention to take any action permitted under this Section 6.3(d), which Notice shall, if applicable, specify the reasons for the proposed Adverse Recommendation Change and, (x) in the case of a proposed Adverse Recommendation Change pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(i), the material terms and conditions of any Superior Proposal (including the identity of the Person making such Superior Proposal) and, if applicable, include a copy of the most current draft of any Alternative Acquisition Agreement and any other material documents with respect to the Superior Proposal that include any terms and conditions of the Superior Proposal that are not set forth in such draft, and (y) in the case of a proposed Adverse Recommendation Change pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(ii), the basis therefor, including a reasonably detailed description of the Intervening Event; and
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(B) prior to making an Adverse Recommendation Change or terminating this Agreement to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal, (a) the Company shall, and shall use reasonable best efforts to cause its Representatives to, during period beginning the date the Notice is given and ending at 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on the fourth (4th) Business Day after the date such Notice is given (the “Negotiation Period”), negotiate with Parent in good faith (solely to the extent Parent desires to negotiate) to make such adjustments in the terms and conditions of this Agreement and consider any other proposals or offers (if any) made by Parent, and (b) after considering such negotiated adjustments and any proposals or offers made by Parent during such Negotiation Period, the Company Board shall have determined (x) after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel that in the case of an Adverse Recommendation Change or termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(i), such Alternative Proposal continues to constitute a Superior Proposal, and (y) after consultation with its outside legal counsel that in the case of an Adverse Recommendation Change or termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(i) or an Adverse Recommendation Change pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(ii), that the failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary duties under applicable Law. In the event of any revisions to an Alternative Proposal constituting a Superior Proposal, the Company shall be required to deliver a new written notice to Parent and to comply with the requirements of this Section 6.3(d) with respect to such new written notice, except that references to the four (4) Business Day period above shall be deemed to be references to a two (2) Business Day period. In the event of any material change to the facts or circumstances relating to the Intervening Event, the Company shall be required to deliver reasonably prompt written notice of such material change (which notice shall include a reasonably detailed description of such material change) and to comply with the requirements of this Section 6.3(d) with respect to such new written notice, including that the Company will provide Parent with an additional two (2) Business Day period prior to making an Adverse Recommendation Change, and such period shall begin upon the date of Parent’s receipt of the notice of such material change.
For the avoidance of doubt, if Parent, within four (4) Business Days (or two (2) Business Days, in the event of a new written notice following material revisions to a Superior Proposal) following its receipt of a Superior Proposal notice makes an offer that, as determined in good faith by the Company Board (after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisors) results in the applicable Alternative Proposal no longer being a Superior Proposal, then the Company shall have no right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(d) as a result of such Alternative Proposal.
(e) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall prevent the Company or the Company Board from (i) issuing a “stop, look and listen” communication pursuant to Rule 14d-9(f) under the Exchange Act, (ii) disclosing to the Company’s stockholders a position contemplated by Item 1012(a) of Regulation M-A or Rule 14d-9 and Rule 14e-2 under the Exchange Act with respect to any tender offer commenced by another Person constituting an Alternative Proposal, or (iii) from making any disclosure to the Company’s stockholders required (after consultation with outside legal counsel) under U.S. federal or state Law; provided, that this Section 6.3(e) shall not permit the Company or the Company Board to make an Adverse Recommendation Change except as expressly set forth in this Section 6.3. It is agreed that none of the actions contemplated by this Section 6.3(e), if taken, shall be considered an Adverse Recommendation Change and such actions shall not require the giving of notice or compliance with the procedures set forth in Section 6.3(d).
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(f) For purposes of this Agreement:
(i) “Alternative Proposal” means any bona fide proposal or offer (whether or not in writing) by any Person or “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act with respect to any direct or indirect (A) merger, consolidation, share exchange, other business combination or similar transaction involving the Company or any Company Subsidiary; (B) sale, contribution or other disposition, directly or indirectly of any business or assets of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries representing 20% or more of the consolidated revenues, net income or assets of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (C) issuance, sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, to any Person (or the shareholders of any Person) or “group” of Persons (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) of securities (or options, rights or warrants to purchase, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, such securities) representing 20% or more of the voting power of the Company; (D) transaction in which any Person (or the shareholders of any Person) shall acquire, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership, or the right to acquire beneficial ownership, or formation of any “group” which beneficially owns or has the right to acquire beneficial ownership of, securities (or options, rights or warrants to purchase, or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, such securities) representing 20% or more of the voting power of the Company; or (E) any combination of the foregoing (in each case, other than the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement).
(ii) “Superior Proposal” means any unsolicited bona fide written Alternative Proposal (with all percentages in the definition of Alternative Proposal increased to 50%) made by a Person or “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, which the Company Board determines in its good faith (after consultation with its financial advisors and outside legal counsel) is reasonably likely to be consummated in accordance with its terms taking into account all aspects (including legal, regulatory, timing, certainty of closing and financing aspects) of the Alternative Proposal, and if consummated, would result in a transaction on terms more favorable to the holders of Company Class A Common Stock (solely in their capacity as such) than the Merger from a financial point of view, taking into account all the terms and conditions of such Alternative Proposal and this Agreement and all financial, legal, regulatory and other aspects of such Alternative Proposal that the Company Board considers in good faith to be appropriate (including the conditionality, and the timing and likelihood of consummation, of such Alternative Proposal) and, in connection with any determination under Section 6.3(d), taking into account, if applicable, any negotiated adjustments to this Agreement and any other proposals or offers made by Parent during the Negotiation Period.
(iii) “Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement” means a confidentiality agreement that is either (a) in effect as of the execution and delivery of this Agreement; or (b) entered into after the execution and delivery of this Agreement containing terms that are not in any material respect less restrictive of, and not in any material respect more favorable to, a third party or “group” that is a party to such agreement and its Affiliates and Representatives than the terms set forth in the Confidentiality Agreement are to Parent and its Affiliates and Representatives, including with respect to standstill provisions; provided, however, that such confidentiality agreement shall not provide such Person with any exclusive right to negotiate with the Company or otherwise prohibit compliance by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries with any of the provisions of this Section 6.3 or any other obligations of the Company or the Company Subsidiaries under this Agreement.
(iv) For purposes of this Section 6.3 and Article IX, the term “Person” shall include any “group,” as defined in Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, other than, with respect to the Company, Parent or any Affiliate of Parent or any of their Representatives.
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Article VII
Additional Agreements
Section 7.1 Proxy Statement and Other Required SEC Filings.
(a) Preparation. Promptly after the execution of this Agreement (but in no event later than fifteen (15) Business Days after the date of this Agreement), the Company will prepare (with Parent’s reasonable cooperation) and file with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement to be sent to the stockholders of the Company in connection with the Company Stockholder Meeting (the proxy statement, including any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Proxy Statement”). The Company will not file the Proxy Statement with the SEC without first providing Parent and its counsel a reasonable opportunity to review and comment thereon, and the Company will give good faith consideration to all reasonable additions, deletions or changes suggested by Parent or its counsel. Subject to Section 6.3 and unless there has been an Adverse Recommendation Change, the Company will (i) include the Company Recommendation in the Proxy Statement; and (ii) use its reasonable best efforts to solicit proxies to obtain the Requisite Stockholder Approval. Promptly (but no later than five days, to the extent practicable) following the later to occur of (A) confirmation by the SEC that it has no further comments on the Proxy Statement, and (B) expiration of the 10-day waiting period contemplated by Rule 14a-6(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act, the Company will cause the Proxy Statement in definitive form to be filed with the SEC and mailed to the stockholders of the Company. The Company shall also include the text of the fairness opinion of the Company Financial Advisor referenced in Section 5.29 (in its entirety) in the Proxy Statement together with a summary thereof.
(b) Mutual Assistance. Each of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub will furnish all information concerning such Person and its Affiliates to the other, and provide such other assistance, as may be reasonably requested by such other Party to be included in the Proxy Statement, any Other Required Company Filing or any Other Required Parent Filing, and will otherwise reasonably assist and cooperate with the other in the preparation, filing and distribution of the Proxy Statement, any Other Required Company Filing or any Other Required Parent Filing, and the resolution of any comments to any of the foregoing received from the SEC.
(c) SEC Correspondence. The Parties will notify each other as promptly as practicable of the receipt of any comments, whether written or oral, from the SEC and of any request by the SEC for amendments or supplements to the Proxy Statement, any Other Required Company Filing or any Other Required Parent Filing, or for additional information, and will supply each other with copies of all correspondence between it or any of its Representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC, on the other hand, with respect to such filings. The Parties will use their respective reasonable best efforts to resolve all SEC comments, if any, with respect to the Proxy Statement, any Other Required Company Filing or any Other Required Parent Filing as promptly as practicable after the receipt thereof.
(d) No Amendments to Proxy Statement. Except in connection with an Adverse Recommendation Change or thereafter, no amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement will be made by the Company without first providing Parent and its counsel a reasonable opportunity to review and comment thereon, and the Company will give good faith consideration to all reasonable additions, deletions or changes suggested by Parent or its counsel.
(e) Other Required Company Filing. If the Company determines that it is required to file any document other than the Proxy Statement with the SEC in connection with the Merger pursuant to applicable Law (such document, as amended or supplemented, an “Other Required Company Filing”), then the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to promptly prepare and file such Other Required Company Filing with the SEC. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to cause the Proxy Statement and any Other Required Company Filing to comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules of the SEC and NYSE. Except in connection with an Adverse Recommendation Change or thereafter, the Company may not file any Other Required Company Filing with the SEC without first providing Parent and its counsel a reasonable opportunity to review and comment thereon, and the Company will give good faith consideration to all reasonable additions, deletions or changes suggested by Parent or its counsel.
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(f) Other Required Parent Filings. If Parent or Merger Sub determines that it is required to file any document with the SEC as a result of the Merger or the Company Stockholder Meeting pursuant to applicable Law (an “Other Required Parent Filing”), then Parent and Merger Sub will use their respective reasonable best efforts to promptly prepare and file such Other Required Parent Filing with the SEC. Parent and Merger Sub will use respective reasonable best efforts to cause any Other Required Parent Filing to comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules of the SEC. Neither Parent nor Merger Sub may file any Other Required Parent Filing with the SEC without first providing the Company and its counsel a reasonable opportunity to review and comment thereon, and Parent will give good faith consideration to all reasonable additions, deletions or changes suggested by the Company or its counsel.
(g) Accuracy; Supplied Information.
(i) By the Company. On the date of filing with the SEC, the date of mailing to the stockholders of the Company (if applicable) of the Proxy Statement or any Other Required Company Filing, and at the time of the Company Stockholder Meeting, neither the Proxy Statement nor any Other Required Company Filing will contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not false or misleading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no covenant is made by the Company with respect to any information supplied by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement or any Other Required Company Filing. The information supplied by the Company for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement or any Other Required Parent Filings will not, at the time that such Proxy Statement or Other Required Parent Filing is filed with the SEC, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
(ii) By Parent. On the date of filing with the SEC, no Other Required Parent Filing will contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not false or misleading. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no covenant is made by Parent or Merger Sub with respect to any information supplied by the Company for inclusion or incorporation by reference in any Other Required Parent Filing. The information supplied by Parent, Merger Sub and their respective Affiliates for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement or any Other Required Company Filing will not, at the time that the Proxy Statement or such Other Required Company Filing is filed with the SEC, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
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Section 7.2 Access to Information; Confidentiality; Cooperation.
(a) Subject to applicable Law, the Company shall, and shall cause each Company Subsidiary to, afford to Parent and to the Representatives of Parent reasonable access during normal business hours, upon reasonable advance notice, during the Interim Period, to all their respective employees, properties, books and records, Contracts, information technology systems and, during such period, the Company shall, and shall cause each Company Subsidiary to, use commercially reasonable efforts to furnish to Parent all other information available to it and prepared in the Ordinary Course of Business concerning its business, properties and personnel as Parent may reasonably request (in each case, in a manner so as to not interfere in any material respect with the normal business operations of the Company or any Company Subsidiary and solely for purposes that are, in good faith, directly and actually related to, and explicitly necessary for, the consummation of the Merger or the post-Closing integration of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries with Parent and its Subsidiaries); provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to permit such access or make such disclosure, to the extent it reasonably determines, after consultation with outside legal counsel, that such disclosure or access would be reasonably likely to: (i) violate the terms of any confidentiality agreement of other Contract with a third party (provided, that the Company shall at Parent’s written request use its commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the required consent of such third party to such access or disclosure); (ii) result in the loss of any attorney-client privilege or protection for work product prepared for or in anticipation of litigation (“Work Product Protection”) (provided that the Company shall reasonably cooperate with Parent and use its commercially reasonable efforts to allow for such access or disclosure in a manner that does not result in a loss of attorney-client privilege or Work Product Protection); (iii) violate any Law (provided that the Company shall reasonably cooperate with Parent and use its commercially reasonable efforts to provide such access or make such disclosure in a manner that does not violate Law); provided, further, in the case of each of the foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) that the Company has given notice to Parent of the fact that it is not providing such access or disclosure, including a description of the general nature of the information being withheld. All information exchanged pursuant to this Section 7.2 shall be subject to the Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2022 between Parent and the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”).
(b) Without limiting the generality of Section 7.2(a), during the Interim Period, the Company agrees to, and to cause the Company Subsidiaries to, subject to applicable Law and Section 7.2(a) (i) reasonably cooperate with Parent and its Subsidiaries to facilitate planning for the post-Closing integration of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries with Parent and its Subsidiaries (including, at the request of Parent from time to time, reasonably cooperating with Parent and its Subsidiaries in the planning and development of a post-Closing integration plan), and (ii) provide reasonable access to key personnel mutually agreed by the Company and Parent to facilitate Parent’s efforts with respect to the post-Closing retention of such key personnel; provided, however, that such requests for access and cooperation from Parent shall not unreasonably interfere with the operation of the Company’s business or impede or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(c) The Company may satisfy its obligations set forth in this Section 7.2 by electronic means if physical access is not reasonably feasible or would not be permitted under applicable Law, including as a result of any COVID-19 Measures.
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Section 7.3 Regulatory Approvals; Consents.
(a) Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, each of the parties hereto agrees to use commercially reasonable efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions that are necessary, proper, or advisable to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including using commercially reasonable efforts to accomplish the following: (i) obtain all consents, permits, approvals, or waivers from, or participation in other discussions or negotiations with, third parties, including as required under any Material Contract identified on Section 7.3(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter, to the extent required to permit the parties to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) obtain all necessary actions or nonactions, waivers, consents, approvals, waiting period expirations or terminations, orders, and authorizations from Governmental Entities, make all necessary notices, applications, petitions, registrations, declarations, and filings, and make all commercially reasonable efforts to obtain an approval or waiver from, or to avoid any action, suit, claim, arbitration, investigation, or other proceeding by or before, any Governmental Entity, including (1) under the HSR Act with respect to the FTC and the Antitrust Division, and (2) from the French Ministry of Economy under article L151-3 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier, and (iii) execute and deliver any additional instruments necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and fully to carry out the purposes of this Agreement; provided, however, that neither the Company nor any of the Company Subsidiaries shall commit to the payment of any fee, penalty, or other consideration, or make any other concession, waiver, or amendment under any Contract in connection with obtaining any consent without the prior written consent of Parent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed). Each of the parties hereto shall furnish to each other party such necessary information and reasonable assistance as such other party may reasonably request in connection with the foregoing. Subject to applicable Law relating to the exchange of information, Parent and the Company shall each have the right to review in advance, and to the extent practicable each shall consult with the other in connection with, all of the information relating to Parent or the Company, as the case may be, and any of their respective Subsidiaries, that appears in any filing (other than any filings under the HSR Act) made with, or written materials submitted to, any third party and/or any Governmental Entity in connection with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby. In exercising the foregoing rights, each of Parent and the Company shall act reasonably and as promptly as reasonably practicable. Subject to applicable Law and the instructions of any Governmental Entity, the Company and Parent shall keep each other reasonably apprised of the status of matters relating to the completion of the transactions contemplated hereby, including promptly furnishing the other with copies of notices or other written communications received by the Company or Parent, as the case may be, or any of their respective Subsidiaries, from any Governmental Entity and/or third party with respect to such transactions, and, to the extent practicable under the circumstances, shall provide the other party and its counsel with the opportunity to participate in any meeting with any Governmental Entity in respect of any filing, investigation, or other inquiry in connection therewith. Parent and the Company shall each, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, use its commercially reasonable efforts to resolve any objections that may be asserted by any Governmental Entity with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Parent and the Company, with respect to any threatened or pending preliminary or permanent injunction or other order or Law that would adversely affect the ability of the parties hereto to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, shall use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the entry, enactment, or promulgation thereof, as the case may be. Parent and the Company shall promptly advise each other upon receiving any communication from any Governmental Entity whose consent or approval is required for consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby relating to any such consent or approval.
(b) Parent, Merger Sub, and the Company agree to make (and to cause their respective ultimate parent entities, as defined under the HSR Act, to make) any necessary filings under (a) the HSR Act, and (b) with the French Ministry of Economy, as soon as practicable and no later than ten (10) Business Days after execution of this Agreement. Each of Parent and the Company shall furnish promptly to the FTC, the Antitrust Division, the French Ministry of Economy, and any other requesting Governmental Entity any additional information requested by either of them pursuant to the HSR Act or any other antitrust or related Law in connection with such filings, including all documents or information requested under 16 C.F.R. § 803.20 or other rules under the HSR Act, or under applicable French law with respect to the French Ministry of Economy. To the extent permitted by Law, each of Parent and the Company shall consult in advance and cooperate with one another, and consider in good faith the views of one another, in connection with any analyses, appearances, presentations, memoranda, briefs, arguments, opinions, and proposals made or submitted by or on behalf of any party hereto in connection with proceedings under or relating to the HSR Act or any other antitrust Law, and with the French Ministry of Economy. Parent and the Company shall cooperate fully with each other in connection with the making of all such filings or responses. In addition, except as may be prohibited by any Governmental Entity or by any applicable Law, each party hereto will permit authorized Representatives of the other parties to attend any meeting, communication, or conference with any Governmental Entity in connection with such proceedings under or relating to the HSR Act or any other antitrust Law, and before the French Ministry of Economy. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each party shall promptly provide to the other (or the other’s respective advisors) upon request copies of all correspondence between such party and any Governmental Entity relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The parties may, as they deem advisable and necessary, designate any nonpublic information provided to the other under this Section 7.3(b) as restricted to “outside counsel only” and any such information shall not be shared with employees, officers or directors or their equivalents of the other party without approval of the party providing the nonpublic information; provided, however, that each of the Company and Parent may redact (A) any valuation and related information and (B) information whose disclosure is restricted by contractual arrangements before sharing any information provided to any Governmental Entity with another party on an “outside counsel only” basis. Parent shall pay directly to the applicable Governmental Entity the applicable filing fee required in connection with the filings and other materials required under the HSR Act, or in connection with any other antitrust notifications, and any fees due to the French Ministry of Economy.
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(c) Each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to avoid or eliminate each and every impediment under the HSR Act and any other antitrust Law so as to enable the Closing to occur as soon as possible (and in any event no later than the End Date), including (i) licensing, leasing, operating, conducting in a specified manner, holding separate or restricting or limiting any assets, businesses, product lines, operations or interests, or (ii) otherwise taking or committing to take actions that after the Closing would limit Parent or its Affiliates’ or Subsidiaries’ freedom of action with respect to, one or more of the assets, businesses, product lines, operations or interests of Parent, the Company and their respective Affiliates and Subsidiaries, in each case as may be required in order to avoid the filing of a lawsuit by any Governmental Entity with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement seeking to enjoin or materially delay the Closing, or the entry of, or to effect the dissolution of any Order in any such suit or proceeding, which would otherwise have the effect of preventing or materially delaying the Closing, or to obtain the approval of any Governmental Entity (any such action in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), a “Restriction”); provided, that any such Restriction is conditioned upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, Parent’s obligation under this Agreement shall not include agreeing to any Restriction that, and Parent shall not be required to accept (and the Company shall not accept without Parent’s written consent) any Restriction that (A) would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, impact Parent, the Company, or their respective Subsidiaries or Affiliates in a manner or amount that is material relative to the value of Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (without giving effect to the Merger), (B) would require the sale, divesture, disposal or discontinuation of any assets, businesses, product lines, operations or interests other than the assets, businesses, product lines, operations or interests of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries located in France, or (C) with respect to Parent and its Affiliates and Subsidiaries (other than, following the Closing, the Company and the Company Subsidiaries), involves any assets, businesses, product lines, operations or interests other than the electric vehicle charging business of Parent and its Affiliates and Subsidiaries as conducted in the United States on the date of this Agreement.
(d) The parties acknowledge that the FTC and the Antitrust Division (together the “U.S. Antitrust Agencies”) have recently begun the practice of sending a letter (a “Pre-consummation Warning Letter”) to Persons filing notifications under the HSR Act stating that, although the waiting period under the HSR Act for the proposed transaction will soon expire, the U.S. Antitrust Agency’s staff has not yet completed its non-public investigation of the proposed transaction and that if the parties close the proposed transaction before the U.S. Antitrust Agency completes its investigation, they do so at their own risk inasmuch as the U.S. Antitrust Agency may challenge the proposed transaction, even after the HSR Act waiting period has expired. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company and the Parent agree that the receipt by any of them or by their Affiliates of a Pre-consummation Warning Letter or other verbal or written communications from the staff of the U.S. Antitrust Agencies to the same effect shall not constitute grounds for the assertion that a condition to closing under Annex I has not been satisfied.
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Section 7.4 Indemnification, Exculpation and Insurance.
(a) Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries to: (i) indemnify (including the advancement of attorneys’ fees and expenses) to the full extent of all rights thereto existing in favor of each individual who was prior to the date of this Agreement, is as of the date of this Agreement, or who becomes prior to the Effective Time, a director, manager or officer of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries or who is as of the date of this Agreement, or who thereafter commences prior to the Effective Time, serving at the request of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries as a director, manager or officer of another Person (the “Company Indemnified Parties”), in such capacity, as provided in any indemnification agreement set forth in Section 7.4(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter or in the Company Charter or Company Bylaws or other organizational documents, in each case as in effect on the date of this Agreement for acts or omissions occurring prior to the Effective Time for a period of six (6) years after the Effective Time with respect to any claims against such directors, managers, or officers arising out of such acts or omissions, except as otherwise required by applicable Law; and (ii) not amend, repeal, or otherwise modify such indemnification provisions in the documents described in clause (a) of this Section 7.4 in any respect that would adversely affect such rights during the period of six (6) years after the Effective Time, except as otherwise required by applicable Law. All rights to exculpation, elimination of liability, indemnification and advancement of expenses for acts or omissions occurring or alleged to have occurred at or prior to the Effective Time, whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time, now existing in favor of the Company Indemnified Parties as provided in any indemnification agreement set forth in Section 7.4(a) of the Company Disclosure Letter or in the Company Charter or Company Bylaws or other organizational documents, in each case as in effect on the date of this Agreement shall survive the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, and shall continue in full force and effect in accordance with the terms thereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if any Company Indemnified Party notifies Parent or the Surviving Corporation on or prior to the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Effective Time of a matter in respect of which such Person intends in good faith to seek indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.4, the provisions of this Section 7.4 shall continue in effect with respect to such matter until the final disposition of all claims, actions, investigations, suits and proceedings relating thereto.
(b) For a period of six (6) years from and after the Effective Time, Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall either cause to be maintained in effect the current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance maintained by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, as the case may be, or provide substitute policies for the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and their current and former directors, managers and officers who are currently covered by the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance currently maintained by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, in either case, with reference to the policies made available by the Company to Parent or Parent’s Representatives prior to the date of this Agreement, in an amount not less than the existing coverage and having other terms not less favorable to the insured persons than the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance currently maintained by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries with respect to claims arising from facts or events that occurred at or before the Effective Time (with insurance carriers having at least an “A-” rating by A.M. Best with respect to directors’ and officers’ liability insurance), except that in no event shall Parent or the Surviving Corporation be required to pay with respect to such insurance policies in respect of any one (1) policy year more than 250% of the greater of (i) the aggregate annual premium of the policy currently in effect on the date of this Agreement, and (ii) the aggregate annual premium of the policy in effect prior to Closing, a copy of the proposal for which has been made available to Parent (the “Maximum Amount”), and if the Surviving Corporation is unable to obtain the insurance required by this Section 7.4(b) it shall obtain as much comparable insurance as possible for the years within such six (6)-year period for an annual premium equal to the Maximum Amount, in respect of each policy year within such period. In lieu of such insurance, prior to the Closing Date the Company may, at its option, purchase a “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and their current and former directors, managers and officers who are currently covered by the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage currently maintained by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, such tail to provide coverage in an amount not less than the existing coverage and to have other terms not less favorable to the insured persons than the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance currently maintained by the Company or the Company Subsidiaries with respect to claims arising from facts or events that occurred at or before the Effective Time; provided, that in no event shall the cost of any such policy exceed the Maximum Amount. Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall maintain such policies in full force and effect and continue to honor the obligations thereunder.
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(c) In the event that the Surviving Corporation or any of its successors or assigns (i) consolidates with or merges into any other Person and is not the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger, or (ii) transfers or conveys all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any Person, then, and in each such case, the Surviving Corporation shall cause proper provision to be made so that the successors and assigns of the Surviving Corporation assume the obligations set forth in this Section 7.4(c).
(d) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that any claim for indemnification described in this Section 7.4(d) is asserted or made on or prior to the sixth (6th) anniversary of the Effective Time, all rights to indemnification herein in respect of such claim shall continue until the final disposition of such claim.
(e) The provisions of this Section 7.4(e) (i) shall survive consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) are intended to be for the benefit of, and will be enforceable by, each Company Indemnified Party, his or her heirs, successors and assigns, each of which are express third-party beneficiaries hereof, and (iii) are in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses, exculpation or contribution that any such Person may have by contract or otherwise.
Section 7.5 Notification of Certain Matters; Transaction Litigation.
(a) The Company shall give prompt written notice to Parent, and Parent shall give prompt written notice to the Company, of (and if in writing, furnish the other parties with copies of) any notice or other communication received by such party from any Governmental Entity in connection with this Agreement, the Merger or the transactions contemplated hereby, or from any Person alleging that the consent of such Person is or may be required in connection with the Merger or the transactions contemplated hereby. In connection with any such notice or other communication, the applicable party shall (i) permit the other party to review and discuss in advance (and to consider in good faith any reasonable comments made by the other party in relation to) any proposed response to any such communication from any such Person or any Governmental Entity, and (ii) consult with the other party, acting reasonably and as promptly as reasonably practicable, with respect to all the information relating to such other parties and any of their respective Subsidiaries that appears in any filing made with, or written materials submitted to, any such Person or any Governmental Entity in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) The Company shall as promptly as reasonably practicable notify Parent of, and keep Parent reasonably informed regarding, any suit, action or other proceeding commenced, or to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or its current or former directors or officers relating to, arising out of or involving this Agreement, the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated hereby (“Transaction Litigation”) (including by keeping Parent reasonably apprised of material decisions with respect to such litigation contemplated by the Company). The Company shall give Parent the right to review and comment on all material filings or material responses to be made by the Company in connection with any Transaction Litigation (and the Company shall in good faith take such comments, if reasonable, into account) and shall give Parent the opportunity to participate (subject to a customary joint defense agreement, and at Parent’s sole expense) in, but not control, the defense and settlement of any Transaction Litigation and shall not compromise or settle in full or in part any such Transaction Litigation unless Parent shall have consented in writing thereto (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 7.5(b), any suit, action or other proceeding relating to Dissenting Shares shall be governed by Section 3.3.
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Section 7.6 Section 16 Matters; Takeover Laws.
(a) Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall take such further actions, if any, as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to ensure that the dispositions of equity securities of the Company (including any derivative securities) pursuant to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement by any officer or director of the Company who is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act are exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act; provided, however, that the Company shall not take any action under this Section 7.6(a) that is otherwise prohibited by this Agreement.
(b) If any Takeover Law shall become applicable to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Voting Agreement, each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company and the members of their respective boards of directors shall use their respective reasonable best efforts to grant such approvals and take such actions as are necessary so that such transactions may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms and conditions contemplated hereby and otherwise act to lawfully eliminate the effect of any Takeover Law on any such transaction.
Section 7.7 Stock Exchange De-listing. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall cooperate with Parent and use its commercially reasonable efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, necessary, proper or advisable on its part under applicable Law and the rules and policies of NYSE to cause the delisting of the Company Class A Common Stock and the SPAC Warrants from NYSE as promptly as practicable after the Effective Time (provided that no such action shall be required to be effective prior to the Effective Time).
Section 7.8 Public Announcements. Except with respect to any Adverse Recommendation Change or announcement made with respect to any Alternative Proposal, Superior Proposal or related matters in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, or any dispute between the parties regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, Parent and the Company shall consult with each other before issuing, and give each other the reasonable opportunity to review and comment upon, any press release or other public statements with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the Merger and any filings with any third party and/or any Governmental Entity (including any national securities exchange or national securities quotation system) with respect thereto, and shall not issue any such press release, make any such public statement or make any such filing prior to such consultation and opportunity to review and comment, except as such party may reasonably conclude may be required by applicable Law, court process or by obligations pursuant to any rule of or listing agreement with any national securities exchange or national securities quotation system. The Company and Parent agree that the initial press release to be issued with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be in the form heretofore agreed to by the parties. Nothing in this Section 7.8 shall limit the ability of any party to make announcements to their respective Affiliates, and to their respective directors, officers, employees, customers, suppliers, landlords and other Persons having business dealings with such party, or to make public statements that are consistent with the parties’ prior public disclosure with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 7.9 Director and Officer Resignations. At the Closing, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause to be delivered to Parent a letter of resignation in a form reasonably satisfactory to Parent from each of the directors and officers (in their capacities as officers) of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (other than directors and officers of the Subsidiaries whom Parent determines shall continue to serve in such capacities following the Effective Time), effective at the Effective Time.
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Section 7.10 Merger Sub; Parent Subsidiaries; Formation of Merger Sub.
(a) Parent shall cause each of Merger Sub and any other applicable Subsidiary of Parent to comply with and perform all of its obligations under or relating to this Agreement, including in the case of Merger Sub to consummate the Merger on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
(b) Parent shall promptly following the execution of this Agreement cause Merger Sub to be incorporated and, immediately upon such incorporation, to execute and deliver to the Company and Parent a joinder to this Agreement making Merger Sub party hereto.
Section 7.11 Employee Matters.
(a) Parent covenants and agrees that, at least until the first anniversary of the Closing, Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries to provide to each Company Employee who remains employed by the Surviving Corporation or its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date (“Continuing Employees”), to the extent that such Continuing Employee remains employed by the Surviving Corporation or another Affiliate of Parent after the Closing, with target annual cash compensation, severance, health, welfare and retirement benefit opportunities (but excluding equity-based compensation) that are, in the aggregate, substantially comparable to the target annual cash compensation, severance, health, welfare and retirement benefit opportunities (but excluding equity-based compensation) provided to such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Closing.
(b) After the Closing Date, if a Continuing Employee is transitioned onto Parent’s employment terms and conditions (as defined and determined by Parent in its discretion), then Parent and its Affiliates shall use commercially reasonable efforts to grant such Continuing Employee credit for any service with the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (and their predecessors) earned prior to the Closing Date for purposes of determining eligibility to participate, vesting, and level of benefits under any plan, program or arrangement providing for severance or vacation benefits that was established or maintained by Parent or its Affiliates (excluding the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries) as of the Closing Date and in which such Continuing Employee becomes eligible to participate upon such employment transition (each, an “Applicable Parent Plan”). Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, (i) nothing in this Section 7.11(b) shall or shall be construed to result in the duplication of benefits or the funding thereof, and (ii) this Section 7.11(b) shall apply only if and to the extent that a Continuing Employee’s prior service with the Company and the Company Subsidiaries (and their predecessors) is relevant to determining the Continuing Employee’s eligibility to participate, vesting, or level of benefits under an Applicable Parent Plan.
(c) After the Closing Date, if a Continuing Employee is transitioned onto Parent’s employment terms and conditions (as defined and determined by Parent in its discretion), Parent hereby agrees that Parent and its Affiliates (including the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries) shall (i) waive all pre-existing condition exclusions and actively at work requirements and similar limitations, eligibility waiting periods and evidence of insurability requirements under any welfare benefit plan, program or arrangement established or maintained by Parent or its Affiliates (including the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries) on or after the Closing Date for the benefit of Continuing Employees (the “Parent Welfare Plans”), in each case (A) to the extent waived or satisfied by a Continuing Employee under any corresponding welfare benefit plan maintained by the Surviving Corporation or its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date and (B) to the extent permitted by the terms of the applicable Parent Welfare Plan on the date of the Continuing Employee’s employment transition, and (ii) to the extent permitted by the terms of the applicable Parent Welfare Plan on the date of the Continuing Employee’s employment transition, use commercially reasonable efforts to recognize any deductibles, coinsurance and out of pocket expenses incurred on or before the Continuing Employee’s employment transition date by the Continuing Employee (or covered spouse or dependent thereof) to be taken into account for purposes of satisfying applicable deductible, coinsurance and maximum out of pocket provisions for the plan year in which the Continuing Employee’s employment transition occurs under any applicable group health Parent Welfare Plan.
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(d) Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation or its applicable Subsidiaries to honor and perform under the terms and conditions of the Company’s Management Incentive Plan.
(e) If requested by Parent at least ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing Date (but conditioned upon the occurrence of the Closing), the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to seek approval from the board of directors of the Company to terminate or cause to be terminated its Benefit Plan that is intended to be qualified within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code (the “Company 401(k) Plan”), the parties to this Agreement shall cooperate in good faith prior to the Closing with respect to the preparation and execution of all documentation necessary to effect the foregoing termination. To the extent the Company 401(k) Plan is terminated pursuant to Parent’s request, the Company Employees shall be eligible to participate in a Parent 401(k) plan that is intended to be qualified within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code (and meets the qualifications thereof) as soon as practicable following the Closing, and Parent shall take such actions as are necessary to permit Continuing Employees to rollover their account balances (including notes associated with plan loans) to such Parent 401(k) plan.
(f) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days after the date hereof, the Company will make available to Parent true and correct copies of preliminary Section 280G calculations (based on the assumptions set forth in the applicable calculations) with respect to each “disqualified individual” (within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and determined as of the date hereof), which analysis may be updated from time to time (with any subsequent updates promptly provided to Parent). The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to finalize any Section 280G calculations at least ten (10) Business Days prior to the Closing.
(g) The provisions of this Section 7.11 are solely for the benefit of Parent and its Affiliates (including the Company and the Company Subsidiaries), and no Company Employee, or individual associated therewith, shall be regarded for any purpose as a third-party beneficiary of this Section 7.11. In no event shall the terms of this Agreement be deemed to (i) establish, amend or modify any Benefit Plan or any other “employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA, or any other benefit plan, program, agreement or arrangement maintained or sponsored by the Company, Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates; (ii) alter or limit the ability of the Company, Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates to amend, modify or terminate any Benefit Plan or any other benefit or employment plan, program, agreement or arrangement after the Closing Date; or (iii) confer upon any Company Employee any right to employment or continued employment or continued service with the Company, Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective Affiliates, or constitute or create an employment or similar agreement with any Person.
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Section 7.12 Company Stockholder Meeting.
(a) Call of Company Stockholder Meeting. The Company will take all action necessary in accordance with applicable Law, the Company Charter and the Company Bylaws to establish a record date for, duly call, give notice of, convene and hold a meeting of the stockholders of the Company (including any adjournment or postponement thereof, the “Company Stockholder Meeting”) as promptly as reasonably practicable following the mailing of the Proxy Statement to the stockholders of the Company for the purpose of, among other things, (i) seeking the Requisite Stockholder Approval; (ii) in accordance with Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, seeking advisory approval of a proposal in connection with a non-binding, advisory vote to approve certain compensation that may become payable to the Company’s named executive officers in connection with the consummation of the Merger; and (iii) seeking approval of one or more adjournments of the Company Stockholder Meeting whether or not a quorum is present. Without the prior written consent of Parent (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), but subject to the Company’s ability to adjourn or postpone the Company Stockholder Meeting in accordance with this Agreement, the Company Stockholder Meeting shall not be held later than 40 calendar days after the mailing of the Proxy Statement to the stockholders of the Company. Except as set forth in this Section 7.12, the Company may not adjourn or postpone the Company Stockholder Meeting. The Company will (A) submit this Agreement for adoption by the stockholders of the Company at the Company Stockholder Meeting; and (B) unless the Company Board (or a committee thereof) has made an Adverse Recommendation Change, use appropriate efforts to solicit (or cause to be solicited) from the stockholders of the Company proxies in favor of the matters to be considered at the Company Stockholder Meeting. Without the prior written consent of Parent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the adoption of this Agreement shall be the only matter (other than (x) matters of procedure, including seeking approval of one or more adjournments of the Company Stockholder Meeting whether or not a quorum is present, and matters required by applicable Law to be voted on by the stockholders of the Company in connection with the adoption of this Agreement and (y) in accordance with Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act seeking advisory approval of a proposal in connection with a non-binding, advisory vote to approve certain compensation that may become payable to the Company’s named executive officers in connection with the consummation of the Merger) that the Company shall propose to be acted on by the stockholders of the Company at the Company Stockholder Meeting.
(b) Adjournment of Company Stockholder Meeting. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company will be permitted to postpone or adjourn the Company Stockholder Meeting if (i) such adjournment of the Company Stockholder Meeting is necessary to enable the Company to solicit additional proxies required to constitute a quorum necessary to conduct the business of the Company Stockholder Meeting and/or to obtain the Requisite Stockholder Approval whether or not there is a quorum present; (ii) the Company is required to postpone or adjourn the Company Stockholder Meeting by applicable Law, order or a request from the SEC; or (iii) the Company Board (or a committee thereof) has determined in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that it is required by applicable Law to postpone or adjourn the Company Stockholder Meeting (including, if the Company Board (or a committee thereof) has determined in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that it is required by applicable Law) in order to give the stockholders of the Company sufficient time to evaluate any information or disclosure that the Company has sent to the stockholders of the Company or otherwise made available to the stockholders of the Company by issuing a press release, filing materials with the SEC or otherwise, in each case in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Without the prior written consent of Parent (which will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company Stockholder Meeting will not be postponed or adjourned (A) by more than 10 days at a time; (B) with respect to Section 7.12(b)(i), by more than 30 days after the date on which the Company Stockholder Meeting was (or was required to be) originally scheduled; or (C) on more than two occasions. In no event will the record date of the Company Stockholder Meeting be changed without Parent’s prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), unless required by applicable Law.
(c) At the Company Stockholder Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof, Parent shall vote, or cause to be voted, all of the shares of Company Class A Common Stock then owned of record by Parent or Merger Sub, or with respect to which Parent or Merger Sub otherwise has, directly or indirectly, voting power, in favor of the adoption of this Agreement.
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Section 7.13 Payoff of Credit Facilities. Prior to or at, and conditioned upon, the occurrence of the Closing, the Company shall deliver all notices and use commercially reasonable efforts to take all other actions reasonably requested by Parent to facilitate the termination of the commitments under the Credit Facilities, the repayment in full of all obligations then outstanding thereunder and the release of all Liens in connection therewith on the Closing Date, and use commercially reasonable efforts to deliver to Parent on or prior to the third (3rd) Business Day prior to the Closing customary payoff letters in respect of the Credit Facilities, including using commercially reasonable efforts to cause such payoff letters to (x) indicate the total amount required to be paid to fully satisfy all principal, interest, prepayment premiums, penalties, breakage costs or other similar obligations related to the Credit Facilities as of the anticipated Closing Date (and the daily accrual thereafter) (the “Payoff Amount”) and (y) state that all obligations (including guarantees) in respect thereof (other than those contingent indemnification obligations that customarily remain following termination of a credit agreement) and Liens in connection therewith on the assets of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries shall be, substantially concurrently with the receipt of the Payoff Amount on the Closing Date, automatically released or terminated.
Article VIII
Conditions Precedent
Section 8.1 Conditions to Each Party’s Obligation to Effect the Merger. The respective obligations of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company to consummate the Merger are subject to the satisfaction or mutual waiver by Parent, Merger Sub and the Company (where permissible pursuant to applicable Law) at or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following conditions:
(a) the Company shall have received the Requisite Stockholder Approval at the Company Stockholder Meeting;
(b) the waiting period (and any extensions thereof) applicable to the Merger pursuant to the HSR Act shall have expired or otherwise been terminated, and no agreement with any Governmental Entity not to consummate the Merger shall be in effect;
(c) no Law or Order of any Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction shall be in effect that prevents, makes illegal or prohibits the consummation of the Merger; and
(d) all consents, approvals and filings required by or from the French Ministry of the Economy in connection with the change of control of Volta France Sàrl contemplated by this Agreement shall have been obtained or made, and all waiting periods (including any extensions thereof) (including any timing agreements with the applicable French Ministry of the Economy) relating to the change of control of Volta France Sàrl contemplated by this Agreement shall have expired or otherwise been terminated under article L151-3 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier.
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Section 8.2 Conditions to the Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. The obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Merger will be subject to the satisfaction or waiver at or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following conditions, any of which may be waived exclusively by Parent:
(a) (i) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 5.2(b) (Company Subsidiaries) and Section 5.3(a) (Capitalization Structure) shall be true and correct in all respects, except for inaccuracies that are de minimis in amount, as of the Closing Date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be so true and correct as of such particular date), (ii) each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 5.1 (Organization, Standing and Power), Section 5.2(a) and (c) (Company Subsidiaries), Section 5.3(b), (c) and (d) (Capitalization Structure), Section 5.4 (Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability), Section 5.5 (Requisite Stockholder Approval), Section 5.22 (Anti-Takeover Provisions), the first sentence of Section 5.28 (Brokers’ Fees and Expenses), and Section 5.29 (Opinion of Company Financial Advisor) shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any references to any “Company Material Adverse Effect” or other “materiality” qualifications) in all material respects as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be so true and correct as of such date), and (C) any other representations and warranties of the Company contained in Article V of this Agreement, other than those Sections specifically identified in clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 8.2(a), shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any references to any “Company Material Adverse Effect” or other “materiality” qualifications) as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be true and correct as of such date) except where failure to be so true and correct would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect;
(b) the Company shall have complied with or performed in all material respects each covenant, agreement and obligation that the Company is required to comply with or to perform at or prior to the Closing Date;
(c) the Company shall have delivered to Parent a certificate signed by an executive officer of the Company and dated as of the Closing Date to the effect that the conditions specified in Section 8.2(a) and Section 8.2(b) have been satisfied; and
(d) since the date of this Agreement, there has not occurred a Company Material Adverse Effect which is continuing as of the Closing Date.
Section 8.3 Conditions to the Company’s Obligations to Effect the Merger. The obligations of the Company to consummate the Merger are subject to the satisfaction or waiver at or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following conditions, any of which may be waived exclusively by the Company:
(a) the representations and warranties of the Parent and Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct (without giving effect to any references to any “Parent Material Adverse Effect” or other “materiality” qualifications) as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of the Closing Date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be true and correct as of such date) except where failure to be so true and correct would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Parent Material Adverse Effect;
(b) Parent and Merger Sub shall have complied with or performed in all material respects each covenant, agreement and obligation that the Parent and Merger Sub are required to comply with or to perform at or prior to the Closing Date; and
(c) Parent and Merger Sub shall have delivered to the Company a certificate signed by an officer of Parent and Merger Sub and dated as of the Closing Date to the effect that the conditions specified in Section 8.3(a) and Section 8.3(b) have been satisfied.
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Article IX
Termination, Amendment and Waiver
Section 9.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the Effective Time, whether before or after the receipt of the Requisite Stockholder Approval (except to the extent expressly provided in this Section 9.1) as follows (and only as follows):
(a) by mutual written consent of the Company and Parent at any time prior to the Effective Time;
(b) by either the Company or Parent:
(i) if the Effective Time shall not have occurred on or before April 30, 2023 (the “End Date”); provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.1(b)(i) shall not be available to any party whose material breach of any provision of this Agreement is the principal cause of or results in the failure of the Effective Time to have occurred by the End Date;
(ii) if a Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction shall have enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered any applicable Law or Order which is then in effect that prevents, makes illegal or prohibits the consummation of the Merger, which Law or Order shall have become final and non-appealable; provided, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 9.1(b)(ii) shall not be available to any party whose material breach of this Agreement is the principal cause of or results in the issuance of such final and non-appealable Law or Order; or
(iii) if the Company fails to obtain the Requisite Stockholder Approval at the Company Stockholder Meeting (including any adjournment or postponement thereof) at which a vote is taken on the adoption of this Agreement, except that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(b)(iii) shall not be available to any party whose material breach of any provision of this Agreement is the principal cause of or results in the failure to obtain the Requisite Stockholder Approval at the Company Stockholder Meeting.
(c) by the Company if there has been any breach or violation of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of Parent or Merger Sub contained in this Agreement, in each case, if such breach or violation would reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse Effect and such breach or violation is not capable of being cured, or is not cured by Parent or Merger Sub on or before the earlier of (i) the End Date, and (ii) thirty (30) days after delivery of written notice thereof by the Company; provided, however, that the Company may not terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(c) if the Company is then in material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of the Company set forth in this Agreement such that a condition set forth in Section 8.2(a), (b) or (d) would not then be satisfied as of the date of the termination pursuant to this Section 9.1(c);
(d) by the Company (at any time prior to receiving the Requisite Stockholder Approval) in order to enter into a definitive written agreement providing for a Superior Proposal in accordance with Section 6.3(d); provided, that no such termination shall be effective unless (i) the Company has complied with the requirements of Section 6.3 in connection with such Superior Proposal, (ii) pays the Termination Fee prior to or simultaneously with such termination, and (iii) prior to or simultaneously with such termination, the Person making such Superior Proposal (or its applicable Affiliate) has complied with the terms and conditions of the Bridge Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement that are required to be performed prior to or simultaneously with such termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(d);
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(e) by Parent if there has been any breach or violation of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of the Company contained in this Agreement which would give rise to the failure of a condition in Section 8.2(a), (b) or (d) and which such failure is not capable of being cured, or is not cured by the Company on or before the earlier of (i) the End Date, and (ii) thirty (30) days after delivery of written notice thereof by Parent; provided, however, that Parent may not terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(e) if either Parent or Merger Sub is then in material breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of Parent or Merger Sub set forth in this Agreement such that a condition set forth in Section 8.3(a) or (b) would not then be satisfied as of the date of the termination pursuant to this Section 9.1(e) or if the Affiliate of Parent party to the Bridge Loan Agreement is then in material breach of any covenant or agreement of such Affiliate of Parent set forth in the Bridge Loan Agreement; or
(f) by Parent (at any time prior to receiving the Requisite Stockholder Approval) if an Adverse Recommendation Change shall have occurred, or if the Company shall have committed a Willful Breach of Section 6.3, except that Parent’s right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9.1(f) will expire at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the fifteenth (15th) Business Day following the date on which such right to terminate first arose.
Section 9.2 Effect of Termination. In the event of termination of this Agreement by either Parent or the Company as provided in Section 9.1, written notice thereof shall be given to the other party or parties specifying the provisions of Section 9.1 pursuant to which such termination is made, and this Agreement shall forthwith become void and have no effect, without any further liability or obligation on the part of the Company, Parent or Merger Sub, other than the final sentence of Section 7.2(a), this Section 9.2, Section 9.3 and Article X, which provisions shall survive such termination; provided, however, that except as set forth in, and subject to the terms and conditions of Section 9.3, such termination shall not relieve any party of liability and each party shall remain liable for Losses resulting from any Fraud or Willful Breach of any representation, warranty or covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement prior to or in connection with such termination.
Section 9.3 Fees and Expenses. All fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be paid by the party incurring such fees or expenses, whether or not such transactions are consummated.
(a) The Company shall pay to Parent the Termination Fee if:
(i) the Company terminates this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(d) or Parent terminates this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(f); or
(ii) (A) an Alternative Proposal shall have (x) become publicly known or announced (whether by or on behalf of the Company or the Person making such Alternative Proposal), and (y) not publicly withdrawn at least ten (10) Business Days prior to the termination of this Agreement; (B) this Agreement is terminated (x) pursuant to Section 9.1(b)(i) (but in the case of a termination by the Company, only if at such time Parent would not be prohibited from terminating this Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(b)(i)) at a time when the Requisite Stockholder Approval has not been obtained, (y) pursuant to Section 9.1(b)(iii), or (z) pursuant to Section 9.1(e); and (C) within twelve (12) months of such termination, the Company enters into a definitive agreement in respect of an Alternative Proposal that is subsequently consummated or an Alternative Proposal is consummated; provided, however, that for purposes of this Section 9.3(a)(ii), the references to 20% in the definition of “Alternative Proposal” shall be deemed to be references to 50%.
(b) Any Termination Fee due under Section 9.3(a) shall be paid by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by Parent (x) in the case of clause (i) of Section 9.3(a), within two (2) Business Days following the date of termination of this Agreement (or prior to or simultaneously with such termination, in the case of termination pursuant to Section 9.1(d)), and (y) in the case of clause (ii) of Section 9.3(a), within two (2) Business Days following the consummation of an Alternative Proposal as referred to in clause (ii) of Section 9.3(a). In no event shall the Company be obligated to pay the Termination Fee on more than one occasion.
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(c) The parties acknowledge and agree that the agreements contained in this Section 9.3 are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and that, without these agreements, the parties would not enter into this Agreement; accordingly, if the Company fails to timely pay any amount due pursuant to this Section 9.3, and, in order to obtain payment, Parent commences any action, suit or proceeding which results in a judgment against the Company, the Company shall pay Parent its reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including reasonable and documented fees of outside legal counsel) in connection with such action, suit or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that (except in the event of Fraud or any Willful Breach of any representation, warranty or covenant or agreement contained herein occurring prior to such termination and except for Parent’s rights under Section 10.10), upon termination of this Agreement under circumstances that entitle Parent to the Termination Fee, the payment of the Termination Fee shall be the sole and exclusive remedy available to the Parent Related Parties against the Company Related Parties for all Losses suffered as a result of the failure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to be consummated or for a breach or failure to perform hereunder or otherwise, and, upon payment of the Termination Fee in such circumstances, (except in the event of Fraud or any Willful Breach of any representation, warranty or covenant or agreement contained herein occurring prior to such termination and except for Parent’s rights under Section 10.10) the Company Related Parties shall have no further liability or obligation relating to or arising out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, except in the event of Fraud or any Willful Breach of any representation, warranty or covenant or agreement contained herein; provided, however, that nothing herein shall affect or limit the liability of any party to a Voting Agreement for any breach or violation of such Voting Agreement.
Section 9.4 Amendment. This Agreement may be amended by the parties at any time prior to the Effective Time, but only by an instrument in writing signed on behalf of each of the parties. No amendment will be made which, pursuant to applicable Law, requires further approval by the holders of shares of Company Class A Common Stock, without such further approval being obtained.
Section 9.5 Extension; Waiver. Subject to the requirements of applicable Law, at any time prior to the Effective Time, Parent and Merger Sub may: (a) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or other acts of the Company; (b) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement or in any document delivered pursuant to this Agreement; (c) waive compliance with any covenants and agreements of the Company contained in this Agreement; or (d) waive the satisfaction of any of the conditions contained in this Agreement to the extent Parent or Merger Sub is permitted to waive such conditions as provided herein. Subject to the requirements of applicable Law, at any time prior to the Effective Time, the Company may: (i) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or other acts of Parent or Merger Sub; (ii) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of the Parent or Merger Sub contained in this Agreement or in any document delivered pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) waive compliance with any covenants and agreements of Parent or Merger Sub contained in this Agreement; or (iv) waive the satisfaction of any of the conditions contained in this Agreement to the extent the Company is permitted to waive such conditions as provided herein. No extension or waiver will be made which, pursuant to applicable Law, requires further approval by the holders of shares of Company Class A Common Stock, without such further approval being obtained. Any such extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth in an instrument in writing signed on behalf of the party to be bound thereby and specifically referencing this Agreement. The failure of any party to this Agreement to assert any of its rights under this Agreement or otherwise shall not constitute a waiver of such rights.
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Article X
General Provisions
Section 10.1 Nonsurvival of Representations and Warranties. None of the representations and warranties in this Agreement or in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall survive the Effective Time. This Section 10.1 shall not limit any covenant or agreement of the parties which by its terms contemplates performance after the Effective Time.
Section 10.2 Acknowledgment of Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties.
(a) The Company acknowledges and agrees that, except for the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article IV and any certificate delivered hereunder, (i) neither Parent nor Merger Sub makes, or has made, any representation or warranty relating to itself or its business or otherwise in connection with the Merger, and the Company is not relying on any representation or warranty except for those expressly set forth in Article IV, and (ii) no Person has been authorized by Parent or Merger Sub to make any representation or warranty relating to Parent or Merger Sub or their respective businesses or otherwise in connection with the Merger, and, if made, such representation or warranty must not be relied upon by the Company as having been authorized by such entity.
(b) Parent and Merger Sub each acknowledges and agrees for all purposes, including for purposes of the Bridge Loan Agreement to the extent the Bridge Loan Agreement purports to incorporate provisions of this Agreement, that, except for the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article V and any certificate delivered hereunder, (i) neither the Company nor any Company Subsidiary makes, or has made, any representation or warranty relating to itself or its business or otherwise in connection with the Merger, and Parent and Merger Sub are not relying on any representation or warranty except for those expressly set forth in Article V, (ii) no Person has been authorized by the Company or any Company Subsidiary to make any representation or warranty relating to the Company or any Company Subsidiary or their respective businesses or otherwise in connection with the Merger, and, if made, such representation or warranty must not be relied upon by Parent or Merger Sub as having been authorized by such entity, and (iii) any estimate, projection, prediction, data, financial information, memorandum, presentation or any other materials or information provided or addressed to Parent, Merger Sub or any of their Affiliates or their respective Representatives, including any materials or information made available in the data room in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, via confidential information memorandum or in connection with presentations by the Company’s management or otherwise, whether made prior to or after the date hereof, are not and shall not be deemed to be or include representations or warranties unless, and then solely to the extent that, any such materials or information is the subject of any express representation or warranty set forth in Article V. Each of Parent and Merger Sub has conducted, to its satisfaction, its own independent review and analysis of the businesses, assets, condition, operations and prospects of the Company and the Company Subsidiaries and, in making its determination to proceed with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the Merger, each of Parent and Merger Sub has relied on the results of its own independent review and analysis and the representations and warranties expressly set forth in Article V.
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Section 10.3 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally prior to 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on that day and otherwise on the next Business Day; (b) on the date sent if sent by electronic mail prior to 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on that day and otherwise on the next Business Day; (c) on the first Business Day following the date of dispatch if delivered utilizing a next-day service by a recognized next-day courier; or (d) on the earlier of confirmed receipt or the fifth (5th) Business Day following the date of mailing if delivered by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid; provided, that in each case of (a) through (d) that any notice given or deemed given on any day that is not a Business Day shall be deemed to have been given on the next Business Day. All notices hereunder shall be delivered to the addresses 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 Company, to: | |
Volta, Inc. | |
155 De Haro Street | |
San Francisco, CA 94103 | |
Email: legal@voltacharging.com | |
Attention: Chief Legal Officer | |
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to: | |
Shearman & Sterling LLP | |
535 Mission Street, 25th Floor | |
San Francisco, California, 94105 | |
Email: mdorf@shearman.com | |
Attention: Michael S. Dorf | |
if to Parent or Merger Sub, to: | |
Shell USA, Inc. | |
150 N. Dairy Ashford Rd. | |
Houston, TX 77079 | |
Email: Jose.Linardi@shell.com | |
Attention: Jose Maria Linardi | |
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to: | |
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP | |
555 California Street, Suite 3300 | |
San Francisco, California 94104 | |
Email: lior.nuchi@nortonrosefulbright.com; blake.redwine@nortonrosefulbright.com | |
Attention: Lior Nuchi and Blake Redwine |
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Section 10.4 Interpretation. When a reference is made in this Agreement to an Article, a Section, an Annex or an Exhibit, such reference shall be to an Article, a Section, an Annex or an Exhibit of or to this Agreement unless otherwise indicated. The table of contents, index of defined terms and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Any capitalized term used in any Exhibit but not otherwise defined therein shall have the meaning assigned to such term in this Agreement. Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.” The words “hereof,” “hereto,” “hereby,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. The term “or” is not exclusive. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect of the word “shall.” The definitions contained in this Agreement are applicable to the singular as well as the plural forms of such terms. All pronouns and any variations thereof refer to the masculine, feminine or neuter as the context may require. Any Law defined or referred to herein, whether or not followed by the phrase “as amended,” means such Law as from time to time amended, modified, reenacted or supplemented, and includes all rules, regulations and statutory instruments issued thereunder or pursuant thereto, unless otherwise specifically indicated, except that, for purposes of any representations and warranties in this Agreement, references to any specific Law will be deemed to refer to such Law (and all rules, regulations and statutory instruments issued thereunder or pursuant thereto) as of the date of this Agreement (or for representations and warranties that are made as of a particular date, as of such date). References to any Contract are to that Contract as amended, modified or supplemented as of the date of this Agreement or, thereafter from time to time in accordance with the terms of such Contract and not in violation of this Agreement. Unless otherwise specifically indicated, all references to “dollars” and “$” will be deemed references to the lawful money of the United States of America. The phrases “provided to,” “furnished to,” “made available,” and phrases of similar import when used herein, unless the context otherwise requires, means that a copy of the information or material referred to has been provided to the party to which such information or material is to be provided in the virtual data room set up by the Company in connection with this Agreement or directly to Parent no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the date hereof or any of its Representatives no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the date hereof. The parties hereto agree that any rule of construction to the effect that ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be applied in the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 10.5 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule or Law, or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as either the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party or such party waives its rights under this Section 10.5 with respect thereto. 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 to the end that the transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the extent possible.
Section 10.6 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, including by email with .pdf attachments and including via electronic signatures (including via DocuSign or any similar program or mechanism), 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.
Section 10.7 Entire Agreement; No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement (including the Company Disclosure Letter and the Exhibits and Annexes hereto), taken together with the Confidentiality Agreement and the other documents delivered in connection with this Agreement, constitutes the entire agreement, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with respect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. This Agreement is not intended to confer upon any Person other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies; provided, that the provisions of Section 7.4 are intended to be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each indemnified or insured party (including the Company Indemnified Parties), his or her heirs and representatives.
Section 10.8 Governing Law; Consent to Jurisdiction.
(a) This Agreement and all proceedings or counterclaims (whether based on contract, tort or otherwise) arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the actions of Parent, Merger Sub or the Company in the negotiation, administration, performance and enforcement thereof, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of laws provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware.
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(b) Each of the parties hereto hereby (i) expressly and irrevocably submits to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state courts of the State of Delaware, or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware, in the event any dispute arises out of or concerns this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, (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, (iii) agrees that it will not bring any action relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any court other than the state courts of the State of Delaware, or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware, (iv) waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, and (v) agrees that a final and nonappealable judgment entered by the state courts of the State of Delaware or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law.
(c) Each party irrevocably consents to the service of process outside the territorial jurisdiction of the courts referred to in Section 10.8(b) in any such proceeding by mailing copies thereof by registered or certified United States mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, to its address as specified in or pursuant to Section 10.3. However, the foregoing shall not limit the right of a party to effect service of process on the other party by any other legally available method.
Section 10.9 Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in part, by operation of Law or otherwise by any of the parties without the prior written consent of the other parties; provided, however, that Parent or Merger Sub may, without the consent of any other party hereto, assign its rights under this Agreement to any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent or Merger Sub (provided, that such assignment shall not impede or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or otherwise impede the rights of the stockholders of the Company under this Agreement); provided, further, that no such assignment permitted pursuant to this Section 10.9 shall relieve Parent or Merger Sub of its obligations hereunder; and provided, further, the Company may collaterally assign its rights and interests under this Agreement to the agents and lenders under the Existing Term Loan. Any other purported assignment without such consent shall be void. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by the parties and their respective successors and assigns.
Section 10.10 Specific Performance. The parties hereto agree that if any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached, irreparable damage would occur, no adequate remedy at law would exist and damages would be difficult to determine, and that the parties shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement, in addition to any other remedy at law or in equity. The parties further agree not to assert that a remedy of injunctive relief, specific performance or other equitable relief is unenforceable or invalid, nor to assert that a remedy of monetary damages would provide an adequate remedy. The parties’ rights in this Section 10.10 are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the parties hereby waives any objections or defenses to any remedy referred to in this Section 10.10 (including (a) the objection or defense that a remedy at law would be adequate or that an award of such remedy is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or equity, and (b) any requirement under law to post a bond or other security as a prerequisite to obtaining such relief. For the avoidance of doubt, each party hereby agrees that there is not an adequate remedy at law for a breach of this Agreement by any party. The election of any party to pursue an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief shall not restrict, impair or otherwise limit such party from seeking to terminate this Agreement or damages for liability of the Company, Parent or Merger Sub for Willful Breach as provided in Section 9.2. Except as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, any and all remedies herein expressly conferred upon a party will be deemed cumulative with and not exclusive of any other remedy conferred hereby, or by law or equity upon such party, and the exercise by a party of any one remedy will not preclude the exercise of any other remedy, and nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed a waiver by any party of any right to specific performance or injunctive relief.
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Section 10.11 Non-Recourse. Each party hereto agrees, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and Representatives, that this Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claim or cause of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement, or the negotiation, execution or performance of this Agreement, may only be brought against (a) Parent and Merger Sub (and not any other Parent Related Party), or (b) the Company (and not any other Company Related Party), and then in each case only with respect to the specific obligations set forth herein with respect to such party. Except to the extent it is a named party to this Agreement (and then only to the extent of the specific obligations undertaken by such named party in this Agreement and not otherwise), no Parent Related Party or Company Related Party, as the case may be, shall have any liability for any obligations or liabilities of Parent or Merger Sub, on the one hand, or the Company, on the other hand, for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby, any failure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to be consummated or any breach or failure to perform hereunder.
Section 10.12 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY SUIT, ACTION OR OTHER PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, THE MERGER OR ANY OF THE OTHER TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVER AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS Section 10.12.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and Parent have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
VOLTA, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Vince Cubbage | |
Name: | Vince Cubbage | |
Title: | Interim Chief Executive Officer | |
SHELL USA, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Barbara Stoyko | |
Name: | Barbara Stoyko | |
Title: | Attorney-in-Fact |
[Signature Page to the Merger Agreement]
Exhibit 10.1
VOTING AGREEMENT
This Voting Agreement (this “Agreement”), dated as of January 17, 2023, is entered into by and among Shell USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and each of the stockholders of Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), listed on signature pages attached hereto (each, a “Stockholder” and, collectively, the “Stockholders”). Parent and Stockholder are each sometimes referred to herein individually as a “Party” and, collectively, as the “Parties.”
WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, the Company and Parent, and have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (as the same may be amended from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, Parent and, following its formation and becoming a party to the Merger Agreement, SEV Subsidiary, Inc., a Delaware corporation to be formed as direct subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), providing for, among other things, the merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company, with the Company surviving the merger as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”), pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement;
WHEREAS, in order to induce Parent to enter into the Merger Agreement, each Stockholder is willing to make certain representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements as set forth in this Agreement with respect to the shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of the Company (“Company Class A Common Stock”) Beneficially Owned by such Stockholder and as set forth below such Stockholder’s name on the signature pages hereto (the “Original Shares” and, together with any additional shares of Company Class A Common Stock pursuant to Section 6 hereof, the “Shares”); and
WHEREAS, as a condition to its willingness to enter into the Merger Agreement, Parent has required that each Stockholder, and each Stockholder has agreed to, execute and deliver this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements set forth below and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt, sufficiency, and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1) Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in the Merger Agreement. When used in this Agreement, the following terms in all of their tenses, cases, and correlative forms shall have the meanings assigned to them in this Section 1.
(a) “Beneficially Own” or “Beneficial Ownership” has the meaning assigned to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, and a Person’s beneficial ownership of securities shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of such rule (in each case, irrespective of whether or not such rule is actually applicable in such circumstance). For the avoidance of doubt, “Beneficially Own” and “Beneficial Ownership” shall also include record ownership of securities.
(b) “Beneficial Owner” shall mean the Person who Beneficially Owns the referenced securities.
2) Representations and Warranties of Each Stockholder. Each Stockholder on behalf of itself, hereby severally, and not jointly and severally, represents and warrants to Parent, as of the date hereof, that:
(a) Ownership of Shares. Such Stockholder: (i) is the record owner and Beneficial Owner of, and has good and marketable title to, all of the Original Shares free and clear of any proxy, voting restriction, adverse claim, or other Liens (other than Permitted Liens), other than those created by this Agreement or under applicable federal or state securities laws; (ii) has the sole voting and dispositive power over all of the Original Shares; (iii) does not own, of record or have Beneficial Ownership, of any shares of capital stock of the Company, or other rights to acquire shares of capital stock of the Company, in each case other than the Original Shares and the Company Options, Company RSUs and Company Warrants, if any, set forth below the Stockholders name on its signature page hereto; and (iv) has the sole right to dispose of the Original Shares, and none of the Original Shares is subject to any pledge, disposition, transfer or other agreement, arrangement or restriction, except as contemplated by this Agreement. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there are no options, warrants, or other rights, agreements, arrangements, or commitments of any character to which such Stockholder is a party relating to the pledge, disposition, or voting of any of the Original Shares and there are no voting trusts or voting agreements with respect to the Original Shares.
(b) Power and Authority; Binding Agreement. Such Stockholder has full power and authority and legal capacity to enter into, execute, and deliver this Agreement and to perform fully such Stockholder’s obligations hereunder. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by such Stockholder and constitutes the legal, valid, and binding obligation of such Stockholder, enforceable against such Stockholder in accordance with its terms except as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally.
(c) No Conflict. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by such Stockholder does not conflict with or violate any Law applicable to such Stockholder or result in any breach of or violation of, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration, or cancellation of, or result in the creation of any Lien on any of the Shares pursuant to, any agreement or other instrument or obligation to which such Stockholder is a party.
(d) No Consents. No consent, approval, Order, or authorization of, or registration, declaration, or filing with, any Governmental Entity on the part of such Stockholder is required in connection with the valid execution and delivery of this Agreement, except such filings as may be required under the Exchange Act. No consent of Stockholder’s spouse is necessary under any “community property” or other laws in order for Stockholder to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement.
(e) No Litigation. To the knowledge of the Stockholder, there is no action, suit, investigation, or proceeding (whether judicial, arbitral, administrative, or other) (each an “Action”) pending against, or, to the knowledge of such Stockholder, threatened against or affecting, such Stockholder that would reasonably be expected to materially impair or materially adversely affect the ability of such Stockholder to perform its obligations hereunder or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement on a timely basis.
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3) Agreement to Vote Shares.
(a) Agreement to Vote and Approve. Each Stockholder irrevocably and unconditionally agrees during the term of this Agreement, at any annual or special meeting of the Company called with respect to the following matters, and at every adjournment or postponement thereof, to vote or cause the holder of record to vote, in person or by proxy, or deliver a written consent (or cause a consent to be delivered), the Shares: (i) in favor of (1) the Merger Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, and any other proposals related to thereto, and (2) any proposal to adjourn or postpone such meeting of stockholders of the Company to a later date if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Merger; and (ii) against (1) any an Alternative Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction, or agreement which would reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant of the Company under the Merger Agreement, and (3) any action, proposal, transaction, or agreement that would reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the consummation of the Merger.
(b) Exceptions to Vote. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary in this Agreement, this Section 3 shall not require any Stockholder to be present (in person or by proxy) or vote (or cause to be voted), any of the Shares to amend, modify or waive any provision of the Merger Agreement in a manner that decreases the amount, changes the form of, imposes any material restrictions on or additional material conditions on the payment of the Merger Consideration, extends the End Date (other than as provided in the Merger Agreement), adversely affects the tax consequences to such Stockholder with respect to the consideration to be received in the Merger or otherwise adversely affects such Stockholder of the Company (in its capacity as such) in any material respect. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, each Stockholder shall remain free to vote (or execute consents or proxies with respect to) the Shares with respect to any matter other than as set forth in Section 3(a) in any manner such Stockholder deems appropriate, including in connection with the election of directors of the Company.
4) No Voting Trusts or Other Arrangement. Each Stockholder agrees that during the term of this Agreement such Stockholder will not, and will not permit any entity under such Stockholder’s control to, deposit any of the Shares in a voting trust, grant any proxies with respect to the Shares, or subject any of the Shares to any arrangement with respect to the voting of the Shares other than agreements entered into with Parent.
5) Transfer and Encumbrance. Each Stockholder agrees that during the term of this Agreement, other than in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, such Stockholder will not, directly or indirectly, transfer, sell, offer, exchange, assign, pledge, convey any legal or Beneficial Ownership interest in or otherwise dispose of (by merger (including by conversion into securities or other consideration), by tendering into any tender or exchange offer, by testamentary disposition, by operation of Law, or otherwise), or encumber (“Transfer”) any of the Shares, or any Company Options, Company RSUs or Company Warrants (collectively, “Company Securities”), or enter into any contract, option, or other agreement with respect to, or consent to, a Transfer of, any of the Company Securities or such Stockholder’s voting or economic interest therein; provided, however, that the conversion of any Company Option, Company RSU or Company Warrant to a Share shall not be deemed a “Transfer” for purposed of this Agreement. Any attempted Transfer of Company Securities or any interest therein in violation of this Section 5 shall be null and void. This Section 5 shall not prohibit a Transfer of the Company Securities by Stockholder (a) to any member of Stockholder’s immediate family, or to a trust for the benefit of Stockholder or any member of Stockholder’s immediate family, or upon the death of Stockholder, or to a charitable entity qualified as a 501(c)(3) organization under the Code, or (b) if Stockholder is not a natural person, to an Affiliate controlled by Stockholder or under common control with Stockholder; provided, that a Transfer referred to in this sentence shall be permitted only if, as a precondition to such Transfer, the transferee agrees in a writing, reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Parent, to be bound by all of the terms of this Agreement.
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6) Additional Shares. Each Stockholder agrees that all shares of Company Class A Common Stock that such Stockholder purchases, acquires the right to vote, or otherwise acquires Beneficial Ownership of after the execution of this Agreement and prior to the Expiration Time, including upon exercise of any Company Option or Company Warrant or vesting of any Company RSU, shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and shall constitute Shares for all purposes of this Agreement. In the event of any stock split, stock dividend, merger, reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, combination, exchange of shares, or the like of the capital stock of the Company affecting the Shares, the terms of this Agreement shall apply to the resulting securities and such resulting securities shall be deemed to be “Shares” for all purposes of this Agreement.
7) Waiver of Appraisal and Dissenters’ Rights and Certain Other Actions.
(a) Waiver of Appraisal and Dissenters’ Rights. To the extent permitted by Law, each Stockholder hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, and agrees not to assert or perfect, any rights of appraisal or rights to dissent in connection with the Merger that such Stockholder may have by virtue of ownership of the Shares.
(b) Waiver of Certain Other Actions. Each Stockholder hereby agrees not to commence or participate in, and to take all actions necessary to opt out of any class in any class action with respect to, any Action, derivative or otherwise, against Parent, the Company, or any of their respective Subsidiaries or successors: (a) challenging the validity of, or seeking to enjoin or delay the operation of, any provision of this Agreement or the Merger Agreement (including any claim seeking to enjoin or delay the Closing); or (b) to the fullest extent permitted under Law, alleging a breach of any duty of the Company Board, Parent or Merger Sub in connection with the Merger Agreement, this Agreement, or the transactions contemplated thereby or hereby, including the Merger.
8) Termination. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of (such earliest date, the “Expiration Time”): (a) the Effective Time; (b) the making of an Adverse Recommendation Change by the Company Board or a committee thereof; (c) the date on which the Merger Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms; (d) the date upon which an Adverse Amendment (defined below) is effected; and (e) the termination of this Agreement by mutual written consent of the Parties; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 16 shall survive any termination of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 8 shall relieve or otherwise limit the liability of any Party for any Willful Breach of this Agreement prior to such termination. “Adverse Amendment” means any amendment to the Merger Agreement that is effected, or any waiver of the Company’s or Stockholders’ rights under the Merger Agreement that is granted, in each case, without the Stockholder’s prior written consent, that (i) reduces the Merger Consideration to be received by the stockholders of the Company, (ii) changes the form of Merger Consideration payable to the stockholders of the Company, (iii) could reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the timing of payment of the Merger Consideration to the Stockholder pursuant to, and subject to the terms and conditions of Section 3.2 of the Merger Agreement, (iv) imposes new liabilities and/or obligations of the Stockholders under the Merger Agreement or otherwise amends or modifies the Merger Agreement in a manner adverse in any material respect to the Stockholders, or (v) changes the conditions to Closing or termination rights of the Merger Agreement in a manner that adversely affects the Company in any material respect.
9) No Solicitation. Subject to Section 10, Stockholder acknowledges that Stockholder has reviewed Section 6.3 of the Merger Agreement.
10) No Agreement as Director or Officer. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Stockholder makes no agreement or understanding in this Agreement in any capacity other than in Stockholder’s capacity as a record holder or Beneficial Owner of the Original Shares, and not in Stockholder’s capacity as a director or officer or employee of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries or in Stockholder’s capacity as a trustee or fiduciary of any Company Benefit Plan (if Stockholder holds such office), and nothing in this Agreement: (a) shall limit or affect any actions taken, inaction or omissions by Stockholder in Stockholder’s capacity as such a director, officer, employee, trustee or fiduciary, including in exercising rights under the Merger Agreement, and no such actions, inaction or omissions shall be deemed a breach of this Agreement; or (b) shall be construed to prohibit, limit, or restrict Stockholder from exercising Stockholder’s fiduciary duties as an officer, director, employee, trustee or fiduciary to the Company, the Company’s stockholders or any other Person.
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11) Further Assurances. Each Stockholder agrees, from time to time, and without additional consideration, to execute and deliver such additional proxies, documents, and other instruments and to take all such further action as Parent may reasonably request to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
12) Stop Transfer Instructions. At all times commencing with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and continuing until the Expiration Time, in furtherance of this Agreement, each Stockholder hereby authorizes the Company or its counsel to notify the Company’s transfer agent that there is a stop transfer order with respect to all of the Shares (and that this Agreement places limits on the voting and transfer of the Shares), subject to the provisions hereof and provided that any such stop transfer order and notice will immediately be withdrawn and terminated by the Company following the Expiration Time.
13) Specific Performance. Each Party hereto acknowledges that if any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached, irreparable damage would occur, no adequate remedy at law would exist and damages would be difficult to determine, and that the parties shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement, in addition to any other remedy at law or in equity. The Parties further agree not to assert that a remedy of injunctive relief, specific performance or other equitable relief is unenforceable or invalid, nor to assert that a remedy of monetary damages would provide an adequate remedy. The Parties’ rights in this Section 13 are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and each of the Parties hereby waives any objections or defenses to any remedy referred to in this Section 13 (including (a) the objection or defense that a remedy at law would be adequate or that an award of such remedy is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or equity, and (b) any requirement under law to post a bond or other security as a prerequisite to obtaining such relief). For the avoidance of doubt, each Party hereby agrees that there is not an adequate remedy at law for a breach of this Agreement by any Party. The election of any party to pursue an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief shall not restrict, impair or otherwise limit such Party from seeking to terminate this Agreement or damages for liability of any Party for any Willful Breach as provided in Section 8. Except as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, any and all remedies herein expressly conferred upon a Party will be deemed cumulative with and not exclusive of any other remedy conferred hereby, or by law or equity upon such party, and the exercise by a Party of any one remedy will not preclude the exercise of any other remedy, and nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed a waiver by any party of any right to specific performance or injunctive relief.
14) Entire Agreement; Amendment; Waivers. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements, written or oral, between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and contains the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may not be amended or supplemented, and no provisions hereof may be modified or waived, except by an instrument in writing signed by each of the Parties hereto. No waiver of any provisions hereof by any Party hereto shall be deemed a waiver of any other provisions hereof by such waiving Party, nor shall any such waiver be deemed a continuing waiver of any provision hereof by such waiving Party.
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15) Notices. All notices, requests, consents, claims, demands, waivers and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally prior to 5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on that day and otherwise on the next Business Day; (b) on the date sent if sent by electronic mail prior to 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on that day and otherwise on the next Business Day; (c) on the first Business Day following the date of dispatch if delivered utilizing a next-day service by a recognized next-day courier; or (d) on the earlier of confirmed receipt or the fifth (5th) Business Day following the date of mailing if delivered by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid; provided, that in each case of (a) through (d) that any notice given or deemed given on any day that is not a Business Day shall be deemed to have been given on the next Business Day. Such communications must be sent to the Stockholders at the address as set forth on such Stockholder’s signature page attached hereto and if to Parent shall be delivered to:
if to Parent, to:
Shell USA, Inc.
150 N. Dairy Ashford Rd.
Houston, TX 77079
Email: Jose.Linardi@shell.com
Attention: Jose Maria Linardi
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
555 California Street, Suite 3300
San Francisco, California 94104
Email: lior.nuchi@nortonrosefulbright.com; blake.redwine@nortonrosefulbright.com
Attention: Lior Nuchi and Blake Redwine
16) Miscellaneous.
a) Governing Law. This Agreement and all proceedings or counterclaims (whether based on contract, tort or otherwise) arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the actions of the Parties hereto in the negotiation, administration, performance and enforcement thereof, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of laws provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware.
b) Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the Parties hereto hereby (i) expressly and irrevocably submits to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state courts of the State of Delaware, or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware, in the event any dispute arises out of or concerns this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, (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, (iii) agrees that it will not bring any action relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any court other than the state courts of the State of Delaware, or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware, (iv) waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, and (v) agrees that a final and nonappealable judgment entered by the state courts of the State of Delaware or any federal court sitting in the State of Delaware shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by Law. Each Party irrevocably consents to the service of process outside the territorial jurisdiction of the courts referred to in Section 16(a) in any such proceeding by mailing copies thereof by registered or certified United States mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, to its address as specified in or pursuant to Section 15. However, the foregoing shall not limit the right of a Party to effect service of process on the other Party by any other legally available method.
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c) Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY SUIT, ACTION OR OTHER PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE OTHER TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVER AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 16(c).
d) Expenses. All costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement shall be paid by the Party incurring such cost or expense, whether or not the Merger is consummated.
e) Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule or Law, or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as either the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party or such Party waives its rights under this Section 16(e) with respect thereto. 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 to the end that the transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the extent possible.
f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, including by email with .pdf attachments and including via electronic signatures (including via DocuSign or any similar program or mechanism), 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.
g) Section Headings. All section headings herein are for convenience of reference only and are not part of this Agreement, and no construction or reference shall be derived therefrom.
h) Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any of the rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement shall be assigned, in whole or in part, by operation of Law or otherwise by any of the Parties without the prior written consent of the other Parties; provided, however, that Parent may, without the consent of any other Party hereto, assign its rights under this Agreement to any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent (provided, that such assignment shall not impede or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or otherwise impede the rights of the stockholders of the Company under this Agreement). Any purported assignment without such consent shall be void. Subject to the preceding sentence, this Agreement will be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by the Parties and their respective successors and assigns.
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i) No Third-Party Beneficiaries. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any Person other than the Parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns any legal or equitable right, benefit, or remedy of any nature under or by reason of this Agreement.
j) Non-Recourse. Each Party hereto agrees, on behalf of itself and its Affiliates and Representatives, that this Agreement may only be enforced against, and any claim or cause of action 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 Stockholder (and not any other Company Related Party) or Parent (and not any other Parent Related Party), as applicable, that are expressly named as Parties hereto, and then in each case only with respect to the specific obligations set forth herein with respect to such Party. Except to the extent it is a named Party to this Agreement (and then only to the extent of the specific obligations undertaken by such named Party in this Agreement and not otherwise), no Parent Related Party or Company Related Party, as the case may be, shall have any liability for any obligations or liabilities of Parent, on the one hand, or Stockholder, on the other hand, for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, the transactions contemplated hereby, any failure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement to be consummated or any breach or failure to perform hereunder.
k) Disclosure. Each Stockholder consents to and authorizes the publication and disclosure by the Company and Parent of such Stockholder’s identity and holding of Shares, and the terms of this Agreement (including, for avoidance of doubt, the disclosure of this Agreement), in any press release, the Proxy Statement, and any other disclosure document required in connection with the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.
l) No Ownership Interest. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to vest in either Parent any direct or indirect ownership or incidence of ownership of or with respect to the Shares. All rights, ownership and economic benefits of and relating to the Shares shall remain vested in and belong to Stockholders, and Parent shall not have any authority to manage, direct, restrict, regulate, govern or administer any of the policies or operations of the Company or exercise any power or authority to direct Stockholders in the voting or disposition of any Shares, except as otherwise expressly provided herein.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed and delivered this Agreement as of the date first written above.
SHELL USA, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Voting Agreement]
[STOCKHOLDER] | ||
By: | ||
Name: |
Beneficial Ownership: | ||
Company Class A Common Stock: | ||
Company Options: | ||
Company RSUs: | ||
Company Warrants: | ||
Street Address: | ||
City/State/Zip Code: | ||
Email: | ||
[Signature Page to Voting Agreement]
Exhibit 10.2
[EXECUTION VERSION]
TERM LOAN, GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT
DATED AS OF JANUARY 17, 2023
AMONG
EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC d/b/a shell oil products us,
AS AGENT FOR THE LENDERS SIGNATORY HERETO,
VOLTA CHARGING, LLC, VOLTA INC., VOLTA MEDIA LLC, and VOLTA CHARGING SERVICES LLC,
AS BORROWER
AND
THE OTHER CREDIT PARTIES SIGNATORY HERETO
The rights and obligations evidenced hereby and by the other Loan Documents are subordinate in the manner and to the extent set forth in that certain Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Intercreditor Agreement”), among Borrower, Agent and EICF Agent LLC, to the indebtedness (including interest) owed by the Credit Parties pursuant to that certain Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated as of June 19, 2019 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time), among Borrower, the lenders party thereto and EICF Agent LLC, and Agent and each Lender irrevocably agrees to be bound by the provisions of the Intercreditor Agreement.
Table of Content
Page | |||
1. | AMOUNT AND TERMS OF CREDIT | 1 | |
1.1 | Term Loan | 1 | |
1.2 | Term and Prepayment. | 2 | |
1.3 | Use of Proceeds | 2 | |
1.4 | Single Loan | 2 | |
1.5 | Interest. | 2 | |
1.6 | [reserved] | 3 | |
1.7 | Receipt of Payments; Taxes | 3 | |
1.8 | Application and Allocation of Payments | 3 | |
1.9 | Accounting | 4 | |
1.10 | Indemnity | 4 | |
1.11 | Intentionally Omitted. | 4 | |
1.12 | Joinder of New Subsidiaries as a Credit Party, Etc | 4 | |
1.13 | Non-Funding Lenders. | 4 | |
1.14 | Substitution of Lenders. | 5 | |
2. | CONDITIONS PRECEDENT | 6 | |
2.1 | Conditions to the Loans | 6 | |
3. | REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS | 7 | |
3.1 | Corporate Existence; Compliance with Law | 7 | |
3.2 | Executive Offices; Corporate or Other Names | 7 | |
3.3 | Corporate Power; Authorization; Enforceable Obligations | 7 | |
3.4 | Financial Statements; Books and Records. | 8 | |
3.5 | Material Adverse Change | 8 | |
3.6 | Collection of Accounts | 8 | |
3.7 | Subsidiaries | 8 | |
3.8 | Government Regulation; Margin Regulations | 8 | |
3.9 | Taxes; Charges | 9 | |
3.10 | Payment of Obligations | 9 | |
3.11 | ERISA. | 9 | |
3.12 | Litigation | 10 | |
3.13 | Intellectual Property | 10 | |
3.14 | Full Disclosure | 10 | |
3.15 | Environmental Liabilities | 11 | |
3.16 | Insurance | 11 | |
3.17 | Solvency | 12 | |
3.18 | Other Financings | 12 | |
3.19 | Conduct of Business | 13 | |
3.20 | Further Assurances | 13 | |
3.21 | Collateral/Maintenance of Property. | 13 | |
3.22 | Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance. | 14 | |
3.23 | Maintenance of Corporate Existence | 15 |
Index – Page i
Index – Page ii
Index – Page iii
11. | GUARANTEE | 44 | |
11.1 | The Guarantee | 44 | |
11.2 | Obligations Unconditional | 45 | |
11.3 | Reinstatement | 46 | |
11.4 | Subrogation; Subordination | 46 | |
11.5 | Remedies | 46 | |
11.6 | Instrument for the Payment of Money | 46 | |
11.7 | Continuing Guarantee | 46 | |
11.8 | General Limitation on Guarantee Obligations | 46 | |
11.9 | Release of Guarantors | 47 | |
11.10 | Right of Contribution | 47 |
INDEX OF EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES
Schedule A | - | Definitions |
Schedule B | - | Schedule of Term Loan Commitments |
Schedule C | - | Agent’s, Lenders’ and Credit Parties’ Addresses for Notices |
Schedule D | - | [reserved] |
Schedule E | - | Restricted Locations |
Schedule F | - | Post-Closing Matters |
Disclosure Schedule (3.2) | - | Places of Business; Corporate Names |
Disclosure Schedule (3.7) | - | Subsidiaries |
Disclosure Schedule (3.9) | - | Taxes |
Disclosure Schedule (3.11) | - | ERISA |
Disclosure Schedule (3.12) | - | Litigation |
Disclosure Schedule (3.13) | - | Intellectual Property |
Disclosure Schedule (3.15) | - | Environmental Matters |
Disclosure Schedule (3.16) | - | Insurance |
Disclosure Schedule (3.18) | - | Existing Indebtedness |
Disclosure Schedule (3.26) | - | Controlled Accounts |
Disclosure Schedule (3.27) | - | Assets of Parent |
Disclosure Schedule (3.32) | - | Government Contracts |
Disclosure Schedule (3.34) | - | Bonding; Licensing |
Disclosure Schedule (3.35) | - | Affiliate Transactions |
Disclosure Schedule (5.3) | - | Investments |
Disclosure Schedule (5.21) | - | Employee Compensation |
Disclosure Schedule (6.1) | - | Actions to Perfect Liens |
Exhibit A | - | Form of Perfection Certificate |
Exhibit B | - | Budget |
Exhibit C | - | Form of Secretarial Certificate |
Exhibit D | - | Form of Power of Attorney |
Exhibit E | - | Form of Compliance Certificate |
Exhibit F | - | [Reserved] |
Exhibit G | - | Form of Closing Certificate |
Exhibit H | - | Form of Joinder Agreement |
Exhibit I | - | Form of Perfection Certificate Supplement |
Exhibit J | - | Form of Assignment Agreement |
Exhibit K | - | Form of Delayed Draw Borrowing Request |
Index – Page iv
TERM LOAN, GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT
This TERM LOAN, GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT, dated as of January 17, 2023, is made among VOLTA CHARGING, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Charging”), VOLTA INC., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), VOLTA MEDIA LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Media”), and VOLTA CHARGING SERVICES LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Services” and collectively with Volta Charging, Parent and Volta Media, “Borrower”), VOLTA CHARGING INDUSTRIES, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, the other Credit Parties from time to time party hereto, EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC D/B/A SHELL OIL PRODUCTS US, a Delaware limited liability company (“Equilon”), as administrative agent and collateral agent (in such capacity, “Agent”) for the lenders set forth on Schedule B attached hereto and party hereto (each herein referred to as a “Lender” and collectively, the “Lenders”).
RECITALS
A. The Credit Parties desire that Borrower obtain the Term Loans described herein from the Lenders, and the Lenders are willing to provide the Term Loans all in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
B. Capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Schedule A or elsewhere in this Agreement (or, if not so defined, as defined in the Merger Agreement) and, for purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the rules of construction set forth in Schedule A shall govern. All schedules, attachments, addenda and exhibits hereto, or expressly identified to this Agreement, are incorporated herein by reference, and taken together with this Agreement, constitute but a single agreement.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants hereinafter contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. AMOUNT AND TERMS OF CREDIT
1.1 Term Loan. (a) Closing Date Term Loan. Each Lender agrees severally, but not jointly, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, to make to the Borrower an advance (each, a “Closing Date Term Loan”; collectively, the “Closing Date Term Loans”) on the Closing Date in the principal amount not to exceed such Lender’s Closing Date Term Loan Commitment.
(b) Delayed Draw Term Loans. Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions in Section 2.1(b), upon not less than five (5) Business Days after delivery by Borrower to Agent of a Delayed Draw Borrowing Request by no later than 3:00 PM New York City time on such day, each Lender, severally, agrees to lend to Borrower during the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period, in one or more advances (each such advance, a “Delayed Draw Term Loan” and collectively, the “Delayed Draw Term Loans”, and together with any Closing Date Term Loans and PIK Loans each, a “Term Loan”, and collectively, the “Term Loans” or the “Loan”) in a principal amount not to exceed the Delayed Draw Term Loan Available Amount and the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment of such Lender; provided, however, that the aggregate Delayed Draw Term Loan Funded Amount of all Lenders shall in no event exceed the aggregate Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitments and no Delayed Draw Term Loan (other than the first Delayed Draw Term Loan, which may be made on or after the seventh day after the Closing Date) shall be made until fifteen (15) days have passed since the immediately preceding Closing Date Term Loan or Delayed Draw Term Loan, as the case may be. No Delayed Draw Term Loan shall be made until after receipt by Agent of the Delayed Draw Borrowing Request which contains the calculation of the Delayed Draw Term Loan Available Amount. Any Delayed Draw Term Loan shall be an amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000). No Lender shall have any obligation to make a Delayed Draw Term Loan to Borrower if, both before and after giving effect to the Delayed Draw Term Loan, (A) [reserved] (B) the aggregate Delayed Draw Term Loan Funded Amount of all Lenders would exceed the aggregate Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitments, or (C) the Delayed Draw Term Loan Funded Amount of any Lender would exceed such Lender’s Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment. The Delayed Draw Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable and binding on Borrower and shall obligate Borrower to accept the Delayed Draw Term Loans requested from the Lenders on the proposed funding date. No Delayed Draw Term Loan shall be made while the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period is suspended or on or after the end thereof. Amounts repaid or prepaid on any of the Term Loans may not be reborrowed.
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1.2 Term and Prepayment.
(a) Upon the Maturity Date of the Loan, Borrower shall pay to Agent for the pro rata benefit of the Lenders (i) all outstanding principal and accrued but unpaid interest on the Loan and (ii) all other Obligations relating to the Loan then due to or incurred by Agent or the Lenders.
(b) Borrower shall have the right upon two (2) Business Days’ prior written notice to Agent, to make a voluntary prepayment of the Term Loans then outstanding in whole or in part.
1.3 Use of Proceeds. Borrower shall only use the proceeds of the Loan for working capital, capital expenditures and other lawful corporate purposes and to pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; provided that all such proceeds shall be used as set forth in the applicable Budget provided on or after the Closing Date.
1.4 Single Loan. The Loan and all of the other Obligations shall constitute one general obligation of Borrower secured by all of the Collateral.
1.5 Interest.
(a) Borrower shall pay interest to Agent for the pro rata benefit of the Lenders on the outstanding balance of the Loan at a fixed rate equal to (i) from the Closing Date until the date that is three months thereafter, fifteen percent (15.0%) per annum and, (ii) on and after the date that is three months after the Closing Date, eighteen percent (18.0%) per annum, in each case (subject to Section 1.5(b)), as compounded interest, added to the aggregate principal amount of the Loans (the amount of any such compounded interest being a “PIK Loan”). The principal amount of each PIK Loan shall accrue interest in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement applicable to the Loans. All computations of interest on the Loan shall be made by Agent on the basis of a three hundred and sixty (360) day year, in each case for the actual number of days occurring in the period for which such interest is payable. In no event will Agent charge interest at a rate that exceeds the highest rate of interest permissible under any law that a court of competent jurisdiction shall, in a final determination, deem applicable.
(b) Interest shall be compounded (added to the aggregate principal amount of the Loans) (i) monthly in arrears, on the first Business Day of each Fiscal Month, and (ii) on the Maturity Date. Interest accruing at the Default Rate shall be payable upon demand by Agent. Notwithstanding Section 1.5(a), all interest accruing after the Maturity Date shall be payable on demand by Agent.
(c) Effective automatically upon the occurrence of any Event of Default arising under Section 7.1(a), 7.1(h) or 7.1(i), or in the case of any other Event of Default upon written notice from Agent to Borrower, and in each case for so long as any such Event of Default shall be continuing, the interest rate applicable to the Loan shall be increased by two percentage points (2.0%) per annum (such increased rate, the “Default Rate”), and all outstanding Obligations, including accrued but unpaid interest (to the extent permitted under applicable law), shall continue to accrue interest from the date of such Event of Default until the earlier of (x) the date on which such Obligations are paid in full and (y) the date on which such Event of Default ceases to be continuing, at the Default Rate applicable to such Obligations.
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(d) [reserved]
(e) If any payment to the Agent or any Lender under this Agreement becomes due and payable on a day other than a Business Day, such payment date shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day and interest thereon shall be payable at the then applicable rate during such extension.
(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Section 1.5, if a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final order that the rate of interest payable hereunder exceeds the highest rate of interest permissible under law (the “Maximum Lawful Rate”), then so long as the Maximum Lawful Rate would be so exceeded, the rate of interest payable hereunder shall be equal to the Maximum Lawful Rate; provided, however, that if at any time thereafter the rate of interest payable hereunder is less than the Maximum Lawful Rate, Borrower shall continue to pay interest hereunder at the Maximum Lawful Rate until such time as the total interest received by Agent for the pro rata benefit of the Lenders is equal to the total interest that would have been received had the interest rate payable hereunder been (but for the operation of this paragraph) the interest rate payable since the Closing Date as otherwise provided in this Agreement. In no event shall the total interest received by Agent for the pro rata benefit of the Lenders pursuant to the terms hereof exceed the amount that Agent could lawfully have received had the interest due hereunder been calculated for the full term hereof at the Maximum Lawful Rate.
1.6 [reserved]
1.7 Receipt of Payments; Taxes. Borrower shall make each payment under this Agreement (not otherwise made pursuant to Section 1.8) without set-off, counterclaim or deduction and free and clear of all Taxes not later than 3:00 PM New York City time on the day when due in lawful money of the United States of America in immediately available funds to an account specified by the Agent in writing, except as required by applicable law. If a Withholding Agent shall be required by applicable law to deduct any Taxes from any payment to any Recipient under any Loan Document, then the applicable Withholding Agent shall be entitled to make such deduction and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by Borrower shall be increased so that, after making all required deductions (including such deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 1.7), the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to that which it would have received had no such deductions been made. Borrower shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes. As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by Borrower to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 1.7, Borrower shall deliver to Agent a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment or a copy of the return reporting such payment.
1.8 Application and Allocation of Payments. Borrower irrevocably agrees that Agent shall have the continuing and exclusive right to apply any and all payments against the then due and payable Obligations; provided, unless the Required Lenders determine otherwise, all payments against the Obligations shall be applied (a) first, to payment of costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, of Agent payable or reimbursable by Credit Parties under the Loan Documents; (b) second, to payment of all accrued unpaid interest on the Obligations; (c) third, to payment of principal on all remaining installments of the Loans in inverse order of maturity; (d) fourth, to payment of any other amounts owing constituting Obligations; and (e) fifth, any remainder shall be for the account of and paid to whoever may be lawfully entitled thereto. Each of Lenders or other Persons entitled to payment shall receive an amount equal to its pro rata share of amounts available to be applied pursuant to clauses second, third, fourth or fifth above.
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1.9 Accounting. Each Lender is authorized to record on its books and records the date and amount of the Loan and each payment of principal thereof and such recordation shall constitute prima facie evidence of the accuracy of the information so recorded.
1.10 Indemnity. On and after a Merger Agreement Termination Event, Borrower and each other Credit Party executing this Agreement jointly and severally agree to indemnify and hold each Recipient and their Affiliates, and their respective employees, attorneys and agents (each, an “Indemnified Person”), harmless from and against any and all suits, actions, proceedings, claims, damages, losses, liabilities and expenses of any kind or nature whatsoever (including reasonable and documented out-of-pocket attorneys’ fees and disbursements and other costs of investigation or defense, including those incurred upon any appeal) that may be instituted or asserted against or incurred by any such Indemnified Person as the result of credit having been extended, suspended or terminated under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or with respect to the execution, delivery, enforcement, performance and administration of, or in any other way arising out of or relating to, this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any other documents or transactions contemplated by or referred to herein or therein and any actions or failures to act with respect to any of the foregoing, including any and all product liabilities, Environmental Liabilities, Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under Section 1.7 or Section 1.10) and reasonable legal costs and expenses arising out of or incurred in connection with disputes between or among any parties to any of the Loan Documents (collectively, “Indemnified Liabilities”), except to the extent that any such Indemnified Liability is finally determined by a non-appealable court order by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted solely from such Indemnified Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct or arises solely out of disputes between and among the Agent and the Lenders. NO INDEMNIFIED PERSON SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE TO ANY CREDIT PARTY, ANY SUCCESSOR, ASSIGNEE OR THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY OR ANY OTHER PERSON ASSERTING CLAIMS DERIVATIVELY THROUGH SUCH PARTY, FOR ANY ACT OR FAILURE TO ACT UNDER ANY POWER OF ATTORNEY OR FOR INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT MAY BE ALLEGED AS A RESULT OF CREDIT HAVING BEEN EXTENDED, SUSPENDED OR TERMINATED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR AS A RESULT OF ANY OTHER TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER OR THEREUNDER.
1.11 Intentionally Omitted.
1.12 Joinder of New Subsidiaries as a Credit Party, Etc. As soon as possible (and in any event within twenty (20) days) after the formation of any new Subsidiary of a Credit Party and in any event prior to the transfer of any material assets to such new Subsidiary or simultaneously with the consummation of acquisition of any new Subsidiary of a Credit Party, Borrower shall take such actions as required by Section 3.28 and cause such new Subsidiary to become a Guarantor and a Grantor under this Agreement by having the following documents delivered to the Lenders: (i) a Secretarial Certificate, a Power of Attorney and a Joinder Agreement in the forms of Exhibits C, D and H attached hereto, respectively, duly completed, executed and delivered by such new Subsidiary, (ii) agreements and documents with respect to such new Subsidiary of the types described under the defined term Collateral Documents, (iii) [reserved] and (iv) an updated Disclosure Schedule (3.7).
1.13 Non-Funding Lenders.
(a) Unless Agent shall have received notice from any Lender prior to the date such Lender is required to make any payment hereunder with respect to the Loan that such Lender will not make such payment (or any portion thereof) available to Agent, Agent may assume that such Lender has made such payment available to Agent on the date such payment is required to be made in accordance with this Section 1 and Agent may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to Borrower on such date a corresponding amount. Any Lender that shall not have made available to Agent any portion of any payment described above (any such Lender, a “Non-Funding Lender”) agrees to pay such amount to Agent on demand together with interest thereon, for each day from the date such amount is made available to Borrower until the date such amount is repaid to Agent, at the interest rate applicable at the time to the Term Loan. Such repayment shall then constitute the funding of the corresponding Loan (including any Loan deemed to have been made hereunder with such payment) or participation. The existence of any Non-Funding Lender shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations under any Loan Document, but no other Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any Non-Funding Lender to make any payment required under any Loan Document.
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(b) Notwithstanding anything set forth herein to the contrary, a Non-Funding Lender shall not have any voting or consent rights under or with respect to any Loan Document or constitute a “Lender” (or be, or have its Term Loans and Term Loan Commitments, included in the determination of “Required Lenders” or “Lenders directly affected” pursuant to Section 10.1(b)) for any voting or consent rights under or with respect to any Loan Document, provided that (A) the Term Loan Commitment of a Non-Funding Lender may not be increased, extended or reinstated, (B) the principal of a Non-Funding Lender’s Loans may not be reduced or forgiven, and (C) the interest rate applicable to Obligations owing to a Non-Funding Lender may not be reduced, in each case, without the consent of such Non-Funding Lender. Moreover, for the purposes of determining Required Lenders and the Loans and Term Loan Commitments held by Non-Funding Lenders shall be excluded from the total Loans and Term Loan Commitments outstanding.
1.14 Substitution of Lenders.
(a) Substitution Right. In the event that any Lender, other than Agent, that is not an Affiliate of Agent (any such Lender, an “Affected Lender”), (i) becomes a Non-Funding Lender with respect to the Loan or (ii) does not consent to any amendment, waiver or consent to any Loan Document for which the consent of the Required Lenders is obtained but that requires the consent of all Lenders, Borrower may either pay in full such Affected Lender with respect to amounts due on the Term Loan of such Lender without premium or penalty and with the consent of Agent or substitute for such Affected Lender any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender or any other Person acceptable (which acceptance shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed) to Agent (in each case, a “Substitute Lender”).
(b) Procedure. To substitute such Affected Lender or pay in full the Obligations owed to such Affected Lender under such Lender’s Term Loan, Borrower shall deliver a notice to Agent and such Affected Lender. The effectiveness of such payment or substitution shall be subject to the delivery to Agent by Borrower (or, as may be applicable in the case of a substitution, by the Substitute Lender) of (i) payment for the account of such Affected Lender, of, to the extent accrued through, and outstanding on, the effective date for such payment or substitution, all Obligations owing to such Affected Lender with respect to such Lender’s Term Loan (including those that will be owed because of such payment and all Obligations that would be owed to such Lender as if it was solely a Lender hereunder), and (ii) in the case of a substitution, (A) payment of the assignment fee set forth in Section 8(a) and (B) an assumption agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Agent whereby the Substitute Lender shall, among other things, agree to be bound by the terms of the Loan Documents and assume the Term Loan Commitment of the Affected Lender.
(c) Effectiveness. Upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in clause (b) above, Agent shall record such substitution or payment in the Register, whereupon (i) in the case of any payment in full of all Obligations owing to such Affected Lender, such Affected Lender’s Term Loan Commitments shall be terminated and (ii) in the case of any substitution, (A) the Affected Lender shall sell and be relieved of, and the Substitute Lender shall purchase and assume, all rights and claims of such Affected Lender under the Loan Documents with respect to such Lender’s Term Loan, except that the Affected Lender shall retain such rights expressly providing that they survive the repayment of the Obligations and the termination of the Term Loan Commitments, and (B) the Substitute Lender shall become a “Lender” hereunder having a Term Loan Commitment in the amount of such Affected Lender’s Term Loan Commitment.
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2. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT
2.1 Conditions to the Loans.
(a) Closing Date. No Lender shall be obligated to make a Closing Date Term Loan unless and until all of the following conditions have been satisfied in a manner satisfactory to Agent in its sole discretion, or waived in writing by Agent:
(i) Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement shall have been executed and delivered by all parties thereto;
(ii) Intercreditor Agreement. The Intercreditor Agreement shall have been executed and delivered by all parties thereto;
(iii) Personal Property Requirements. The Agent shall have received UCC financing statements in appropriate form for filing under the Code;
(iv) USA PATRIOT Act. The Lenders and the Agent shall have timely received the information required under Section 10.13 and background investigations of the Guarantors and the Borrower’s management and the results thereof shall be satisfactory to Agent in its sole discretion and, to the extent requested at least seven (7) Business Days prior to the Closing Date, the documentation and other information so requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money-laundering rules and regulations, including the PATRIOT Act, in each case at least three days prior to the Closing Date.
(v) Closing Certificate. The Borrower shall have delivered to Agent a duly executed Closing Certificate.
(vi) Secretarial Certificate. The Borrower shall have delivered to Agent a completed and duly executed Secretarial Certificate.
(b) Closing Date Term Loans and Delayed Draw Term Loans. No Lender shall be obligated to make a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan, as the case may be, unless and until all of the following conditions have been satisfied in a manner satisfactory to Agent in its sole discretion, or waived in writing by Agent:
(i) Delayed Draw Borrowing Request. In the case of any Delayed Draw Term Loan, Agent shall have received a Delayed Draw Borrowing Request not later than five (5) Business Days prior to the date of advance of such Loan:
(ii) Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement is in effect.
(iii) Budget. Such Loan is reflected in the Budget and Borrower’s expenses since the Closing Date are all in compliance with each Budget provided on or after the Closing Date (provided that any such expenses may exceed the Budget in which they are reflected by an amount up to 10% of the line item for such expense reflected in such Budget).
(iv) Representations and Warranties. Each Key representation or warranty by any Credit Party shall be true and correct (x) as stated as to representations and warranties which contain materiality limitations, and (y) in all material respects as to all other representations and warranties; except to the extent that any such representation or warranty is expressly stated to relate to a specific earlier date, in which case, such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date (x) as stated as to representations and warranties which contain materiality limitations, and (y) in all material respects as to all other representations and warranties; and
(v) Default. No Key Event of Default has occurred or is continuing or would result after giving effect to the Loan.
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3. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
To induce Agent and the Lenders to enter into this Agreement and to induce the Lenders to make the Loan, Borrower and each other Credit Party, jointly and severally, represent and warrant to Agent and each Lender (each of which representations and warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement), and promise to and agree with Agent and each Lender until the Termination Date as follows (provided that, before the Trigger Date, Credit Parties (i) make no such representations and warranties, other than the Key representations and warranties (for the avoidance of doubt, it is understood and agreed that the occurrence of the Trigger Date, in and of itself, shall not trigger the making of the following representations and warranties), and (ii) are not bound by any of such promises and agreements, other than Key covenants):
3.1 Corporate Existence; Compliance with Law. Each Grantor: (a) is, as of the Closing Date, and will continue to be (i) (A) a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as applicable, duly organized, and validly existing and (B) in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (ii) duly qualified to do business and in good standing in each other jurisdiction where its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (iii) in compliance with all Requirements of Law and Contractual Obligations, except to the extent failure to comply therewith could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (b) has and will continue to have (i) the requisite corporate power and authority and the legal right to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents, and to own, pledge, mortgage or otherwise encumber and operate its properties, to lease the property it operates under lease, and to conduct its business as now, heretofore or proposed to be conducted, and (ii) except as could not, individually, or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, all licenses, permits, franchises, rights, powers, consents or approvals from or by all Persons or Governmental Authorities having jurisdiction over such Grantor that are necessary or appropriate for the conduct of its business.
3.2 Executive Offices; Corporate or Other Names. (a) Each Grantor’s name as it appears in official filings in the state of its incorporation or organization, (b) the type of entity of each Grantor, (c) the organizational identification number issued by each Grantor’s state of incorporation or organization or a statement that no such number has been issued, (d) each Grantor’s state of organization or incorporation, and (e) the location of each Grantor’s chief executive office and locations of Collateral when not in use by a customer of any Grantor are as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.2) and, except as set forth in such Disclosure Schedule, such locations have not changed during the preceding twelve (12) months. As of the Closing Date, during the prior five (5) years, except as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.2), no Grantor has been known as or conducted business in any other name (including trade names) than the name of such Grantor set forth on the signature page hereto. Borrower has only one state of incorporation or organization.
3.3 Corporate Power; Authorization; Enforceable Obligations. The execution, delivery and performance by each Grantor of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and the creation of all Liens provided for herein and therein: (a) are and will continue to be within such Grantor’s power and authority; (b) have been and will continue to be duly authorized by all necessary or proper action; (c) are not and will not be in violation of any Requirement of Law or Contractual Obligation of such Grantor; (d) do not and will not result in the creation or imposition of any Lien (other than Permitted Liens) upon any of the Collateral; and (e) do not and will not require the consent or approval of any Governmental Authority or any other Person other than any consent or approval that has been obtained. As of the Closing Date, each Loan Document shall have been duly executed and delivered on behalf of each Grantor party thereto, and each such Loan Document upon such execution and delivery shall be and will continue to be a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Grantor, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as such enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally.
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3.4 Financial Statements; Books and Records.
(a) The annual, monthly and weekly Financial Statements of the Grantors delivered pursuant to Section 4.1 present fairly in all material respects the financial condition of such Grantors as of the date of each such Financial Statement in accordance with GAAP (subject to normal year-end adjustments and to the absence of footnotes in the case of unaudited statements).
(b) The Grantors shall keep proper Books and Records in which proper entries, reflecting all consolidated and consolidating financial transactions, will be made in accordance with GAAP and all Requirements of Law in all material respects of all financial transactions and the assets and business of each Grantor on a basis consistent with the Financial Statements.
3.5 Material Adverse Change. Between September 30, 2022 and the Closing Date, no events with respect to any Grantor have occurred that alone or in the aggregate has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Requirement of Law or Contractual Obligation of any Grantor has or has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Grantor is in default, and to such Grantor’s knowledge no third party is in default, under or with respect to any of its Contractual Obligations, that alone or in the aggregate has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.6 Collection of Accounts. Credit Parties will continue to collect on their Accounts in accordance with customary practices in the media industry and consistent with the normal collection policy of the Credit Parties as in effect in the period prior to the Closing Date.
3.7 Subsidiaries. Except as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.7), as of the Closing Date, Borrower does not have any Subsidiaries. The issued and outstanding Stock of Borrower and its Subsidiaries (excluding all rights to purchase, options, warrants or similar rights or agreements pursuant to which Borrower or such Subsidiaries’ may be required to issue, sell, repurchase or redeem any of its Stock) as of the Closing Date is accurately reflected in the organizational chart delivered pursuant to Section 3.29(c) and set forth on Schedule 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate or any Perfection Certificate Supplement (whichever was most recently delivered to Agent).
3.8 Government Regulation; Margin Regulations. No Grantor is subject to or regulated under any Federal or state statute, rule or regulation that restricts or limits such Person’s ability to incur Indebtedness, pledge its assets, or to perform its obligations under the Loan Documents. The making of the Loan, the application of the proceeds and repayment thereof, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents do not and will not violate any Requirement of Law. No Grantor is engaged, nor will it engage, in the business of extending credit for the purpose of “purchasing” or “carrying” any “margin security” as such terms are defined in Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board as now and hereafter in effect (such securities being referred to herein as “Margin Stock”). No Grantor owns any Margin Stock, and none of the proceeds of the Loan or other extensions of credit under this Agreement will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any Margin Stock or reducing or retiring any Indebtedness that was originally incurred to purchase or carry any Margin Stock. No Grantor will take or permit to be taken any action that might cause any Loan Document to violate any regulation of the Federal Reserve Board.
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3.9 Taxes; Charges. Except as disclosed in Disclosure Schedule (3.9), all tax returns, reports and statements required by any Governmental Authority to be filed by Borrower or any other Grantor have, as of the Closing Date, been filed and will, until the Termination Date, be filed with the appropriate Governmental Authority and no tax Lien has been filed against any Grantor or any Grantor’s property. Disclosure Schedule (3.9) sets forth as of the Closing Date those taxable years for which any Grantor’s tax returns are currently being audited by the IRS or any other applicable Governmental Authority and any assessments or threatened assessments in connection with such audit, or otherwise currently outstanding. As of the Closing Date, no Grantor has agreed or been requested to make any adjustment under Section 481(a) of the IRC, by reason of a change in accounting method or otherwise, which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.10 Payment of Obligations. Each Grantor will pay, discharge or otherwise satisfy at or before maturity or before they become delinquent, as the case may be, all of its material Charges and other obligations of whatever nature, except where the amount or validity thereof is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and reserves in conformity with GAAP with respect thereto have been provided on the books of such Grantor and none of the Collateral is or would reasonably be expected to become subject to any Lien or forfeiture or loss as a result of such contest.
3.11 ERISA.
(a) No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other existing ERISA Events, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in Disclosure Schedule (3.11), (i) the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations of the Grantors under each Plan (based on the assumptions used for purposes of ASC 715) did not, as of the date of the most recent Financial Statements reflecting such amounts, exceed the fair market value of the assets of such Plan by more than $550,000, and (ii) the present value of all accumulated benefit obligations of all underfunded Plans (based on the assumptions used for purposes of ASC 715) did not, as of the date of the most recent Financial Statements reflecting such amounts, exceed the fair market value of the assets of such underfunded Plans by more than $550,000. No Grantor or ERISA Affiliate has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any Withdrawal Liability in excess of $550,000.
(b) Each Grantor shall furnish to the Agent (x) as soon as possible after, and in any event within five (5) days after any Responsible Officer of any Credit Party knows or has reason to know that, any ERISA Event has occurred that, alone or together with any other ERISA Event would reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Credit Parties or any of their ERISA Affiliates in an aggregate amount exceeding $550,000 or the imposition of a Lien, a statement of a Responsible Officer of such Credit Party setting forth details as to such ERISA Event and the action, if any, that such Credit Party or such ERISA Affiliate proposes to take with respect thereto; (y) upon request by the Agent, copies of (i) each Schedule B (Actuarial Information) to the annual report (Form 5500 Series) filed by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate with the Department of Labor with respect to each Plan; (ii) the most recent actuarial valuation report for each Plan; (iii) all notices received by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan sponsor or any governmental agency concerning an ERISA Event; and (iv) such other documents or governmental reports or filings relating to any Plan (or employee benefit plan sponsored or contributed to by any Credit Party) as the Agent shall reasonably request and (z) promptly following any request therefor, copies of (i) any documents described in Section 101(k) of ERISA that any Credit Party or its ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan and (ii) any notices described in Section 101(1) of ERISA that any Credit Party or its ERISA Affiliate may request with respect to any Multiemployer Plan; provided, that if any Credit Party or its ERISA Affiliate has not requested such documents or notices from the administrator or sponsor of the applicable Multiemployer Plan, the applicable Credit Party or ERISA Affiliate shall promptly make a request for such documents or notices from such administrator or sponsor and shall provide copies of such documents and notices promptly after receipt thereof.
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3.12 Litigation. Except as specifically disclosed in Disclosure Schedule (3.12), there are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending, or to the knowledge of each Credit Party, threatened in writing, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, against any Credit Party or any of their respective Properties which:
(a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any of the Transactions contemplated hereby or thereby; or
(b) would reasonably be expected to result in equitable relief or monetary judgment(s), individually or in the aggregate, in excess of $550,000 and unless fully covered by insurance and the issuer(s) of the applicable policies have not disclaimed coverage.
No injunction, writ, temporary restraining order or any order of any nature has been issued by any court or other Governmental Authority purporting to enjoin or restrain the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or directing that the transactions provided for herein or therein not be consummated as herein or therein provided. As of the Closing Date, except with respect to matters set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.12), no Credit Party or any Subsidiary of any Credit Party is the subject of an audit or, to each Credit Party’s knowledge, any review or investigation by any Governmental Authority (excluding the IRS and other taxing authorities) concerning the violation or possible violation of any Requirement of Law. Each Grantor shall notify Agent promptly in writing upon learning of the existence, threat or commencement of any such Litigation or any such order, investigation or audit.
3.13 Intellectual Property. Each Grantor owns, or is licensed to use, all such Intellectual Property material to its business as currently conducted, except for such Intellectual Property the failure of which to so own or be so licensed would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Each Grantor will take all necessary steps to preserve its ownership and licenses in such Intellectual Property so as to permit Agent to sell, transfer, rent, or use the Collateral following a Remedies Event. To permit Agent to sell, transfer, rent, or use the Collateral following a Remedies Event, each Grantor hereby grants to Agent an irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide license (exercisable without payment of royalty or other compensation to such Grantor), including in such license the right to sublicense, use and practice any Intellectual Property now owned or hereafter acquired by such Grantor and access to all media in which any of the licensed items may be recorded or stored and to all software and programs used for the compilation or printout thereof. As of the Closing Date, the Grantors own or are licensed to use the Intellectual Property as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.13). Each Grantor shall maintain the patenting and registration of all Intellectual Property with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the United States Copyright Office, or other appropriate Governmental Authority. In the event that any Grantor becomes aware that any Intellectual Property material to the conduct of its business has been infringed, misappropriated or diluted by a third party in any material respect, such Grantor promptly shall notify the Agent and shall take such actions as are appropriate under the circumstances to protect such Intellectual Property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Grantor may transfer, abandon, or otherwise dispose of Intellectual Property that is, in the applicable Grantor’s reasonable business judgment, no longer economically practicable or commercially desirable to maintain, or used or useful in its business, in each case, in the ordinary course of business; provided that in the case of registered Intellectual Property, Agent has given prior written consent (email acceptable) to such transfer, abandon or disposition, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or denied.
3.14 Full Disclosure. No information contained in any Loan Document, the Financial Statements or any written statement furnished by or on behalf of any Grantor under any Loan Document, or to induce Agent and the Lenders to execute the Loan Documents (as such information has been amended, supplemented or superseded by any other information later delivered to the same parties receiving such information, provided that the delivery of such amended, supplemented or superseding information shall not cure any Event of Default arising under Section 7.1(b) other than with respect to this Section 3.14), contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained herein or therein not materially misleading in light of the circumstances under which they were made.
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3.15 Environmental Liabilities. Except as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.15), as of the Closing Date, (a) no Grantor is subject to any Environmental Liabilities or, to any Grantor’s knowledge, potential Environmental Liabilities, that would reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities to Grantors in excess of $550,000 in the aggregate and (b) no written notice has been received by any Grantor identifying it as a “potentially responsible party” or requesting information under CERCLA or analogous state statutes, and to the knowledge of any Grantor, there are no facts, circumstances or conditions that would reasonably be expected to result in any Grantor being identified as a “potentially responsible party” under CERCLA or analogous state statutes, in each such case if such circumstance would reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities in excess of $550,000 in the aggregate. Each Grantor: (i) shall comply in all material respects with all applicable Environmental Laws and environmental permits, except for any such non-compliance that could not reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities to Grantors in excess of $550,000, (ii) shall notify Agent in writing within thirty (30) days if and when it becomes aware of any Release, on, at, in, under, above, to, from or about any real property owned, leased or occupied by a Grantor if such Release would reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities to Grantors in excess of $550,000 in the aggregate, (iii) shall notify Agent in writing within thirty (30) days if and when it becomes aware of any claims that could form the basis for any Environmental Liabilities that would reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities in excess of $550,000 in the aggregate, and (iv) shall notify Agent in writing within thirty (30) days if and when it becomes aware of any occurrences of non-compliance with Environmental Laws or environmental permits, except for any such non-compliance that could not reasonably be expected to result in Environmental Liabilities to Grantors in excess of $550,000. Each Credit Party has made available to Agent copies of all existing environmental reports, reviews and audits and all documents prepared since January 1, 2010 pertaining to actual or potential Environmental Liabilities, in each case to the extent such reports, reviews, audits and documents are in their possession, custody, control or otherwise available to the Credit Parties.
3.16 Insurance. As of the Closing Date, Disclosure Schedule (3.16) lists all insurance of any nature maintained by Borrower with respect to the Collateral as well as all liability insurance maintained by the Grantors, as well as a summary of the terms of such insurance.
(a) Coverage. Without limiting any of the other obligations or liabilities of the Grantors under this Agreement, the Grantors shall, during the term of this Agreement, carry and maintain, at its own expense, at least the minimum insurance coverage set forth in this Section 3.16. All insurance carried pursuant to this Section 3.16 shall be placed with such insurers having a minimum A.M. Best rating of A-:VIII (or as may be otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Agent) and be in such form, with terms, conditions, limits and deductibles as shall be reasonably acceptable to Agent. The insurance required to be carried and maintained by Grantors hereunder shall, in all events, include, without limitation, the following:
(i) All Risk Property Insurance. The Grantors shall maintain, all risk property insurance covering against physical loss or damage, including but not limited to fire and extended coverage, and collapse coverage. Coverage shall be written on a replacement cost basis in an amount reasonably acceptable to Agent; and,
(ii) Commercial General Liability Insurance. The Grantors shall maintain comprehensive general liability insurance written on an occurrence basis with a limit of not less than $2,000,000. Such coverage shall include, but not be limited to, premises/operations, broad form contractual liability, products/completed operations, property damage and personal injury liability; and,
(iii) Excess/Umbrella Liability Insurance. The Grantors shall maintain excess and/or umbrella liability insurance written on an occurrence basis in an amount not less than $5,000,000 providing coverage limits excess of the insurance limits required under subsection (a)(ii). Such insurance shall follow the form of the primary insurances and drop down in case of exhaustion of underlying limits and/or aggregates.
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(b) Endorsements. The Grantors shall cause all insurance policies carried and maintained in accordance with this Section 3.16 to be endorsed as follows:
(i) Agent, on behalf of Lenders, shall be an additional insured and loss payee with respect to property policy described in subsection (a)(i). Agent, on behalf of Lenders, shall be an additional insured with respect to liability policies described in subsections (a)(ii) and, to the extent allowed by law (iii). It shall be understood that any obligation imposed upon the Grantors, including but not limited to the obligation to pay premiums, shall be the sole obligation of the Grantors and not that of the Agent; and,
(ii) With respect to property policy described in subsection (a)(i), the interests of the Agent shall not be invalidated by any action or inaction of any Grantor or any other Person, and shall insure the Agent regardless of any breach or violation by any Grantor or any other Person, of any warranties, declarations or conditions of such policies; and,
(iii) The insurers thereunder shall waive all rights of subrogation against Agent, any right of setoff or counterclaim and any other right to deduction, whether by attachment or otherwise; and,
(iv) If such insurance is canceled for any reason whatsoever, including nonpayment of premium, such cancellation shall not be effective as to the Agent until thirty (30) days after receipt by Agent of written notice from such insurer.
(c) Certifications. On the Closing Date, and at each policy renewal, but not less than annually, the Grantors shall provide to the Agent a certification from each insurer or by an authorized representative of each insurer. Such certification shall identify the underwriters, the type of insurance, the limits, deductibles, and term thereof and shall specifically list the special provisions delineated in section (b) above for such insurance required for this Section 3.16.
(d) Intentionally Omitted.
(e) Notice to Agent. The Grantors shall notify the Agent immediately whenever any separate insurance concurrent in form or contributing in the event of loss with that required to be maintained under this Section 3.16 is taken out by any Credit Party; and promptly deliver to the Agent a copy of such policy or policies.
Borrower shall direct all present and future insurers under its policies of insurance to pay all proceeds payable thereunder with respect to the Collateral directly to Agent for application pursuant to Section 1.2(f) of the EICF Loan Agreement. If any insurance proceeds are paid by check, draft or other instrument payable to Borrower and Agent jointly, Agent may endorse Borrower’s name thereon and do such other things as Agent may deem advisable to reduce the same to cash.
3.17 Solvency. Both before and after giving effect to (a) the Loan, the issuance of the Guarantees of the Obligations and the pledge of assets as security therefor by all of the Grantors, (b) the disbursement of the proceeds of the Loan pursuant to the instructions of the Borrower, and (c) the payment and accrual of all transaction costs in connection with the foregoing, the Credit Parties taken as a whole are Solvent.
3.18 Other Financings. Except as disclosed in Disclosure Schedule (3.18) attached hereto, none of the Credit Parties has outstanding as of the Closing Date any Indebtedness.
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3.19 Conduct of Business. Each Grantor (a) shall conduct its business substantially as now conducted or as reasonably related, ancillary, complementary, or incidental thereto or as otherwise permitted hereunder, and (b) shall at all times maintain, preserve and protect all of the Collateral and keep the same in good repair, working order and condition and make, or cause to be made, all necessary or appropriate repairs, replacements and improvements thereto consistent with manufacturer specifications and industry practices; provided such Grantor shall not be obligated to comply with the foregoing covenant if, (i) in such Grantor’s reasonable business judgment, such Collateral is no longer economically practicable or commercially desirable to maintain, or used or useful in its business, in each case, in the ordinary course of business and (ii) in the event fair market value of such Collateral, individually or in the aggregate, exceeds $550,000, Agent has given prior written consent (email acceptable) which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or denied.
3.20 Further Assurances. At any time and from time to time, upon the written request of Agent and at the sole expense of the Grantors, the Grantors shall promptly and duly execute and deliver any and all such further instruments and documents and take such further action as Agent may reasonably deem desirable (a) to obtain the full benefits of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (b) to protect, preserve and maintain Agent’s rights in any Collateral and security interests or the equivalent under any foreign law, or (c) to enable Agent to exercise all or any of the rights and powers herein granted.
3.21 Collateral/Maintenance of Property.
(a) Each Grantor holds and will continue to hold good title to any of its property constituting the Collateral and none of such property is or will be subject to any Liens except Permitted Liens.
(b) Each Grantor shall (i) maintain and preserve in all material respects in good working order and condition the Collateral and all other of its property necessary in the conduct of its business, and such Collateral shall be maintained in accordance with all manufacturer’s suggested and recommended maintenance procedures, including preventive maintenance, (ii) obtain, maintain and preserve all material rights, permits, licenses, approvals and privileges (including all Permits) necessary, used or useful, whether because of its ownership, lease, sublease or other operation or occupation of property or other conduct of its business, and shall make all necessary or appropriate filings with, and give all required notices to, Governmental Authorities, and (iii) maintain the Collateral in compliance with all statutes, laws, ordinances, regulations, standards, directives, orders, judgments and permits (including environmental) issued by any Governmental Authority.
(c) Collateral shall not be located in, in transit to or used by a customer, in any country, state, nation, or territory (i) listed on the Lists or otherwise under United States sanctions for conducting business or (ii) set forth on Schedule E hereto (as such Schedule E may be amended by written notice from time to time by Agent to Borrower on a prospective basis) (each a “Restricted Location”). Upon an amendment to Schedule E pursuant to the forgoing sentence such that Collateral is located in a Restricted Location that was not located in a Restricted Location prior to such amendment, no Grantor shall extend or renew any rental agreements or enter into any new rental agreements which would cause the Collateral to be located in, in transit to or in use in a Restricted Location by a customer of such Grantor and such Grantor shall remove such Collateral from such Restricted Location within fifteen (15) days from the delivery of such notice or, if such Collateral is subject to a rental agreement with a customer of such Grantor at such time, fifteen (15) days from the end of the then current term of such rental agreement.
(d) Real Property. Schedules 8(a) and 8(b) to the Perfection Certificate dated the Closing Date contain a true and complete list of each interest in Real Property (i) owned by any Credit Party as of the date hereof and describes the type of interest therein held by such Credit Party and whether such owned Real Property is leased and if leased whether the underlying lease contains any option to purchase all or any portion of such Real Property or any interest therein or contains any right of first refusal relating to any sale of such Real Property or any portion thereof or interest therein and (ii) leased, subleased or otherwise occupied or utilized by any Credit Party, as lessee, sublessee, franchisee or licensee, as of the date hereof and describes the type of interest therein held by such Credit Party and, in each of the cases described in clauses (i) and (ii) of this Section 3.21(d), whether any lease requires the consent of the landlord or tenant thereunder, or other party thereto, to the Transactions.
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(e) Collateral located outside the United States. If the Credit Parties collectively own in excess of $1,000,000 in the aggregate of assets or property in any jurisdiction or jurisdictions outside of the United States of America, then the Credit Parties shall promptly (and in any event within 5 Business Days thereafter) notify the Agent in writing of the existence, value, nature and location of such assets. If the Required Lenders request in their absolute discretion, then the Credit Parties shall (i) execute and deliver to the Agent such other documents as the Required Lenders shall reasonably deem necessary to grant to the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders, a Lien on any assets or property in any foreign jurisdiction, which shall be subject to no Liens other than Permitted Liens, (ii) take all actions necessary to cause such Lien to be duly perfected to the extent required hereunder in accordance with all applicable Requirements of Law (including any requirements under the law of any applicable foreign jurisdiction), including the filing of financing statements in such jurisdictions as may be reasonably requested by the Agent, and (iii) otherwise take such actions and execute and/or deliver to the Agent such documents as the Agent shall require to confirm the validity, perfection and priority of the Lien hereunder on such assets or properties. The Credit Parties shall also provide Agent with such information as Agent may reasonably request from time to time regarding any Accounts that are owed to a Credit Party by any account debtor that is not a Person organized under the laws of the United States of America.
3.22 Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance.
(a) No Credit Party and, to the knowledge of the Credit Parties, no Person who owns a controlling interest in or otherwise controls a Credit Party, and no customer of a Credit Party, is (i) listed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (the “SDN List”) maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), Department of the Treasury, and/or on any other similar list (“Other Lists” and, collectively with the SDN List, the “Lists”) maintained by the OFAC pursuant to any authorizing statute, Executive Order or regulation (collectively, “OFAC Laws and Regulations”); or (ii) a Person (a “Designated Person”) either (A) included within the term “designated national” as defined in the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515, or (B) designated under Sections 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) or 1(d) of Executive Order No. 13224, 66 Fed. Reg. 49079 (published September 25, 2001) or similarly designated under any related enabling legislation or any other similar Executive Orders (collectively, the “Executive Orders”). The OFAC Laws and Regulations and the Executive Orders are collectively referred to in this Agreement as the “Anti-Terrorism Laws”. Each of the Credit Parties represents and warrants that it requires, and has taken reasonable measures to ensure compliance with the requirement, that no Person who owns any other direct interest in a Credit Party is or shall be listed on any of the Lists or is or shall be a Designated Person. This Section 3.22 shall not apply to any Person to the extent that such Person’s interest in the Borrower is through a U.S. Publicly-Traded Entity. As used in this Agreement, “U.S. Publicly-Traded Entity” means a Person (other than an individual) whose securities are listed on a national securities exchange, or quoted on an automated quotation system, in the United States, or a wholly-owned subsidiary of such a Person.
(b) Each Credit Party represents and warrants that it has taken reasonable measures appropriate to the circumstances (and in any event as required by law), with respect to each holder of a direct or indirect interest in such Credit Party, to assure that funds invested by such holders in the Credit Parties are derived from legal sources (“Anti-Money Laundering Measures”). The Anti-Money Laundering Measures have been undertaken in accordance with the Bank Secrecy Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 5311 et seq. (“BSA”), and all applicable laws, regulations and government guidance on BSA compliance and on the prevention and detection of money laundering violations under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957 (collectively with the BSA, “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”).
(c) Each Credit Party represents and warrants to Agent and each Lender, to its actual knowledge after making due inquiry, that no such Credit Party or any holder of a direct or indirect interest in such Credit Party (i) is under investigation by any Governmental Authority for, or has been charged with, or convicted of, money laundering under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957, drug trafficking, terrorist-related activities or other money laundering predicate crimes, or any violation of the BSA, (ii) has been assessed civil penalties under any Anti-Money Laundering Laws, or (iii) has had any of its funds seized or forfeited in an action under any Anti-Money Laundering Laws.
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(d) Each Credit Party represents and warrants to Agent and each Lender that it has taken reasonable measures appropriate to the circumstances (in any event as required by law), to ensure that such Credit Party is in compliance with all current and future Anti-Money Laundering Laws and laws, regulations and government guidance for the prevention of terrorism, terrorist financing and drug trafficking.
(e) Each Credit Party and its respective directors, officers and employees and, to the knowledge of the applicable Credit Party, the agents of each Credit Party and their Subsidiaries, are in compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”) and any other applicable anti-corruption law, including without limitation the UK Bribery Act, in all material respects. The Credit Parties and their Subsidiaries have instituted and maintained, and shall maintain, policies and procedures designed to ensure continued compliance with the FCPA and any other applicable anti-corruption laws.
3.23 Maintenance of Corporate Existence. Each Credit Party shall preserve and maintain (a) its legal existence and good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and (b) it rights (charter and statutory), privileges, franchises and Permits necessary or desirable in the conduct of its business, except, in the case of this clause (b), where the failure to do so would not, in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.24 Compliance with Laws, Etc. Each Credit Party shall comply with all applicable Requirements of Law, Contractual Obligations and Permits, except for such failures to comply that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
3.25 Landlord Agreement. Grantors shall use commercially reasonable best efforts to obtain a landlord waiver from the landlord of their Chief Executive Office, which landlord waiver shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to Agent, within the time period set forth on Schedule F.
3.26 Deposit Accounts; Cash Collateral Accounts.
(a) Borrower and each Guarantor shall maintain a cash management system which is reasonably acceptable to Agent (the “Cash Management System”), which shall operate as set forth in this Section 3.26.
(b) All Proceeds of Collateral held by any Credit Party (other than funds being collected pursuant to the provisions stated below) shall be deposited in one or more bank accounts or securities investment accounts, as set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.26) or other accounts in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent subject to the terms of this Agreement and the applicable Control Agreements.
(c) The Credit Parties have delivered, or cause to be delivered, to EICF Facility Agent a Control Agreement duly authorized, executed and delivered by each bank where each deposit account (other than an Excluded Account) for the benefit of a Credit Party is maintained (each such account, a “Controlled Account”). None of the Credit Parties shall establish any deposit accounts after the Closing Date into which Proceeds of any Collateral are deposited without the prior consent of Agent. Borrower shall promptly (but in no event later than ten (10) Business Days, or such later date as agreed by Agent with Required Lender consent) deliver, and shall cause each other Credit Party to deliver, to Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent) a Control Agreement covering each new deposit account (other than an Excluded Account) that is established after the Closing Date; provided that until such time as such Control Agreement is delivered to Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent), such new deposit account shall have a cash balance not to exceed $10,000 at any time.
(d) The Credit Parties and their respective directors, employees and agents shall promptly deposit or cause the same to be deposited, any monies, checks, notes, drafts or any other payment relating to and/or Proceeds of Collateral which come into their possession or under their control in the applicable Controlled Accounts.
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(e) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Parent shall (i) establish a new deposit account, which account shall not be subject to a Control Agreement, to receive and hold exclusively the proceeds of the PPP Loan, (ii) not comingle the proceeds of the PPP Loan in such account with any other funds and only to make transfers or disbursements from such account for PPP Forgivable Uses (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement) and (iii) maintain all records required to be submitted in connection with the forgiveness of the PPP Loan.
3.27 Assets of Parent. Parent represents and warrants that, as of the Closing Date, it has no material assets other than its Ownership Interests of the Borrower and the other assets and contracts described on Disclosure Schedule (3.27). Parent covenants and agrees to transfer and assign free and clear of any Liens and without monetary consideration to one of the Borrowers any Intellectual Property it owns within thirty (30) days after the Closing Date.
3.28 After-acquired Property; Additional Collateral. Each Grantor shall:
(a) Subject to this Section 3.28, with respect to any property acquired after the Closing Date by any Credit Party that is intended to be subject to the Lien created by any of the Loan Documents but is not so subject, promptly (and in any event within thirty (30) days after the acquisition thereof) (i) execute and deliver to the Agent such other documents as the Agent shall reasonably deem necessary or advisable to grant to the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders, a Lien on such property subject to no Liens other than Permitted Liens, and (ii) take all actions necessary to cause such Lien to be duly perfected to the extent required hereunder in accordance with all applicable Requirements of Law, including the filing of financing statements in such jurisdictions as may be reasonably requested by the Agent. The Borrower shall otherwise take such actions and execute and/or deliver to the Agent such documents as the Agent shall reasonably require to confirm the validity, perfection and priority of the Lien hereunder on such after-acquired properties.
(b) As soon as possible (and in any event within twenty (20) days) after the formation of any new domestic Subsidiary of a Credit Party and in any event prior to the transfer of any material assets to such new Subsidiary, or simultaneously with the consummation of acquisition of any new Subsidiary of a Credit Party, (i) deliver to the Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent) the original certificates, if any, representing all of the Equity Interests of such Subsidiary, together with undated stock powers or other appropriate instruments of transfer executed and delivered in blank by a duly authorized officer of the holder(s) of such Equity Interests, and all intercompany notes owing from such Subsidiary to any Credit Party together with instruments of transfer executed and delivered in blank by a duly authorized officer of such Credit Party and (ii) cause such new Subsidiary (A) to execute a Joinder Agreement in the form of Exhibit H or such comparable documentation to become a Grantor and Guarantor under this Agreement, and (B) to take all actions necessary or advisable in the opinion of the Agent to cause the Lien created hereunder to be duly perfected to the extent required by such agreement in accordance with all applicable Requirements of Law (including any applicable foreign laws), including the execution by Borrower or the applicable Credit Party of a Joinder Agreement in the form of Exhibit H or such comparable documentation to the applicable Pledge Agreement and the filing of financing statements (or foreign equivalents) in such jurisdictions as may be reasonably requested by the Agent and to the extent such new Subsidiary owns Collateral which is located in the United States.
(c) Promptly grant to the Agent, within thirty (30) days of the acquisition thereof, a security interest in and Mortgage on (i) each Real Property owned in fee by such Credit Party as is acquired by such Credit Party after the Closing Date and that, together with any improvements thereon, individually has a fair market value of at least $500,000, as additional security for the Obligations (unless the subject property is already mortgaged to a third party to the extent permitted by Section 5.2). Such Mortgages shall be granted pursuant to documentation reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Agent and shall constitute valid and enforceable perfected Liens subject only to Permitted Liens or other Liens acceptable to the Agent. The Mortgages or instruments related thereto shall be duly recorded or filed in such manner and in such places as are required by law to establish, perfect, preserve and protect the Liens in favor of the Agent required to be granted pursuant to the Mortgages and all taxes, fees and other charges payable in connection therewith shall be paid in full. Such Credit Party shall otherwise take such actions and execute and/or deliver to the Agent such documents as the Agent shall require to confirm the validity, perfection and priority of the Lien of any existing Mortgage or new Mortgage against such after-acquired Real Property (including a title policy, a survey and local counsel opinion (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent) in respect of such Mortgage).
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3.29 Equity Interests and Subsidiaries.
(a) Equity Interests. Schedules 1(a) and 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate dated the Closing Date set forth a list of (i) all the Subsidiaries of Borrower and the other Credit Parties and their jurisdictions of organization as of the Closing Date and (ii) the number of each class of its Equity Interests authorized, and the number outstanding, on the Closing Date and the number of shares covered by all outstanding options, warrants, rights of conversion or purchase and similar rights at the Closing Date. All Equity Interests of each Credit Party are duly and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, and, other than the Equity Interests of Borrower, are owned by Borrower, directly or indirectly through Wholly Owned Subsidiaries. Each Credit Party is the record and beneficial owner of, and has good and marketable title to, the Equity Interests pledged by it hereunder, free of any and all Liens, rights or claims of other persons, except the security interest created by the Loan Documents and by the EICF Loan Agreement (and the “Loan Documents” as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement), and there are no outstanding warrants, options or other rights to purchase, or shareholder, voting trust or similar agreements outstanding with respect to, or property that is convertible into, or that requires the issuance or sale of, any such Equity Interests.
(b) No Consent of Third Parties Required. Other than the approval of the Board of Directors of the issuer of the Equity Interests, no consent of any Person including any other general or limited partner, any other member of a limited liability company, any other shareholder or any other trust beneficiary is necessary or reasonably desirable (from the perspective of a secured party) in connection with the creation, perfection or priority status of the security interest of the Agent in any Equity Interests pledged to the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders hereunder or the exercise by the Agent of the voting or other rights provided for hereunder or the exercise of remedies in respect thereof.
(c) Organizational Chart. Schedule 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate or any Perfection Certificate Supplement (whichever was most recently delivered to Agent) sets forth an accurate organizational chart, showing the ownership structure of Borrower and each Subsidiary on the Closing Date, and after giving effect to the Transactions, is set forth on Schedule 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate dated the Closing Date.
3.30 Security Documents. Each Loan Document, including any such document delivered pursuant to Sections 3.20 and 3.28 will, upon execution and delivery thereof, be effective to create in favor of the Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, legal, valid and enforceable perfected Liens on, and security interests in, all of the Credit Parties’ right, title and interest in and to the Collateral thereunder, and (i) when all appropriate filings or recordings are made in the appropriate offices as may be required under applicable law and (ii) upon the taking of possession or control by the Agent of such Collateral with respect to which a security interest may be perfected only by possession or control (which possession or control shall be given to the Agent to the extent required hereunder), such Loan Document will constitute fully perfected Liens on, and security interests in, all right, title and interest of the Credit Parties in such Collateral, in each case subject to no Liens other than the applicable Permitted Liens.
3.31 Intentionally Omitted.
3.32 Government Contracts. Except as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.32), as of the Closing Date, no Credit Party is a party to any contract or agreement with any Governmental Authority and no Credit Party’s Collateral is subject to the Federal Assignment of Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Section 3727) or any similar state or local law.
3.33 Customer and Trade Relations. As of the Closing Date, there exists no actual or, to the knowledge of any Credit Party, written threatened termination or cancellation of, or any material adverse modification or change in (a) the business relationship of any Credit Party with any customer or group of customers whose purchases during the preceding twelve (12) calendar months caused them to be ranked among the ten (10) largest customers of such Credit Party or (b) the business relationship of any Credit Party with any supplier essential to its operations.
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3.34 Bonding; Licenses. Except as set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.34), as of the Closing Date, no Credit Party is a party to or bound by any surety bond agreement, indemnification agreement therefor or bonding requirement with respect to products or services sold by it.
3.35 Affiliate Transactions. No Credit Party is party to any transaction with any Affiliate of the Borrower or of any Subsidiary of the Borrower, except those permitted by Section 5.7 hereof and those set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.35).
3.36 Post-Closing Matters. The Credit Parties shall deliver to the Agent, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, the documents or items, or complete the actions, described on Schedule F on or before the dates specified thereon.
3.37 Investment Company Act. No Credit Party is an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company,” as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
3.38 Notice of Change in Investment Company Status. The Borrower shall provide Agent with prompt written notice of any change with respect to its representation in Section 3.37 above, but in no event later than fifteen (15) days following any such change.
3.39 [reserved].
3.40 Notice of Change in Organization Chart The Borrower shall provide Agent with an updated organizational chart within ten (10) Business Days following a change in the organization of any Credit Party.
3.41 Merger Agreement Representations and Warranties.
(a) (i) The representations and warranties of Parent set forth in Section 5.2(b) (Company Subsidiaries) of the Merger Agreement and Section 5.3(a) (Capitalization Structure) of the Merger Agreement are true and correct in all respects, except for inaccuracies that are de minimis in amount, as of the date of each funding of a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be so true and correct as of such particular date), (ii) each of the representations and warranties of Parent contained in Section 5.1 (Organization, Standing and Power) of the Merger Agreement, Section 5.2(a) and (c) (Company Subsidiaries) of the Merger Agreement, Section 5.3(b), (c) and (d) (Capitalization Structure) of the Merger Agreement, Section 5.4 (Authority; Execution and Delivery; Enforceability) of the Merger Agreement, Section 5.5 (Requisite Stockholder Approval) of the Merger Agreement, Section 5.22 (Anti-Takeover Provisions) of the Merger Agreement, the first sentence of Section 5.28 (Brokers’ Fees and Expenses) of the Merger Agreement, and Section 5.29 (Opinion of Company Financial Advisor) of the Merger Agreement is true and correct (without giving effect to any references to any “Company Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Merger Agreement) or other “materiality” qualifications) in all material respects as of the date of each funding of a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan as though made on and as of such date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be so true and correct as of such date), and (iii) any other representations and warranties of Parent contained in Article V of the Merger Agreement, other than those Sections specifically identified in foregoing clause (i) or (ii), is true and correct (without giving effect to any references to any “Company Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Merger Agreement) or other “materiality” qualifications) as of the date of each funding of a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan as though made on and as of such date (except that those representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular date need only be true and correct as of such date) except where failure to be so true and correct would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a “Company Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Merger Agreement);
(b) Parent has complied with or performed in all material respects each covenant, agreement and obligation under the Merger Agreement that Parent is required to comply with or to perform under the Merger Agreement at or prior to the date of each funding of a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan; and
(c) since the date of this Agreement, there has not occurred a “Company Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Merger Agreement) which is continuing as of the date of each funding of a Closing Date Term Loan or a Delayed Draw Term Loan.
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4. FINANCIAL MATTERS; REPORTS
4.1 Reports, Notices, and Related Rights.
The Credit Parties shall furnish to the Agent and each Lender:
(a) Monthly Reports. Within thirty (30) days after the last day of each Fiscal Month of the Credit Parties, the balance sheets of the Credit Parties on a consolidated and consolidating basis as at the end of such Fiscal Month and as of the end of the preceding Fiscal Year, and the related statements of operations, the related statements of profits and losses and related statements of cash flows of the Credit Parties on a consolidated basis for such Fiscal Month and for the elapsed portion of the Fiscal Year ended with the last day of such Fiscal Month, and, beginning with the Fiscal Month ending January 31, 2023 and thereafter, which shall set forth in comparative form such figures as at the end of and for such Fiscal Month and appropriate prior period and shall be certified by the Chief Financial Officer of the Borrower to have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and to present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Credit Parties on a consolidated basis as at the end of such period and the results of operations for such period and for the elapsed portion of the Fiscal Year ended with the last day of such period, subject only to normal year-end and audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes; and
(b) Annual Reports. Within one hundred twenty (120) days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Credit Parties, the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Credit Parties as of the end of such Fiscal Year and the related audited consolidated statements of operations for such Fiscal Year and for the previous Fiscal Year, the related audited consolidated statements of profits and losses and the related audited consolidated statements of cash flows and stockholders’ equity for such Fiscal Year and for the previous Fiscal Year, which shall be accompanied by an opinion, without a going concern or similar qualification or an exception as to scope, prepared by an independent certified public accountant of recognized national standing reasonably acceptable to Agent;
(c) Cash Balance. Within two (2) Business Days after the end of each Fiscal Month, Borrower will deliver a certificate reporting to Agent the Cash Balance as of the last day of the Fiscal Month just ended, which certificate shall be executed and certified by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower as true and correct;
(d) Budget. Borrower shall deliver to Agent and the Lenders, on a weekly basis, on or prior to the last Business Day of each week, a Budget beginning on the date of delivery thereof (provided that any delivery of a Budget as an attachment to a Delayed Draw Borrowing Request shall satisfy this Section 4.1(c)).
(e) Compliance Certificate. At the time the financial statements are furnished pursuant to Section 4.1(a), a Compliance Certificate in the form attached as Exhibit E executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower as to the financial performance of the Credit Parties. The Compliance Certificate shall include a listing of government contracts of the Borrower subject to the Federal Assignment of Claims Act of 1940 or any similar state or municipal law;
(f) Cashflow Report. Borrower shall deliver to Agent and the Lenders (i) a 13- week cash flow forecast for the Credit Parties on a weekly basis, on or prior to the last Business Day of each week for the period of 13 weeks beginning on the first day of the next week, such forecast to be accompanied by a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of Borrower, in such Person’s capacity as such, to the effect that such forecast has been prepared in good faith consistent with past financial statements of the Credit Parties and based on assumptions believed by such Person to be reasonable as of such date and (ii) such other information as may reasonably be requested by the Agent and the Lenders in connection therewith, including without limitation following Borrower’s weekly cash calls or other meetings on cashflow forecast, a Responsible Officer of Borrower will notify Agent via telephone, for informational purposes, of the discussion and outcome of such calls or meetings;
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(g) Responsible Officer’s Certificate Regarding Collateral. Concurrently with any delivery of Financial Statements under Section 4.1(a), a certificate of a Responsible Officer setting forth the information required pursuant to the Perfection Certificate Supplement or confirming that there has been no change in such information since the date of the Perfection Certificate or latest Perfection Certificate Supplement;
(h) Public Reports. Promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by any Credit Party with any provincial securities commission or the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of said commissions, or with any national securities exchange, or distributed to holders of its Indebtedness pursuant to the terms of the documentation governing such Indebtedness (or any trustee, agent or other representative therefor), as the case may be;
(i) Management Letters. Promptly after the receipt thereof by any Credit Party, a copy of any “management letter” received by any such Person from its independent chartered accountants and the management’s responses thereto;
(j) Annual Budgets. Promptly (and in any event within 2 Business Days) after approval by the Board of Directors of Parent (and in no event later than February 28 of each Fiscal Year), (i) a consolidated budget for Credit Parties in form reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, but to include balance sheets, statements of income and sources and uses of cash, capital expenditures, and projected borrowing availability on a consolidated basis under this Agreement, for each Fiscal Quarter of such Fiscal Year prepared in detail and (ii) a financial model for the subsequent Fiscal Year, in each case, prepared in summary form, with appropriate presentation and discussion of the principal assumptions upon which such budget or model is based, accompanied by the statement of a Responsible Officer of Borrower to the effect that each budget and model has been prepared in good faith and based on assumptions believed to be reasonable and, promptly when available, any significant revisions of such budget or model;
(k) Organization. Concurrently with any delivery of Financial Statements under Section 4.1(a), an accurate organizational chart as required by Section 3.29(c), or confirmation that there are no changes to Schedule 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate dated the Closing Date or since the most recent organizational chart delivered to Agent under this Section 4.1(k);
(l) Organizational Documents. Promptly provide copies of any Organizational Documents that have been amended or modified in accordance with the terms hereof and deliver a copy of any notice of default given or received by any Credit Party under any Organizational Document within fifteen (15) days after such Credit Party gives or receives such notice;
(m) Appraisals. At any time after the occurrence of an Event of Default promptly upon the request of the Agent, an appraisal report performed at the expense of Borrower by a nationally recognized appraiser satisfactory to Agent, setting forth in reasonable detail the orderly liquidation value of the Collateral; and
(n) Inspection of Property; Field Examinations and Audits. Each Credit Party shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, with respect to each owned, leased, or controlled property, (a) provide access to such property to Agent as frequently as Agent determines to be appropriate; and (b) permit Agent to conduct field examinations, audit, inspect and make extracts and copies from all of such Credit Party’s books and records, including invoices from and payments to the Credit Parties’ vendors, and evaluate and make verifications of any Collateral in any manner and through any medium that Agent considers advisable, in each instance, at the Credit Parties’ expense; provided the Credit Parties shall only be obligated to reimburse Agent for the expenses for one (1) such field examination, audit and inspection per year or at any time if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
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4.2 [reserved]
4.3 Other Reports and Information. The Grantors shall advise Agent and each Lender in reasonable detail promptly after becoming aware of: (a) any Lien, other than Permitted Liens, attaching to or asserted against any of the Collateral or any occurrence causing a material loss or decline in value of any Collateral and the estimated (or actual, if available) amount of such loss or decline; (b) any material change in the composition of the Collateral; and (c) the occurrence of any Event of Default or other event that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Grantors shall, upon the reasonable request of Agent or any Lender, furnish to Agent and Lenders such other reports and information in connection with the affairs, business, financial condition, operations, prospects or management of Borrower or any other Grantor or the Collateral, all in reasonable detail.
5. NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Borrower and each Credit Party executing this Agreement covenants and agrees (for itself and each other Credit Party) that, without Agent’s prior written consent, from the Closing Date until the Termination Date, neither Borrower nor any other Credit Party shall, directly or indirectly, by operation of law or otherwise (provided that, before the Trigger Date, Credit Parties are not bound by any of such covenants and agreements, other than Key covenants):
5.1 Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Indebtedness, except: (a) the Obligations, (b) Indebtedness existing as of the Closing Date set forth in Disclosure Schedule (3.18), (c) by endorsement of instruments or items of payment for deposit to the general account of such Credit Party, (d) for Guaranteed Indebtedness incurred for the benefit of Borrower if the primary obligation is permitted by this Agreement, (e) Indebtedness arising under that certain Note Purchase Agreement in an amount not to exceed $30,000,000, provided that such Indebtedness is at all times subordinated to the Obligations pursuant to the terms of the Subordination Agreement and provided that each of the holders thereof have executed and delivered the Subordination Agreement, (f) the PPP Loan, provided that Parent shall (i) use all of the proceeds of the PPP Loan exclusively for the PPP Forgivable Uses in the manner required under the PPP Rule to obtain forgiveness of the largest possible amount of the PPP Loan, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to conduct its business in a manner that maximizes the amount of the PPP Loan that is forgiven, (iii) apply for forgiveness of the PPP Loan in accordance with regulations implementing Section 1106 of the PPP Rule within thirty (30) days (or such longer period as the Agent may agree to in its sole discretion) after the last day of the eight (8) week period immediately following the date of funding of the PPP Loan and (iv) provide the Agent with a copy of its application for forgiveness and all supporting documentation required by the Small Business Administration or Continental Bank in connection with the forgiveness of the PPP Loan, and (g) additional Indebtedness (including Purchase Money Obligations) incurred after the Closing Date in an aggregate outstanding amount for all such Credit Parties combined not exceeding $550,000.
5.2 Liens. Incur, maintain or otherwise suffer to exist any Lien upon or with respect to any of its property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or assign any right to receive income or profits, except for Permitted Liens.
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5.3 Investments; Fundamental Changes. Merge or amalgamate with, consolidate with, acquire all or substantially all of the assets or Stock of, or otherwise combine with or make any investment in or make any loan or advance to, any Person; except, (a) the De-SPAC First Merger and the De-SPAC Second Merger, (b) as expressly permitted by Section 5.7 below, (c) investments or loans existing as of the Closing Date and set forth in Disclosure Schedule (5.3), and (d) any Credit Party may form any direct or indirect Subsidiary after the Closing Date so long as within ten (10) Business Days after such formation, such Subsidiary becomes a Guarantor hereunder and grants to Agent a Lien in all of its rights, title and interests in, to and under its Collateral to secure the Obligations for the benefit of the Lenders, all pursuant to written documentation in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent in accordance with Sections 1.12 and 3.28; provided, that no Credit Party shall transfer any assets or property to a new Subsidiary until all requirements of Sections 1.12 and 3.28 have been met for such new Subsidiary, (e) any capital contributions in, or loans or advances to, Volta Canada Inc., a corporation organized under the laws of Quebec, Canada (“Volta Canada”) (“Volta Canada Investments”), (i) that have been made prior to August 24, 2021 in an aggregate amount not exceeding an estimated $171,474.00, or (ii) made after January 1, 2022 to the extent the aggregate amount of Volta Canada Investments made after January 1, 2022 do not exceed $6,856,459 in the aggregate at any time, provided that immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to the making of any such Volta Canada Investment, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; (f) any capital contributions in, or loans or advances to, Volta Charging Germany GmbH, a limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) organized under the laws of Germany (“Volta Germany”) (“Volta Germany Investments”), (i) that have been made prior to August 24, 2021 in an aggregate amount not exceeding an estimated $874,537.00, or (ii) made after January 1, 2022 to the extent the aggregate amount of Volta Germany Investments made after January 1, 2022 do not exceed $89,229,382 in the aggregate at any time, provided that immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to the making of any such Volta Germany Investment, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; (g) any capital contributions in, or loans or advances to, Volta France SARL, a limited liability company (Société A Responsabilité Limitée) organized under the laws of France (“Volta France”) (“Volta France Investments”), (i) that have been made prior to August 24, 2021 in an aggregate amount not exceeding an estimated $51,086.00, or (ii) made after January 1, 2022 to the extent the aggregate amount of Volta France Investments made after January 1, 2022 do not exceed $78,329,815 in the aggregate at any time, provided that immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to the making of any such Volta France Investment, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing; or (h) any capital contributions in, or loans or advances to, Rakko Holding B.V., a private limited liability company organized under the laws of the Netherlands, and Volta Rakko B.V., a private limited liability company organized under the laws of the Netherlands (such entities, individually and collectively, “Volta Netherlands”) (“Volta Netherlands Investments”), (i) to the extent the aggregate amount of Volta Netherlands Investments made, whether prior to or after May 11, 2022, do not exceed $250,000 in the aggregate at any time, provided that immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to the making of any such Volta Netherlands Investment after May 11, 2022, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing. For the avoidance of doubt, no Credit Party shall make any investment in or make any loan or advance to, any Person located outside of the United States without the prior written consent of Required Lenders other than as expressly set forth above in this Section 5.3.
5.4 Asset Sales. Sell, transfer, convey, assign, issue or otherwise dispose any of its assets or properties (including its accounts or any shares of its Stock) or engage in any sale-leaseback, synthetic lease or similar transaction, including without limitation the Collateral or Loan proceeds; provided, however, that (i) any Grantor may transfer any of its Collateral to any other Grantor, provided such Collateral remains subject to the Liens of Agent under this Agreement to secure the Obligations, (ii) Volta Services may enter into the Permitted Brookfield Sales and Other Permitted Sales, (iii) any Grantor may dispose of Collateral that is, in the applicable Grantor’s reasonable business judgment, no longer economically practicable or commercially desirable to maintain, or used or useful in its business, in each case, in the ordinary course of business; provided that, with respect to Collateral that has a fair market value in excess of $550,000, Agent has given prior written consent (email acceptable) which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or denied, and (iv) Parent may issue Stock pursuant to an ATM Transaction, the Net Cash Proceeds (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement) of which shall be used for general corporate purposes to the extent not otherwise prohibited by this Agreement, provided that, if required under Section 1.2(c) of the EICF Loan Agreement, the Credit Parties shall apply the Net Cash Proceeds (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement) of such ATM Transaction as a Mandatory Prepayment (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement) in accordance with Section 1.2(c) of the EICF Loan Agreement.
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5.5 Restricted Payments. Make or permit any Restricted Payment.
5.6 Changes in Nature of Business. Make any changes in any of its business that would reasonably be expected to adversely affect repayment of the Obligations or would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or engage in any business other than (a) that presently engaged in or (b) any business reasonably related, ancillary, complementary, or incidental thereto and reasonable extensions thereof.
5.7 Transactions with Affiliates. Enter into any lending, borrowing or other commercial transaction with any of its employees, directors, or Affiliates other than (a) loans or advances to employees in the ordinary course of business in an aggregate outstanding amount not exceeding $550,000 at any time and (b) transactions entered on arms-length terms as would be obtained in a transaction between parties that are not Affiliates or set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.35).
5.8 Third-Party Restrictions on Indebtedness, Liens, Investments or Restricted Payments. Incur or otherwise suffer to exist or become effective or remain liable on or responsible for any Contractual Obligation limiting or restricting the ability of (a) any Credit Party to make Restricted Payments to, or investments in, or repay Indebtedness of, or otherwise sell property to, any Credit Party or (b) any Credit Party to incur or suffer to exist any Lien upon any property of any Credit Party, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, securing any of its Obligations (including any such limitation or restriction in the form of any “equal and ratable” clause and any similar Contractual Obligation requiring, when a Lien is granted on any property, another Lien to be granted on such property or any other property), except, for each of clauses (a) and (b) above, (x) pursuant to the Loan Documents, (y) limitations on Liens (other than those securing any Obligation) on any property whose acquisition, repair, improvement or construction is financed by Purchase Money Indebtedness in reliance upon Section 5.1(b) or (e) set forth in the Contractual Obligations governing such Indebtedness with respect thereto and (z) pursuant to the Merger Agreement or the EICF Loan Agreement (and the “Loan Documents” as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement).
5.9 Modification of Certain Documents. Amend, waive, or otherwise modify (a) its charter or by-laws or other Organizational Documents other than in connection with the issuance of Equity Interests by Parent permitted by this Agreement or (b) the Brookfield Master Sale Agreement or any agreements governing Other Permitted Sales in a manner material and adverse to the Agent or the Lenders.
5.10 Accounting Changes; Fiscal Year. Change its (a) accounting treatment or reporting practices, except as required by GAAP or any Requirement of Law or (b) its Fiscal Year or its method for determining Fiscal Quarters.
5.11 Changes to Name, Locations, Etc. Change (i) its name, Chief Executive Office, corporate offices from those set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.2), (ii) its warehouses or other Collateral locations, or location of its records concerning the Collateral from those locations set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.2); provided, that any Credit Party may change the location of electric charging stations in the ordinary course of business, (iii) the type of legal entity that it is, (iv) its organization identification number, if any, issued by its state of incorporation or organization or (v) its state of incorporation or organization from that set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.2).
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5.12 Bank Accounts. (a) Establish any depository or other bank account of any kind with any financial institution (other than the accounts set forth on Disclosure Schedule (3.26)) or (b) close or permit to be closed any of the accounts listed on Disclosure Schedule (3.26) in each case, without Agent’s prior written consent.
5.13 Margin Regulations. Use all or any portion of the proceeds of any credit extended hereunder to purchase or carry Margin Stock in contravention of Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board.
5.14 Compliance with ERISA. No Credit Party or ERISA Affiliate shall cause or suffer to exist (a) any event that would reasonably be expected to result in the imposition of a Lien upon the assets of any Credit Party with respect to any Title IV Plan or Multiemployer Plan or (b) any other ERISA Event, that would, in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in liabilities of the Credit Parties in excess of $550,000.
5.15 Hazardous Materials. Cause or suffer to exist any Release of any Hazardous Material at, to or from any Real Property owned, leased, subleased or otherwise operated by any Credit Party that would violate any Environmental Law, form the basis for any Environmental Liabilities or otherwise adversely affect the value or marketability of any real property (whether or not owned by any Credit Party), other than such violations, Environmental Liabilities and effects that would not, in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
5.16 Parent. Parent shall not (a) acquire any intellectual property, electric vehicle charging stations or other material assets with an aggregate fair market value in excess of $1,100,000 or enter into any new agreements other the Merger Agreement and other than agreements related to employment, administrative operations, issuance of equity, Parent’s ownership of the Borrowers, or other agreements similar in subject matter to those agreements described on Disclosure Schedule (3.27), and (b) accept or receive any dividends, property, cash or Cash Equivalents or other assets from any other Credit Party other than in the ordinary course of business.
5.17 Use of Proceeds. Use all or any of the proceeds of any Loans other than as set forth in Section 1.3.
5.18 Compliance with Anti-Terrorism Laws.
(a) Directly or indirectly, in connection with the Loans, knowingly (i) conduct any business or engage in making or receiving any contribution of funds, goods or services to or for the benefit of any Embargoed Person, (ii) deal in, or otherwise engage in any transaction relating to, any property or interests in property blocked pursuant to any Anti-Terrorism Law or (iii) engage in or conspire to engage in any transaction that evades or avoids, or has the purpose of evading or avoiding, or attempts to violate, any of the prohibitions set forth in any Anti-Terrorism Law.
(b) Directly or indirectly, in connection with the Loans, knowingly cause or permit any of the funds of such Credit Party that are used to repay the Loans to be derived from any unlawful activity with the result that the making of the Loans would be in violation of any Anti-Terrorism Law.
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(c) Knowingly cause or permit (i) an Embargoed Person to have any direct or indirect interest in or benefit of any nature whatsoever in the Credit Parties or (ii) any of the funds or properties of the Credit Parties that are used to repay the Loans to constitute property of, or be beneficially owned directly or indirectly by, an Embargoed Person.
(d) Deliver to the Lenders any certification or other evidence requested from time to time by any Lender in its reasonable discretion, confirming the Credit Parties’ compliance with this Section 5.18.
(e) The Borrower will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Loans, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person, 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 the FCPA or any other applicable anti-corruption law.
5.19 Sale-Leasebacks. Permit any of its Subsidiaries to, engage in a sale leaseback, synthetic lease or similar transaction involving any of its assets. For the avoidance of doubt, Permitted Brookfield Sales and Other Permitted Sales shall not be prohibited by this Section 5.19.
5.20 Leases. Enter as lessee into any lease arrangement for real property to be used by any Credit Party as a Chief Executive Office, other office space or warehouse, if after giving effect thereto, the aggregate annual rental payments for all such leased properties would exceed $1,320,000 in the aggregate in any Fiscal Year. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 5.20 shall not apply to any lease arrangement for real property used as an electric vehicle charging station location.
5.21 Compensation. Except as set forth on Disclosure Schedule (5.21), no Credit Party shall, and no Credit Party shall permit any of its Subsidiaries to, pay any management, consulting or similar fees to any Affiliate of any Credit Party or to any officer, director or employee of any Credit Party or any Affiliate of any Credit Party except, in each case, payment of reasonable compensation for actual services rendered to the Credit Parties and their Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.
5.22 Approval of Expenses. No Credit Party shall, and no Credit Party shall permit any of its Subsidiaries to, pay any expenditure in excess of $100,000 not contemplated by a Budget.
6. SECURITY INTEREST
6.1 Grant of Security Interest.
(a) As collateral security for the prompt and complete payment and performance of the Obligations, each of Borrower and each other Credit Party executing this Agreement hereby grants to Agent for the benefit of the Lenders a security interest in and Lien upon all of its property and assets, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible, and whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or in which it now has or at any time in the future may acquire any right, title, or interest, including all of the following property in which it now has or at any time in the future may acquire any right, title or interest:
(i) all Accounts;
(ii) all deposit accounts;
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(iii) all other bank accounts and all funds on deposit therein; all money, cash and cash equivalents;
(iv) all investment property;
(v) all Stock and all Distributions in respect thereof;
(vi) all goods (including, without limitation, inventory, equipment, and fixtures);
(vii) all chattel paper, documents and instruments;
(viii) all Books and Records;
(ix) all general intangibles (including, without limitation, all Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property applications, contract rights, choses in action, payment intangibles, licenses, Permits, and software, and all rights and interests under any key man life insurance policies);
(x) all letter-of-credit rights;
(xi) all commercial tort claims;
(xii) all property, including all property of every description, in custody or in transit for any purpose, including safekeeping, collection or pledge, for the account of Borrower or any Credit Party or to which Borrower or any Credit Party may have any right or power, including but not limited to cash;
(xiii) all other goods (including but not limited to fixtures) and personal property, whether tangible or intangible and wherever located;
(xiv) all supporting obligations and consents and agreements of any kind or nature that are material to the operation, management, maintenance and conduct of any Credit Party;
(xv) all Real Property of every kind and nature, including leases; and
(xvi) to the extent not otherwise included, all Proceeds, tort claims, insurance claims and other rights to payment not otherwise included in the foregoing and products of all and any of the foregoing and all accessions to, substitutions and replacements for, and rents and profits of, each of the foregoing (all of the foregoing, collectively, the “Collateral”).
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Collateral” shall not include: (i) any property, aircraft, motor vehicles and other assets subject to certificates of title; (ii) any “intent-to-use” application unless and until a “statement of use” or “amendment to allege use” is filed and accepted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or any other filing is made or circumstances otherwise change so that the interests of the applicable Grantor in such trademarks is no longer on an “intent-to-use” basis, at which time such trademarks shall automatically be deemed “Collateral” hereunder; (iii) (A) assets if the granting of a security interest in such asset would (x) be prohibited by any applicable Requirement of Law or (y) trigger termination of any agreement, document or instrument pursuant to any “change of control” or similar provision and (B) any contract, license, franchise or other agreement to the extent the pledge of such agreement is expressly prohibited by the terms thereof (provided that such contractual restriction shall not have been created in contemplation of this restriction); provided, however, the foregoing exclusions in this clause (iii) shall in no way be construed (A) to apply if any such prohibition would be rendered ineffective under the UCC (including Sections 9-406, 9-407 and 9-408 thereof) or other applicable Requirement of Law (including the United States bankruptcy code) or principles of equity, (B) so as to limit, impair or otherwise affect Agent’s unconditional continuing Liens upon any rights or interests of any Grantor in or to the Proceeds thereof (including proceeds from the sale, license, lease or other disposition thereof), including monies due or to become due under any such lease, license, contract, or agreement (including any Accounts or other Receivables), or (C) to apply at such time as the condition causing such prohibition shall be remedied and, to the extent severable, “Collateral” shall include any portion of such lease, license, franchise, contract, or agreement, or assets subject thereto that does not result in such prohibition; (iv) Excluded Accounts; (v) any property and assets the pledge of which would require governmental consent, approval, license or authorization (unless such consent, approval, license or authorization has been obtained); (vi) unless such assets are required to be subject to a Lien in favor of the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders pursuant to Section 3.21(e), assets located outside the United States or the pledge of which would require registration or other action outside the United States; (vii) [reserved]; (viii) [reserved]; and (ix) assets in circumstances where Borrower and Agent determine in their reasonable discretion that the cost, burden or consequences (including material adverse tax consequences) of obtaining or perfecting a security interest in such assets is excessive in relation to the practical benefit afforded thereby; provided, that for the avoidance of doubt, no Grantor shall be required to enter into any foreign- law governed security documents in connection with any share pledge, intellectual property registered in any non-U.S. jurisdiction or any other grant of security interest, in each case under this provided clause except if assets of a Grantor are required to be subject to a Lien in favor of the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders pursuant to Section 3.21(e). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary or any other Loan Document, no Grantor shall be required to make any filings, enter into any documents or agreements or take any other actions to grant, record or perfect a security interest or Lien in the Collateral in, or deliver any legal opinions covered by, any jurisdiction other than in the United States or any of its states, including on any Collateral located outside of the United States, except if assets of a Grantor are required to be subject to a Lien in favor of the Agent for the benefit of the Lenders pursuant to Section 3.21(e).
(b) Borrower, Agent, each Lender and each other Grantor agrees that this Agreement creates, and is intended to create, valid and continuing Liens upon the Collateral in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders. Each Grantor represents, warrants and promises to Agent and each Lender that: (i) such Grantor has rights in and the power to transfer each item of the Collateral upon which it purports to grant a Lien pursuant to this Agreement, free and clear of any and all Liens or claims of others, other than Permitted Liens; (ii) the security interests granted pursuant to this Agreement, upon completion of the filings and other actions listed on Disclosure Schedule (6.1) (which, in the case of all filings and other documents referred to in said Schedule, have been delivered to the Agent in duly executed form) and the filing of UCC-1 financing statements with respect to the Collateral, will constitute valid perfected security interests in all of the Collateral in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders as security for the prompt and complete payment and performance of the Obligations, enforceable in accordance with the terms hereof against any and all creditors of and purchasers from any Grantor and such security interests are prior to all other Liens on the Collateral in existence on the date hereof except for Permitted Liens that have priority by operation of law; and (iii) no effective security agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, financing statement, equivalent security or Lien instrument or continuation statement covering all or any part of the Collateral is or will be on file or of record in any public office, except those relating to Permitted Liens. Each Grantor promises to defend the right, title and interest of Agent in and to the Collateral against the claims and demands of all Persons.
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(c) Each Credit Party confirms that value has been given by the Agent to each such Credit Party, that each Credit Party has rights in the Collateral (other than after-acquired property) and that each Credit Party and the Agent have not agreed to postpone the time for attachment of the security interests created by this Agreement to any of the Collateral. The security interests created by this Agreement are intended to attach to: (i) existing Collateral when each Credit Party executes this Agreement, and (ii) Collateral subsequently acquired by each Credit Party immediately upon each such Credit Party acquiring any rights in such Collateral.
6.2 Priority. Each party hereto acknowledges that the liens hereunder granted are second priority liens pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in the Intercreditor Agreement.
6.3 Agent’s Appointment as Attorney-in-fact. As contemplated hereby, each Grantor shall execute and deliver a Power of Attorney in the form attached as Exhibit D. The power of attorney granted pursuant to the Power of Attorney and all powers granted under any Loan Document are powers coupled with an interest and shall be irrevocable until the Termination Date. The powers conferred on Agent under each Power of Attorney are solely to protect Agent’s interests in the Collateral and shall not impose any duty upon it to exercise any such powers. Agent agrees not to exercise any power or authority granted under the Power of Attorney unless a Remedies Event has occurred. Each Grantor also hereby (i) authorizes Agent to file any financing statements, continuation statements or amendments thereto that (x) cover the Collateral, and (y) contain any other information required by Part 5 of Article 9 of the Code for the sufficiency or filing office acceptance of any financing statement, continuation statement or amendment and (ii) ratifies its authorization for Agent to have filed any such financing statements, if filed prior to the date hereof. Each Grantor acknowledges that, until the Obligations have been repaid in full, it is not authorized to file any financing statement or amendment or termination statement with respect to any such financing statement without the prior written consent of Agent and agrees that it will not do so without the prior written consent of Agent, subject to such Grantor’s rights under Section 9-509(d)(2) of the Code.
6.4 Grant of License to Use Intellectual Property Collateral. Solely for the purpose of enabling Agent to exercise rights and remedies under Section 7.2 hereof for the benefit of the Lenders (including, without limiting the terms of Section 7.2 hereof, in order to take possession of, hold, preserve, process, assemble, prepare for sale, market for sale, sell or otherwise dispose of Collateral) following a Remedies Event, each Grantor hereby grants to Agent an irrevocable, non-exclusive license (exercisable following a Remedies Event without payment of royalty or other compensation to such Grantor) to use, transfer, license or sublicense any Intellectual Property relating to any of the Collateral now owned, licensed to, or hereafter acquired by such Grantor, and wherever the same may be located, and including in such license access to all media in which any of the licensed items may be recorded or stored and to all computer software and programs used for the compilation or printout thereof, and represents, promises and agrees that any such license or sublicense is not and will not be in conflict with the contractual or commercial rights of any third Person; provided, that such license will terminate on the Termination Date.
6.5 Commercial Tort Claims. As of the date hereof, each Credit Party hereby represents and warrants that it holds no commercial tort claims other than those listed in Schedule 13 to the Perfection Certificate. If any Credit Party shall at any time hold or acquire a commercial tort claim, such Credit Party shall immediately notify Agent in writing signed by such Credit Party of the brief details thereof and grant to Agent in such writing a security interest therein and in the Proceeds thereof, all upon the terms of this Agreement, with such writing to be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent. The requirement in the preceding sentence shall not apply to the extent that the amount of such commercial tort claim, together with the amount of all other commercial tort claims held by any Credit Party in which Agent does not have a security interest, does not exceed $500,000 in the aggregate for all Credit Parties.
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6.6 Duties of Agent. Agent’s sole duty with respect to the custody, safekeeping and physical preservation of the Collateral in its possession shall be to deal with it in the same manner as Agent deals with similar property for its own account. The powers conferred on Agent hereunder are solely to protect Agent’s interest in the Collateral and shall not impose any duty upon Agent to exercise any such powers. Agent shall be accountable only for amounts that it receives as a result of the exercise of such powers, and neither it nor any of its Related Persons shall be responsible to any Grantor for any act or failure to act hereunder, except for their own gross negligence or willful misconduct as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. In addition, Agent shall not be liable or responsible for any loss or damage to any Collateral, or for any diminution in the value thereof, by reason of the act or omission of any warehousemen, carrier, forwarding agency, consignee or other bailee if such Person has been selected by Agent in good faith.
7. EVENTS OF DEFAULT: RIGHTS AND REMEDIES
7.1 Events of Default. The occurrence of any one or more of the following events (regardless of the reason therefor) shall constitute an “Event of Default” hereunder which shall be deemed to be continuing until waived in writing by Agent in accordance with Section 9.3 or cured in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement (provided that, before the Trigger Date, the following Events of Default shall be inapplicable, other than the Key Events of Default):
(a) Borrower shall fail to pay the principal in respect of the Loan when due and payable or declared due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof; or the Borrower shall fail to pay interest in respect of the Loan within three (3) Business Days after such interest becomes due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof; or Borrower shall fail to pay any other Obligations within five (5) Business Days after any such other Obligation becomes due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof or any other Loan Document; or
(b) any Key representation or warranty in this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or in any written statement pursuant hereto or thereto, or in any report, financial statement or certificate made or delivered to Agent by any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall be untrue or incorrect in any material respect as of the date when made or deemed made, regardless of whether such breach involves a representation or warranty with respect to a Credit Party that has not signed this Agreement; or
(c) any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall fail or neglect to perform, keep or observe any Key covenant contained in Section 3.1(a)(i)(A), Section 3.16, Section 3.21, Section 3.22, Section 3.23, Section 3.36, Section 4.1, Section 4.3, each subsection of Section 5, and each subsection of Section 6 of this Agreement; or
(d) any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall fail or neglect to perform, keep or observe any Key covenant contained in Section 3.28 of this Agreement, and such failure or neglect shall continue unremedied for a period of five (5) Business Days; or
(e) any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall fail or neglect to perform, keep or observe any Key covenant contained in this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents (other than as specified in paragraphs (a) through (d) above), and such failure or neglect shall continue unremedied for a period of thirty (30) days; or
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(f) an event of default shall occur under any Contractual Obligation (other than the EICF Loan Agreement and the “Loan Documents” (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement), which shall be subject to clause (q) below) of any Borrower or any other Credit Party (other than this Agreement and the other Loan Documents), and such event of default (i) involves the failure to make any payment (whether or not such payment is blocked pursuant to the terms of an intercreditor agreement or otherwise), whether of principal, interest or otherwise, and whether due by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand or otherwise and such failure continues after the applicable grace or notice period, if any, specified in the document relating thereto, in respect of any Indebtedness (other than the Obligations) of such Person in an aggregate original principal amount exceeding $550,000, or (ii) causes (or permits any holder of such Indebtedness or a trustee to cause) such Indebtedness, or a portion thereof, in an aggregate original principal amount exceeding $550,000 to become due prior to its stated maturity or prior to its regularly scheduled date of payment; or
(g) there shall be commenced against any Borrower or any other Credit Party any Litigation seeking issuance of a warrant of attachment, execution, distraint or similar process against all or any substantial part of its assets that results in the entry of an order for any such relief that remains unstayed, undismissed or unbonded for sixty (60) consecutive days; or any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall have concealed, removed or permitted to be concealed or removed, any part of its property with intent to hinder, delay or defraud any of its creditors or made or suffered a transfer of any of its property or the incurring of an obligation that may be fraudulent under any bankruptcy, fraudulent transfer or other similar law; or
(h) a case or proceeding shall have been commenced involuntarily against any Borrower or any other Credit Party in a court having competent jurisdiction seeking a decree or order: (i) under the United States Bankruptcy Code or any other applicable Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy or other similar law, and seeking either (x) the appointment of a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) for such Person or of any substantial part of its properties, or (y) the reorganization or winding up or liquidation of the affairs of any such Person, and such case or proceeding shall remain undismissed, unstayed or unbonded for sixty (60) consecutive days or such court shall enter a decree or order granting the relief sought in such case or proceeding; or (ii) invalidating or denying any Person’s right, power, or competence to enter into or perform any of its obligations under any Loan Document or invalidating or denying the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any action taken hereunder or thereunder; or
(i) any Borrower or any other Credit Party shall (i) commence any case, proceeding or other action under any existing or future law of any jurisdiction, domestic or foreign, relating to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, conservatorship or relief of debtors, seeking to have an order for relief entered with respect to it or seeking appointment of a custodian, receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) for it or any substantial part of its properties, (ii) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, (iii) consent to or take any action in furtherance of, or, indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any of the acts set forth Section 7.1(h) or clause (i) or (ii) of this Section 7.1(i), or (iv) shall admit in writing its inability to, or shall be generally unable to, pay its debts as such debts become due; or
(j) a final judgment or judgments for the payment of money in excess of $550,000 in the aggregate shall be rendered against any Borrower or any other Credit Party, unless the same shall be (i) fully covered by insurance and the issuer(s) of the applicable policies have not disclaimed coverage, or (ii) vacated, stayed, bonded, paid or discharged within a period of thirty (30) days from the date of such judgment; or
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(k) any provision of any Loan Document shall for any reason cease to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms, or any Lien granted, or intended by the Loan Documents to be granted, to Agent for the benefit of the Lenders shall cease to be a valid and perfected Lien having the first priority (or a lesser priority if expressly permitted in the Loan Documents) in any of the Collateral (or any Credit Party shall so assert any of the foregoing); or
(l) a Change of Control shall have occurred with respect to any Credit Party; or
(m) an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred and are then continuing, would reasonably be expected to have Material Adverse Effect; or
(n) any event occurs, whether or not insured or insurable, as a result of which revenue-producing activities cease or are substantially curtailed with respect to any property or facilities of the Credit Parties generating more than fifty percent (50%) of Borrower’s consolidated revenue for the Fiscal Year preceding such event and such cessation or curtailment continues for more than thirty (30) days; or
(o) an event of default shall occur under any other Loan Document; or
(p) if the obligation of any Guarantor under its Guarantee or under any of the Loan Documents is limited or terminated by operation of law or by such Guarantor (other than in accordance with the terms of this Agreement); or
(q) an “Event of Default” under and as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement (other than any that has occurred and is continuing on the date hereof, for so long as the lenders under the EICF Loan Agreement are forbearing from exercising remedies against the Collateral (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement) in respect thereof) has occurred and the “Required Lenders” thereunder have elected to accelerate the loans thereunder or otherwise exercise remedies against the Collateral (as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement); or
(r) any Merger Agreement Termination Event has occurred and, except in the case of any such event resulting from acceptance of a Superior Proposal, sixty (60) days have passed since such occurrence.
7.2 Remedies.
(a) If any Merger Agreement Termination Event shall have occurred (and, except for those triggered by a person not a party to the Merger Agreement or affiliated with Shell Parent having made a Superior Proposal, such event shall be continuing for a period in excess of sixty (60) consecutive days), Agent may, and at the direction of Required Lenders, shall, take any one or more of the following actions: (i) by notice to Borrower declare all or any portion of the Obligations to be forthwith due and payable, whereupon such Obligations shall become and be due and payable; or (ii) exercise any rights and remedies provided to Agent for the benefit of the Lenders under the Loan Documents or at law or equity, including all remedies provided under the Code; provided, that upon the occurrence of any Event of Default described in Section 7.1(h)(i) or 7.1(i), the Obligations shall become immediately due and payable (and any obligation of the Lenders to make the Loan, if not previously terminated, shall immediately be terminated) without declaration, notice or demand by Agent.
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(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Grantor expressly agrees that upon the occurrence of any Merger Agreement Termination Event (which, except for those triggered by a person not a party to the Merger Agreement or affiliated with Shell Parent having made a Superior Proposal, shall be continuing for a period in excess of sixty (60) consecutive days) or Event of Default described in Section 7.1(h)(i) or 7.1(i) (each, a “Remedies Event”), Agent may collect, receive, assemble, appropriate and realize upon the Collateral, or any part thereof, and may forthwith sell, lease, assign, give an option or options to purchase or otherwise dispose of and deliver said Collateral (or contract to do so), or any part thereof, in one or more parcels at public or private sale or sales, at any exchange at such prices as it may deem best, for cash or on credit or for future delivery without assumption of any credit risk. Agent shall have the right upon any such public sale, to the extent permitted by law, to purchase for the benefit of the Lenders the whole or any part of said Collateral so sold, free of any right of equity of redemption, which right each Grantor hereby releases. Such sales may be adjourned, or continued from time to time with or without notice. Agent shall have the right to conduct such sales on any Grantor’s premises or elsewhere and shall have the right to use any Grantor’s premises without rent or other charge for such sales or other action with respect to the Collateral for such time as Agent deems necessary or advisable.
(c) Upon any Remedies Event and at Agent’s request, Borrower and each other Grantor further agrees, to assemble the Collateral and make it available to Agent at places that Agent shall reasonably select, whether at its premises or elsewhere. Following a Remedies Event, until Agent is able to effect a sale, lease, or other disposition of the Collateral, Agent shall have the right to complete, assemble, use or operate the Collateral or any part thereof, to the extent that Agent deems appropriate, for the purpose of preserving such Collateral or its value or for any other purpose. Agent shall have no obligation to any Grantor to maintain or preserve the rights of any Grantor as against third parties with respect to any Collateral while such Collateral is in the possession of Agent. Following a Remedies Event, Agent may, if it so elects, seek the appointment of a receiver or keeper to take possession of any Collateral and to enforce any of Agent’s or the Lenders’ remedies with respect thereto without prior notice or hearing. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Borrower and each other Grantor waives all claims, damages, and demands against Agent, each Lender, their Affiliates, agents, and the officers and employees of any of them arising out of the repossession, retention or sale of any Collateral except such as are determined in a final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have arisen solely out of the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Person. Borrower and each other Grantor agrees that ten (10) days’ prior notice by Agent to such Grantor of the time and place of any public sale or of the time after which a private sale may take place is reasonable notification of such matters. Borrower and each other Grantor shall remain liable for any deficiency if the proceeds of any sale or disposition of the Collateral are insufficient to pay all amounts to which Agent and each Lender are entitled.
(d) Agent’s and each Lender’s rights and remedies under this Agreement shall be cumulative and nonexclusive of any other rights and remedies that Agent and each Lender may have under any Loan Document or at law or in equity. Recourse to the Collateral shall not be required. All provisions of this Agreement are intended to be subject to all applicable mandatory provisions of law that may be controlling and to be limited, to the extent necessary, so that they do not render this Agreement invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part.
7.3 Waivers by Credit Parties. Except as otherwise provided for in this Agreement and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Borrower and each other Credit Party executing this Agreement waives: (a) presentment, demand and protest, and notice of presentment, dishonor, intent to accelerate, protest, default, nonpayment, maturity, release, compromise, settlement, extension or renewal of any or all Loan Documents; (b) all rights to notice and a hearing prior to Agent’s taking possession or control of, or to Agent’s replevy, attachment or levy upon, any Collateral or any bond or security that might be required by any court prior to allowing Agent or any Lender to exercise any of their remedies; and (c) the benefit of all valuation, appraisal, marshaling and exemption laws. Borrower and each other Credit Party executing this Agreement acknowledges that it has been advised by counsel of its choices and decisions with respect to this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and the transactions evidenced hereby and thereby.
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7.4 Proceeds. The Proceeds of any sale, disposition or other realization upon any Collateral following a Remedies Event shall be applied by Agent upon receipt to the Obligations as set forth in Section 1.8 of this Agreement and after the indefeasible payment and satisfaction in full in cash of all of the Obligations, and after the payment by Agent of any other amount required by any provision of law, including Sections 9-608(a)(1) and 9-615(a)(3) of the Code (but only after Agent has received what Agent considers reasonable proof of a subordinate party’s security interest), the surplus, if any, shall be paid to the applicable Grantor or its representatives or to whomsoever may be lawfully entitled to receive the same, or as a court of competent jurisdiction may direct. In the event that any such Proceeds are insufficient to pay the Obligations in full, the Credit Parties shall remain liable, jointly and severally, for any deficiency.
8. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS
(a) Each Loan Document shall be binding on and shall inure to the benefit of Borrower and each other Credit Party executing such Loan Document, Agent, each Lender, and their respective successors and assigns, except as otherwise provided herein or therein. If more than one party signs this instrument as Borrower, then the term “Borrower” as used herein shall mean all of such parties, jointly and severally. Neither Borrower nor any other Credit Party may assign, transfer, hypothecate, delegate or otherwise convey its rights, benefits, obligations or duties under any Loan Document without the prior express written consent of Agent (at the direction of Required Lenders). Any such purported conveyance by Borrower or such Credit Party without the prior express written consent of Agent shall be void. There shall be no third party beneficiaries of any of the terms and provisions of any of the Loan Documents. Each Lender reserves the right at any time create and sell participations in the Loan and the Loan Documents to any other Person (a “Participant”) without the consent of any Credit Party and, with the prior written consent of Borrower (provided such consent shall (i) following the occurrence of a Merger Agreement Termination Event, not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, (ii) be deemed given if Borrower does not respond to a request for consent within five (5) Business Days from the date of such request, (iii) not be required in the case of an assignment to another Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund and (iv) following the occurrence of a Merger Agreement Termination Event, shall not be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing) to sell, transfer or assign any or all of its rights in the Loan and under the Loan Documents to any other Person (an “Assignee”). Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary contained herein, no consent is required for any assignment by Agent or any Lender, in the event that any person (such person, a “New Buyer”) not a party to the Merger Agreement or affiliated with Shell Parent has made a Superior Proposal that has been accepted by Parent in accordance with Section 9.1(d) of the Merger Agreement, for an assignment to New Buyer or an affiliate thereof. Any such sale, transfer or assignment shall be effected by a written assignment agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit J attached hereto (an “Assignment Agreement”) delivered by such Assignee to Agent and such Assignee shall pay to Agent an assignment fee in the amount of $3,500, which shall be paid to the Agent on the effective date of each such Assignment Agreement. Agent shall, acting solely for this purpose as an agent of Borrower, maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment Agreement delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of each Lender and the principal amount of the Term Loan owing to each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and Borrower, Agent 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. Any assignment of the Term Loan shall be effective only upon appropriate entries with respect thereto being made in the Register. The Register shall be available for inspection by Borrower at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person 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. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender 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. For the avoidance of doubt, Agent (in its capacity as Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
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(b) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to Borrower and Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent as will enable Borrower or 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 paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iv) of this Section 8(b)) 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. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that Borrower is a U.S. Borrower:
(i) any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to Borrower and Agent on or about the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of Borrower or Agent), executed copies of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(ii) any Lender that is not a U.S. Person (a “Foreign Lender”) shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or about the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(A) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, executed copies of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(B) executed copies of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(C) in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the IRC, (x) a certificate to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the IRC, a “10 percent shareholder” of Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the IRC, or a “controlled foreign corporation” related to Borrower as described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the IRC (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) executed copies of IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W 8BEN-E; or
(D) to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, executed copies of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W 8BEN-E, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
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(iii) any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to Borrower and Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or about the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of Borrower or Agent), executed copies of 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 Borrower or Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(iv) if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the IRC, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to Borrower and Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the IRC) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by Borrower or Agent as may be necessary for Borrower and Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has 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 clause (iii), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify Borrower and Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
9. AGENT
9.1 Appointment and Duties.
(a) Appointment of Agent. Each Lender hereby appoints EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC (together with any successor Agent pursuant to Section 9.9) as Agent hereunder and authorizes Agent to (i) execute and deliver the Loan Documents and accept delivery thereof on its behalf from any Credit Party, (ii) take such action on its behalf and to exercise all rights, powers and remedies and perform the duties as are expressly delegated to Agent under such Loan Documents and (iii) exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto.
(b) Duties as Collateral and Disbursing Agent. Without limiting the generality of clause (a) above, Agent shall have the sole and exclusive right and authority (to the exclusion of the Lenders), and is hereby authorized, to (i) act as the disbursing and collecting agent for the Lenders with respect to all payments and collections arising in connection with the Loan Documents (including in any proceeding described in Section 7.1(h) or (i) or any other bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding), and each Person making any payment in connection with any Loan Document to any Lender is hereby authorized to make such payment to Agent, (ii) file and prove claims and file other documents necessary or desirable to allow the claims of the Lenders with respect to any Obligation in any proceeding described in Section 7.1(h) or (i) or any other bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding (but not to vote, consent or otherwise act on behalf of such Lender), (iii) act as collateral agent for each Lender for purposes of the perfection of all Liens created by such agreements and all other purposes stated therein, (iv) manage, supervise and otherwise deal with the Collateral, (v) take such other action as is necessary or desirable to maintain the perfection and priority of the Liens created or purported to be created by the Loan Documents, (vi) except as may be otherwise specified in any Loan Document, exercise all remedies given to Agent and the other Lenders with respect to the Collateral, whether under the Loan Documents, applicable Requirements of Law or otherwise and (vii) execute any amendment, consent or waiver under the Loan Documents on behalf of any Lender that has consented in writing to such amendment, consent or waiver; provided, however, that Agent hereby appoints, authorizes and directs each Lender to act as collateral sub-agent for Agent and the Lenders for purposes of the perfection of all Liens with respect to the Collateral, including any deposit account maintained by a Credit Party with, and cash and cash equivalents held by, such Lender, and may further authorize and direct the Lenders to take further actions as collateral sub-agents for purposes of enforcing such Liens or otherwise to transfer the Collateral subject thereto to Agent, and each Lender hereby agrees to take such further actions to the extent, and only to the extent, so authorized and directed.
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(c) Limited Duties. Under the Loan Documents, Agent (i) is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders, with duties that are entirely administrative in nature, notwithstanding the use of the defined term “Agent”, the terms “agent”, “administrative agent” and “collateral agent” and similar terms in any Loan Document to refer to Agent, which terms are used for title purposes only, (ii) is not assuming any obligation under any Loan Document other than as expressly set forth therein or any role as agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender and (iii) shall have no implied functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or other liabilities under any Loan Document, and each Lender hereby waives and agrees not to assert any claim against Agent based on the roles, duties and legal relationships expressly disclaimed in clauses (i) through (iii) above.
9.2 Binding Effect. Each Lender agrees that (i) any action taken by Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if expressly required hereby, a greater proportion of the Lenders) in accordance with the provisions of the Loan Documents, (ii) any action taken by Agent in reliance upon the instructions of Required Lenders (or, where so required, such greater proportion) and (iii) the exercise by Agent or the Required Lenders (or, where so required, such greater proportion) of the powers set forth herein or therein, together with such other powers as are reasonably incidental thereto, shall be authorized and binding upon all of the Lenders.
9.3 Use of Discretion.
(a) No Action without Instructions. Agent shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take, or to omit to take, any action, including with respect to enforcement or collection, except any action it is required to take or omit to take (i) under any Loan Document or (ii) pursuant to instructions from the Required Lenders (or, where expressly required by the terms of this Agreement, a greater proportion of the Lenders).
(b) Right Not to Follow Certain Instructions. Notwithstanding clause (a) above, Agent shall not be required to take, or to omit to take, any action (i) unless, upon demand, Agent receives an indemnification satisfactory to it from the Lenders against all costs, expenses, claims, actions or liabilities that, by reason of such action or omission, may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against Agent or any Related Person thereof or (ii) that is, in the opinion of Agent or its counsel, contrary to any Loan Document or applicable Requirement of Law.
9.4 Delegation of Rights and Duties. Agent may, upon any term or condition it specifies, delegate or exercise any of its rights, powers and remedies under, and delegate or perform any of its duties or any other action with respect to, any Loan Document by or through any trustee, co-agent, employee, attorney-in-fact and any other Person (including any Lender). Any such Person shall benefit from this Section 9 to the extent provided by Agent.
9.5 Reliance and Liability.
(a) Agent may, without incurring any liability hereunder, (i) [reserved] (ii) rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 8(a), (iii) consult with any of its Related Persons and, whether or not selected by it, any other advisors, accountants and other experts (including advisors to, and accountants and experts engaged by, any Credit Party) and (iv) rely and act upon any document and information (including those transmitted by electronic transmission) and any telephone message or conversation, in each case believed by it to be genuine and transmitted, signed or otherwise authenticated by the appropriate parties.
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(b) None of Agent and its Related Persons shall be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by any of them under or in connection with any Loan Document (x) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Section 10.1(b)) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct, and each Lender, Borrower and each other Credit Party to this Agreement hereby waive and shall not assert any right, claim or cause of action based thereon, except to the extent of liabilities resulting primarily from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Agent or, as the case may be, such Related Person (each as determined in a final, non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction) in connection with the duties expressly set forth herein. Without limiting the foregoing, Agent:
(i) shall not be responsible or otherwise incur liability for any action or omission taken in reliance upon the instructions of the Required Lenders or for the actions or omissions of any of its Related Persons selected with reasonable care (other than employees, officers and directors of Agent, when acting on behalf of Agent);
(ii) shall not be responsible to any Lender for the due execution, legality, validity, enforceability, effectiveness, genuineness, sufficiency or value of, or the attachment, perfection or priority of any Lien created or purported to be created under or in connection with, any Loan Document;
(iii) makes no warranty or representation, and shall not be responsible, to any Lender for any statement, document, information, representation or warranty made or furnished by or on behalf of any Related Person or any Credit Party in connection with any Loan Document or any transaction contemplated therein or any other document or information with respect to any Credit Party, whether or not transmitted or (except for documents expressly required under any Loan Document to be transmitted to the Lenders) omitted to be transmitted by Agent, including as to completeness, accuracy, scope or adequacy thereof, or for the scope, nature or results of any due diligence performed by Agent in connection with the Loan Documents; and
(iv) shall not have any duty to ascertain or to inquire as to the performance or observance of any provision of any Loan Document, whether any condition set forth in any Loan Document is satisfied or waived, as to the financial condition of any Credit Party or as to the existence or continuation or possible occurrence or continuation of any Default and shall not be deemed to have notice or knowledge of such occurrence or continuation unless it has received a notice from Borrower or any Lender describing such Default clearly labeled “notice of default” (in which case Agent shall promptly give notice of such receipt to all Lenders);
and, for each of the items set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) above, each Lender and Borrower and each other Credit Party to this Agreement hereby waives and agrees not to assert any right, claim or cause of action it might have against Agent based thereon, except to the extent such right, claim or cause of action arises from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Agent, as determined in a final, non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction.
9.6 Agent Individually. Agent and its Affiliates may make loans and other extensions of credit to, acquire Stock of, engage in any kind of business with, any Credit Party or Affiliate thereof as though it were not acting as Agent and may receive separate fees and other payments therefor. To the extent Agent or any of its Affiliates makes any Loan or otherwise becomes a Lender hereunder, it shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and shall be subject to the same obligations and liabilities as any other Lender and the terms “Lender”, “Required Lender” and any similar terms shall, except where otherwise expressly provided in any Loan Document, include, without limitation, Agent or such Affiliate, as the case may be, in its individual capacity as Lender or as one of the Required Lenders.
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9.7 Intentionally Omitted.
9.8 Expenses; Indemnities.
(a) Each Lender agrees to reimburse Agent and each of its Related Persons (to the extent not reimbursed by any Credit Party) promptly upon demand for such Lender’s pro rata share with respect to the Loan of any costs and expenses (including fees, charges and disbursements of financial, legal and other advisors and taxes paid in the name of, or on behalf of, any Credit Party) that may be incurred by Agent or any of its Related Persons in connection with the administration, modification, consent, waiver or enforcement (whether through negotiations, through any work-out, bankruptcy, restructuring or other legal or other proceeding or otherwise) of, or legal advice in respect of its rights or responsibilities under, any Loan Document.
(b) Each Lender further agrees to indemnify Agent and each of its Related Persons (to the extent not reimbursed by any Credit Party), from and against such Lender’s aggregate pro rata share with respect to the Loan of the costs, expenses, claims and liabilities (including taxes, interests and penalties imposed for not properly withholding or backup withholding on payments made to on or for the account of any Lender) that may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against Agent or any of its Related Persons in any matter relating to or arising out of, in connection with or as a result of any Loan Document, or any other act, event or transaction related, contemplated in or attendant to any such document, or, in each case, any action taken or omitted to be taken by Agent or any of its Related Persons under or with respect to any of the foregoing; provided, however, that no Lender shall be liable to Agent or any of its Related Persons to the extent such liability has resulted primarily from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Agent or, as the case may be, such Related Person, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final non-appealable judgment or order.
9.9 Resignation of Agent.
(a) Agent may resign at any time by delivering notice of such resignation to the Lenders and Borrower, effective on the date set forth in such notice or, if no such date is set forth therein, upon the date such notice shall be effective. If Agent delivers any such notice, the Required Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Agent. If, within forty-five (45) days after the retiring Agent having given notice of resignation, no successor Agent has been appointed by the Required Lenders that has accepted such appointment, then the retiring Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Agent from among the Lenders. Each appointment under this clause (a) shall be subject to the prior consent of Borrower, which may not be unreasonably withheld but shall not be required during the continuance of a Default.
(b) Effective immediately upon its resignation, (i) the retiring Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under the Loan Documents, (ii) the Lenders shall assume and perform all of the duties of Agent until a successor Agent shall have accepted a valid appointment hereunder, (iii) the retiring Agent and its Related Persons shall no longer have the benefit of any provision of any Loan Document other than with respect to any actions taken or omitted to be taken while such retiring Agent was, or because such Agent had been, validly acting as Agent under the Loan Documents and (iv) subject to its rights under Section 9.3, the retiring Agent shall take such action as may be reasonably necessary to assign to the successor Agent its rights as Agent under the Loan Documents. Effective immediately upon its acceptance of a valid appointment as Agent, a successor Agent shall succeed to, and become vested with, all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Agent under the Loan Documents.
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9.10 Release of Collateral. Each Lender hereby consents to the release and hereby directs Agent to release (or, in the case of clause (ii) below, release or subordinate) any Lien held by Agent for the benefit of the Lenders against (i) any Collateral that is sold by a Credit Party in an Asset Sale permitted by the Loan Documents (including pursuant to a valid waiver or consent), (ii) any property subject to a Lien permitted hereunder to secure Purchase Money Obligations, and (iii) all of the Collateral and all Credit Parties, upon the Termination Date. Each Lender hereby directs Agent, and Agent hereby agrees, upon receipt of reasonable advance notice from Borrower, to execute and deliver or file such documents and to perform other actions reasonably necessary to release the Liens when and as directed in this Section 9.10.
10. MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 Complete Agreement; Modification of Agreement.
(a) This Agreement and the other Loan Documents constitute the complete agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, supersede all prior agreements, commitments, understandings or inducements (oral or written, expressed or implied). Borrower and each other Credit Party executing this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall have all duties and obligations under this Agreement and such other Loan Documents from the date of its execution and delivery, regardless of whether the Loan has been funded at that time.
(b) No amendment or waiver of any provision of any Loan Document and no consent to any departure by any Credit Party therefrom shall be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed (1) in the case of an amendment, consent or waiver to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency or granting a new Lien for the benefit of the Lenders or extending an existing Lien over additional property, by Agent and Borrower and any other Credit Party which is a party to such agreement, (2) in the case of any other waiver or consent, by the Required Lenders (or by Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders) and the Credit Parties party hereto, and (3) in the case of any other amendment, by the Required Lenders (or by Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders) and Borrower and any other Credit Party which is a party to such agreement; provided, however, that no amendment, consent or waiver described in clause (2) or (3) above shall, unless in writing and signed by each Lender directly affected thereby (or by Agent with the consent of such Lender), in addition to any other Person the signature of which is otherwise required pursuant to any Loan Document, do any of the following:
(i) waive any condition specified in Section 2.1, except any condition referring to any other provision of any Loan Document;
(ii) increase the Term Loan Commitment of such Lender or subject such Lender to any additional material obligation;
(iii) reduce (including through release, forgiveness, assignment or otherwise) (A) the principal amount of, the interest rate on, or any obligation of Borrower to repay (whether or not on a fixed date), any outstanding Loan owing to such Lender, or (B) any accrued interest payable to such Lender; provided, however, that this clause (iii) does not apply to any change to any provision increasing any interest rate during the continuance of a Default or to any payment of any such increase;
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(iv) waive or postpone any scheduled maturity date or other scheduled date fixed for the payment, in whole or in part, of principal of or interest on any Term Loan owing to such Lender or for the reduction of such Lender’s Term Loan Commitment; provided, however, that this clause (iv) does not apply to the application of any payment, including as set forth in Section 1.8;
(v) except as provided in Section 9.10, release any material portion of the Collateral or any Guarantor from its guarantee of any Obligation of Borrower;
(vi) reduce or increase the proportion of Lenders required for the Lenders (or any subset thereof) to take any action hereunder or change the definition of the term “Required Lenders”; or
(vii) amend Section 10.14 or this Section 10.1;
and provided, further, that (x)(A) any waiver of any payment applied pursuant to Section 1.8 to, and any modification of the application of any such payment to the Term Loan shall require the consent of the Required Lenders, and (B) any change to the definition of the term “Required Lenders” shall require the consent of the Required Lenders, (y) no amendment, waiver or consent shall affect the rights or duties under any Loan Document of, or any payment to, Agent (or otherwise modify any provision of Section 9 or the application thereof) unless in writing and signed by Agent in addition to any signature otherwise required and (z) the consent of Borrower shall not be required to change any order of priority set forth in Section 1.8.
(c) Anything in this Section 9.2 to the contrary notwithstanding, any amendment, modification, waiver, consent, termination, or release of, or with respect to, any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document that relates only to the relationship of the Lenders among themselves, and that does not affect the rights or obligations of Borrower, shall not require consent by or the agreement of Borrower; provided, however, that Agent shall promptly give notice to Borrower of any agreement pursuant to this provision.
(d) Each waiver or consent under any Loan Document shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which it was given. No notice to or demand on any Credit Party shall entitle any Credit Party to any notice or demand in the same, similar or other circumstances. No failure on the part of any Lender to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right.
10.2 Expenses. Following any Trigger Date, Borrower agrees to pay or reimburse Agent (but not any Assignee or Participants) for reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses of all counsel retained in connection therewith), solely to the extent incurred following the occurrence of such Trigger Date in connection with: (a) the performance and enforcement of the Loan Documents and the preservation of any rights thereunder; (b) collection, including deficiency collections; (c) any amendment, waiver or other modification with respect to any Loan Document or advice in connection with the administration of the Loan or the rights thereunder; and (d) any litigation, dispute, suit, proceeding or action (whether instituted by or between any combination of Agent, any Lender, Borrower or any other Person), and an appeal or review thereof, in any way relating to the Collateral, any Loan Document, or any action taken or any other agreements to be executed or delivered in connection therewith, whether as a party, witness or otherwise, provided however, that following any Trigger Date, upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default, Borrower agrees to pay or reimburse Agent (but not any Assignee or Participants) for all additional costs and expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of all counsel, advisors, consultants and auditors retained in connection therewith), incurred following the occurrence of such Trigger Date in connection with any effort (i) to monitor the Loan, (ii) to evaluate, observe or assess Borrower or any other Credit Party or the affairs of such Person, and (iii) to verify, protect, evaluate, assess, appraise, collect, sell, liquidate or otherwise dispose of the Collateral.
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10.3 No Waiver. Neither Agent’s failure, at any time, to require strict performance by Borrower or any other Credit Party of any provision of any Loan Document, nor Agent’s or any Lender’s failure to exercise, nor any delay in exercising, any right, power or privilege hereunder, shall operate as a waiver thereof or waive, affect or diminish any right of Agent or any Lender thereafter to demand strict compliance and performance therewith. No single or partial exercise of any right, power or privilege hereunder shall preclude any other or future exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege. Any suspension or waiver of a Default or other provision under the Loan Documents shall not suspend, waive or affect any other Default or other provision under any Loan Document, and shall not be construed as a bar to any right or remedy that Agent or any Lender would otherwise have had on any future occasion. Except as expressly provided herein, none of the undertakings, indemnities, agreements, warranties, covenants and representations of Borrower or any other Credit Party to Agent or any Lender contained in any Loan Document and no Default by Borrower or any other Credit Party under any Loan Document shall be deemed to have been suspended or waived by Agent or any Lender, unless such waiver or suspension is by an instrument in writing signed by an officer or other authorized employee of Agent or the Lenders, as applicable, and directed to Borrower, specifying such suspension or waiver (and then such waiver shall be effective only to the extent therein expressly set forth), and neither Agent nor any Lender shall, by any act (other than execution of a formal written waiver), delay, omission or otherwise, be deemed to have waived any of its rights or remedies hereunder.
10.4 Severability; Section Titles. Wherever possible, each provision of the Loan Documents shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of any Loan Document shall be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provision or the remaining provisions of such Loan Document. Except as otherwise expressly provided for in the Loan Documents, no termination or cancellation (regardless of cause or procedure) of any financing arrangement under the Loan Documents shall in any way affect or impair the Obligations, duties, covenants, representations and warranties, indemnities, and liabilities of Borrower or any other Credit Party or the rights of Agent or any Lender relating to any unpaid Obligation (due or not due, liquidated, contingent or unliquidated), or any transaction or event occurring prior to such termination, or any transaction or event, the performance of which is not required until after the Maturity Date, all of which shall not terminate or expire, but rather shall survive such termination or cancellation and shall continue in full force and effect until the Termination Date; provided, that all indemnity obligations of the Credit Parties under the Loan Documents shall survive the Termination Date. The Section titles contained in any Loan Document are and shall be without substantive meaning or content of any kind whatsoever and are not a part of the agreement between parties hereto.
10.5 Authorized Signature. Until Agent shall be notified in writing by Borrower or any other Credit Party to the contrary, the signature upon any document or instrument delivered pursuant hereto and believed by Agent or any of Agent’s officers, agents, or employees to be that of an officer of Borrower or such other Credit Party shall bind Borrower and such other Credit Party and be deemed to be the act of Borrower or such other Credit Party affixed pursuant to and in accordance with resolutions duly adopted by Borrower’s or such other Credit Party’s Board of Directors, and Agent shall be entitled to assume the authority of each signature and authority of the Person whose signature it is or appears to be unless the Person acting in reliance thereon shall have actual knowledge to the contrary.
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10.6 Notices. Except as otherwise provided herein, whenever any notice, demand, request or other communication shall or may be given to or served upon any party by any other party, or whenever any party desires to give or serve upon any other party any communication with respect to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, each communication shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been validly served, given or delivered (a) upon the earlier of actual receipt and three (3) Business Days after deposit in the United States Mail, registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, with proper postage prepaid, (b) upon transmission, when sent by telecopy or other similar facsimile transmission (with such telecopy or facsimile promptly confirmed by delivery of a copy by personal delivery or United States Mail as otherwise provided in this Section 10.6), (c) one (1) Business Day after deposit with a reputable overnight courier with all charges prepaid or (d) when hand-delivered, all of which shall be addressed to the party to be notified and sent to the address or facsimile number indicated in Schedule C or to such other address (or facsimile number) as may be substituted by notice given as herein provided. Failure or delay in delivering copies of any such communication to any Person (other than Borrower, any other Credit Party, Agent or any Lender) designated in Schedule C to receive copies shall in no way adversely affect the effectiveness of such communication.
10.7 Counterparts. Any Loan Document may be authenticated in any number of separate counterparts by any one or more of the parties thereto, and all of said counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Any Loan Document may be authenticated by manual signature, facsimile or, if approved in writing by Agent, electronic means, all of which shall be equally valid.
10.8 Time of the Essence. Time is of the essence for performance of the Obligations under the Loan Documents.
10.9 GOVERNING LAW. THE LOAN DOCUMENTS AND THE OBLIGATIONS ARISING UNDER THE LOAN DOCUMENTS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK APPLICABLE TO CONTRACTS MADE AND PERFORMED IN SUCH STATE, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES THEREOF REGARDING CONFLICTS OF LAWS OTHER THAN SECTION 5-1401 OF THE GENERAL OBLIGATION LAWS OF NEW YORK.
10.10 SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL.
(a) AGENT, LENDERS, BORROWER AND EACH OTHER CREDIT PARTY EXECUTING THIS AGREEMENT EACH HEREBY CONSENTS AND AGREES THAT THE STATE OR FEDERAL COURTS LOCATED IN NEW YORK SHALL HAVE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION TO HEAR AND DETERMINE ANY CLAIMS OR DISPUTES BETWEEN BORROWER AND SUCH CREDIT PARTY AND ANY LENDER PERTAINING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS OR TO ANY MATTER ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OF THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS; PROVIDED, THAT THE LENDERS, BORROWER AND EACH CREDIT PARTY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ANY APPEALS FROM THOSE COURTS MAY HAVE TO BE HEARD BY A COURT LOCATED OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK; AND FURTHER PROVIDED, THAT NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE DEEMED OR OPERATE TO PRECLUDE ANY LENDER FROM BRINGING SUIT OR TAKING OTHER LEGAL ACTION IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION TO COLLECT THE OBLIGATIONS, TO REALIZE ON THE COLLATERAL OR ANY OTHER SECURITY FOR THE OBLIGATIONS, OR TO ENFORCE A JUDGMENT OR OTHER COURT ORDER IN FAVOR OF SUCH LENDER. AGENT, LENDERS, BORROWER AND EACH OTHER CREDIT PARTY EXECUTING THIS AGREEMENT EACH EXPRESSLY SUBMITS AND CONSENTS IN ADVANCE TO SUCH JURISDICTION IN ANY ACTION OR SUIT COMMENCED IN ANY SUCH COURT, AND BORROWER AND SUCH CREDIT PARTY HEREBY WAIVE ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY HAVE BASED UPON LACK OF PERSONAL JURISDICTION, IMPROPER VENUE OR FORUM NON CONVENIENS. AGENT, LENDERS, BORROWER AND EACH OTHER CREDIT PARTY EXECUTING THIS AGREEMENT EACH HEREBY WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF THE SUMMONS, COMPLAINT AND OTHER PROCESS ISSUED IN ANY SUCH ACTION OR SUIT AND AGREES THAT SERVICE OF SUCH SUMMONS, COMPLAINT AND OTHER PROCESS MAY BE MADE BY REGISTERED OR CERTIFIED MAIL ADDRESSED TO AGENT, SUCH LENDER, BORROWER OR SUCH CREDIT PARTY AT THE ADDRESS SET FORTH IN SCHEDULE C OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THAT SERVICE SO MADE SHALL BE DEEMED COMPLETED UPON THE EARLIER OF AGENT, SUCH LENDER, BORROWER’S OR SUCH CREDIT PARTY’S ACTUAL RECEIPT THEREOF OR THREE (3) DAYS AFTER DEPOSIT IN THE UNITED STATES MAIL, PROPER POSTAGE PREPAID.
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(b) THE PARTIES HERETO WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT TO RESOLVE ANY DISPUTE, WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE BETWEEN ANY LENDER, BORROWER AND ANY CREDIT PARTY ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH, RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO THE RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THEM IN CONNECTION WITH THE LOAN DOCUMENTS OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATED THERETO.
10.11 Press Releases. Neither any Credit Party nor any of its Affiliates will in the future issue any press release or other public disclosure using the name of Energy Impact Credit Fund I LP or Shell Parent or any of their respective Affiliates without at least two (2) Business Days’ prior notice to Agent and without the prior written consent of Agent unless (and only to the extent that) such Credit Party or Affiliate is required to do so under law and then, in any event, such Credit Party or Affiliate will consult with Agent before issuing such press release or other public disclosure; provided that for purposes of this Section 10.11 only (and then only with respect to any Credit Party and not, for the avoidance of doubt, with respect to any other Person referenced in this Section 10.11), the term “Affiliate” shall refer to any Person that, directly or indirectly, owns or controls, whether beneficially, or as trustee, guardian or other fiduciary, twenty percent (20%) or more of Stock having ordinary voting power for the election of directors of any Credit Party or (ii) each other Person that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such Credit Party or any Affiliate of such Credit Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.11, any Credit Party, Agent, Lender or any Affiliate of Agent or Lender may make such public disclosures with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents in connection with all regular and periodic reports (including without limitation any Form 8-Ks) and all registration statements and prospectuses, if any, filed by any Credit Party with any securities exchange or with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any governmental or private regulatory authority. The Borrower hereby authorizes Agent to disclose Agent’s participation in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents in its marketing, sales materials, printed media, tombstones or web-based material.
10.12 Reinstatement. This Agreement shall continue to be effective, or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment of all or any part of the Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be returned or restored by Agent or the Lenders upon the insolvency, bankruptcy, dissolution, liquidation or reorganization of Borrower or any other Credit Party, or otherwise, all as though such payments had not been made.
10.13 USA PATRIOT Act Notice and Customer Verification. Each Lender that is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act and the Agent (for itself and not on behalf of such Lender) hereby notify Borrower that pursuant to the “know your customer” regulations and the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act, they are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Credit Party, which information includes the name, address and tax identification number (and other identifying information in the event this information is insufficient to complete verification) that will allow such Lender or Agent, as applicable, to verify the identity of each Credit Party. This information must be delivered to such Lender and Agent no later than five days prior to the Closing Date and thereafter promptly upon request. This notice is given in accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act and is effective as to the Lenders and the Agent.
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10.14 Sharing of Payments, Etc. If any Lender, directly or through an Affiliate or branch office thereof, obtains any payment of any Obligation of any Credit Party (whether voluntary, involuntary or through the exercise of any right of setoff or the receipt of any Collateral or “proceeds” (as defined under the Code) of Collateral) other than pursuant to Section 1.14 and such payment exceeds the amount such Lender would have been entitled to receive if all payments had gone to, and been distributed by, Agent in accordance with the provisions of the Loan Documents, such Lender shall purchase for cash from other Lenders such participations in their Obligations as necessary for such Lender to share such excess payment with such Lenders to ensure such payment is applied as though it had been received by Agent and applied in accordance with this Agreement (or, if such application would then be at the discretion of Borrower, applied to repay the Obligations in accordance herewith); provided, however, that (a) if such payment is rescinded or otherwise recovered from such Lender in whole or in part, such purchase shall be rescinded and the purchase price therefor shall be returned to such Lender without interest and (b) such Lender shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Requirements of Law, be able to exercise all its rights of payment (including the right of setoff) with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were the direct creditor of Borrower in the amount of such participation.
10.15 Intentionally Omitted.
10.16 Confidentiality Agreements. With respect to any confidentiality agreements between the Parties, notwithstanding any requirements or obligations of Agent to destroy or return documentation or proprietary information related to Credit Parties, Agent will retain copies of any such documentation or information necessary to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940 or other applicable laws.
11. GUARANTEE
11.1 The Guarantee. The Guarantors hereby jointly and severally guarantee, as a primary obligor and not as a surety to Agent and the Lenders and their respective successors and assigns, the prompt payment in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by required prepayment, declaration, demand, by acceleration or otherwise) of the principal of and interest on (including any interest, fees, costs or charges that would accrue but for the provisions of the Title 11 of the United States Code after any bankruptcy or insolvency petition under Title 11 of the United States Code whether or not any such interest, fees, costs or charges are allowed in any proceeding thereunder) the Loan made by the Lenders to Borrower, and all other Obligations from time to time owing to Agent and the Lenders by any Credit Party under any Loan Document (such obligations being herein collectively called the “Guaranteed Obligations”). The Guarantors hereby jointly and severally agree that if Borrower or other Guarantor(s) shall fail to pay in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the Guarantors will promptly pay the same in cash, without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
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11.2 Obligations Unconditional. The obligations of the Guarantors under Section 11.1 shall constitute a guarantee of payment and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Requirements of Law, are absolute, irrevocable and unconditional, joint and several, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of the Guaranteed Obligations of Borrower under this Agreement or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein, or any substitution, release or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations, and, irrespective of any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or Guarantor (except for payment in full). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, it is agreed that the occurrence of any one or more of the following shall not alter or impair the liability of the Guarantors hereunder which shall remain absolute, irrevocable and unconditional under any and all circumstances as described above:
(a) at any time or from time to time, without notice to the Guarantors, the time for any performance of or compliance with any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be extended, or such performance or compliance shall be waived;
(b) any of the acts mentioned in any of the provisions of this Agreement or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein shall be done or omitted;
(c) the maturity of any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be accelerated, or any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall be amended in any respect, or any right under the Loan Documents or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein shall be amended or waived in any respect or any other guarantee of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or any security therefor shall be released or exchanged in whole or in part or otherwise dealt with;
(d) any Lien or security interest granted to, or in favor of any Lender or Agent as security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations shall fail to be perfected; or
(e) the release of any other Guarantor pursuant to Section 11.9.
The Guarantors hereby expressly waive diligence, presentment, demand of payment, protest and all notices whatsoever, and any requirement that Agent or any Lender exhaust any right, power or remedy or proceed against Borrower under this Agreement or any other agreement or instrument referred to herein or therein, or against any other person under any other guarantee of, or security for, any of the Guaranteed Obligations. The Guarantors waive any and all notice of the creation, renewal, extension, waiver, termination or accrual of any of the Guaranteed Obligations and notice of or proof of reliance by Agent or any Lender upon this Guarantee or acceptance of this Guarantee, and the Guaranteed Obligations, and any of them, shall conclusively be deemed to have been created, contracted or incurred in reliance upon this Guarantee, and all dealings between Borrower and Agent or any Lender shall likewise be conclusively presumed to have been had or consummated in reliance upon this Guarantee. This Guarantee shall be construed as a continuing, absolute, irrevocable and unconditional guarantee of payment without regard to any right of offset with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations at any time or from time to time held by Agent or any Lender, and the obligations and liabilities of the Guarantors hereunder shall not be conditioned or contingent upon the pursuit by Agent or any Lender or any other person at any time of any right or remedy against Borrower or against any other person which may be or become liable in respect of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or against any collateral security or guarantee therefor or right of offset with respect thereto. This Guarantee shall remain in full force and effect and be binding in accordance with and to the extent of its terms upon the Guarantors and the successors and assigns thereof, and shall inure to the benefit of Agent and the Lenders, and their respective successors and assigns.
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11.3 Reinstatement. The obligations of the Guarantors under this Article XI shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of Borrower or other Credit Party in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise.
11.4 Subrogation; Subordination. Each Guarantor hereby agrees that until the indefeasible payment and satisfaction in full in cash of all Guaranteed Obligations it shall waive any claim and shall not exercise any right or remedy, direct or indirect, arising by reason of any performance by it of its guarantee in Section 11.1, whether by subrogation or otherwise, against Borrower or any Guarantor of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or any security for any of the Guaranteed Obligations. Any Indebtedness of any Credit Party permitted pursuant to Section 5.1(d) shall be subordinated to such Credit Party’s Obligations in the manner set forth in the intercompany note, if any, evidencing such Indebtedness.
11.5 Remedies. The Guarantors jointly and severally agree that, as between the Guarantors and the Lenders, the obligations of Borrower under this Agreement may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as provided in Section 7.2 (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances provided in Section 7.2) for purposes of Section 11.1, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or such obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against Borrower and that, in the event of such declaration (or such obligations being deemed to have become automatically due and payable), such obligations (whether or not due and payable by Borrower) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Guarantors for purposes of Section 11.1.
11.6 Instrument for the Payment of Money. Each Guarantor hereby acknowledges that the guarantee in this Article 9 constitutes an instrument for the payment of money, and consents and agrees that any Lender or Agent, at its sole option, in the event of a dispute by such Guarantor in the payment of any moneys due hereunder, shall have the right to bring a motion-action under New York CPLR Section 3213.
11.7 Continuing Guarantee. The guarantee in this Article 9 is a continuing guarantee of payment, and shall apply to all Guaranteed Obligations whenever arising.
11.8 General Limitation on Guarantee Obligations. In any action or proceeding involving any state corporate limited partnership or limited liability company law, or any applicable state, federal or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other law affecting the rights of creditors generally, if the obligations of any Guarantor under Section 11.1 would otherwise be held or determined to be void, voidable, invalid or unenforceable, or subordinated to the claims of any other creditors, on account of the amount of its liability under Section 11.1, then, notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, the amount of such liability shall, without any further action by such Guarantor, any Credit Party or any other person, be automatically limited and reduced to the highest amount (after giving effect to the right of contribution established in Section 11.10) that is valid and enforceable and not subordinated to the claims of other creditors as determined in such action or proceeding.
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11.9 Release of Guarantors. If, in compliance with the terms and provisions of the Loan Documents, all or substantially all of the Equity Interests of any Guarantor are sold or otherwise transferred (a “Transferred Guarantor”) to a Person or Persons, none of which is Borrower or a Subsidiary, such Transferred Guarantor shall, upon the consummation of such sale or transfer, be automatically released from its obligations under this Agreement (including under Section 10.2 hereof) and its obligations to pledge and grant any Collateral owned by it pursuant to any Loan Document and the pledge of such Equity Interests to Agent pursuant to the Loan Documents shall be automatically released, and, so long as Borrower shall have provided Agent such certifications or documents as Agent shall reasonably request, Agent shall take such actions as are necessary to effect each release described in this Section 11.9 in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Loan Documents, so long as Borrower shall have provided Agent such certifications or documents as Agent shall reasonably request in order to demonstrate compliance with this Agreement.
11.10 Right of Contribution. Each Guarantor hereby agrees that to the extent that a Guarantor shall have paid more than its proportionate share of any payment made hereunder, such Guarantor shall be entitled to seek and receive contribution from and against any other Guarantor hereunder which has not paid its proportionate share of such payment. Each Guarantor’s right of contribution shall be subject to the terms and conditions of Section 11.4. The provisions of this Section 11.10 shall in no respect limit the obligations and liabilities of any Guarantor to Agent and the Lenders, and each Guarantor shall remain liable to Agent and the Lenders for the full amount guaranteed by such Guarantor hereunder.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank, Next Page is Signature Page]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement has been duly executed as of the date first written above.
VOLTA CHARGING, LLC, as Borrower and Grantor | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Michelle Kley | |||
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |||
VOLTA INC., as Borrower and Grantor | |||
By | /s/ Vince Cubbage | ||
Vince Cubbage | |||
Interim Chief Executive Officer | |||
VOLTA MEDIA LLC, as Borrower and Grantor | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Michelle Kley | |||
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |||
VOLTA CHARGING SERVICES LLC, as | |||
Borrower and Grantor | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Michelle Kley | |||
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |||
VOLTA CHARGING INDUSTRIES, LLC, as Guarantor and Grantor | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Michelle Kley | |||
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |||
EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC, as Agent and as Lender | |||
By | /s/ Barbara Stoyko | ||
Name: | Barbara Stoyko | ||
Title: | Vice President - Mobility |
SIGNATURE PAGE
TERM LOAN, GUARANTEE AND SECURITY AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE A
DEFINITIONS
Capitalized terms used in this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall have (unless otherwise provided elsewhere in this Agreement or in the other Loan Documents) the following respective meanings:
“Accounts” means, as at any date of determination, all “accounts” (as such term is defined in the Code) of the Credit Parties, including, without limitation, the unpaid portion of the obligation of a customer of a Credit Party in respect of Inventory purchased by and shipped to such customer and/or the rendition of services by a Credit Party, as stated on the respective invoice of a Credit Party, net of any credits, rebates or offsets owed to such customer.
“Act” means the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended and in effect from time to time, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Affected Lender” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.14(a).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person: (i) each other Person that, directly or indirectly, owns or controls, whether beneficially, or as a trustee, guardian or other fiduciary, ten percent (10%) or more of the Stock having ordinary voting power for the election of directors of such Person or (ii) each other Person that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with such Person or any Affiliate of such Person. For the purpose of this definition, “control” of a Person shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of its management or policies, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“Agent” means the Person identified as such in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Agreement” means this Agreement including all appendices, exhibits or schedules attached or otherwise identified thereto, restatements and modifications and supplements thereto, and any appendices, exhibits or schedules to any of the foregoing, each as in effect at the time such reference becomes operative; provided, that except as specifically set forth in this Agreement, any reference to the Disclosure Schedules to this Agreement shall be deemed a reference to the Disclosure Schedules as in effect on the Closing Date or in a written amendment thereto delivered by Borrower to Agent.
“Anti-Money Laundering Laws” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Anti-Money Laundering Measures” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Anti-Terrorism Laws” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Approved Fund” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
SCHEDULE A - 1
“Asset Sale” shall mean (a) any conveyance, sale, lease, sublease, assignment, transfer or other disposition (including by way of merger, amalgamation or consolidation and including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Credit Party, excluding sales of inventory and dispositions of cash and Cash Equivalents in the ordinary course of business in an aggregate outstanding amount not to exceed $275,000 in any Fiscal Year and $1,100,000 in the aggregate over the term of this Agreement, and (b) any issuance or sale of any Equity Interests of any Credit Party, in each case, to any Person other than (i) Borrower, (ii) any Guarantor or (iii) other than for purposes of Section 5.4, any other Subsidiary.
“Assignee” has the meaning given to such term in Section 8(a).
“Assignment Agreement” has the meaning given to such term in Section 8(a).
“ATM Transaction” means any issuance by the Parent of shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $150,000,000, as contemplated by that certain Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement, dated September 26, 2022, by and between the Parent and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
“Attributable Indebtedness” shall mean, when used with respect to any sale and leaseback transaction, as at the time of determination, the present value (discounted at a rate equivalent to the applicable Borrower’s then-current weighted average cost of funds for borrowed money as at the time of determination, compounded on a semi-annual basis) of the total obligations of the lessee for rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in any such sale and leaseback transaction.
“Board of Directors” means, with respect to any Person, (i) in the case of any corporation or unlimited liability corporation, the board of directors of such Person, (ii) in the case of any limited liability company, the board of managers of such Person, (iii) in the case of any partnership, the board of directors or the board of managers, as applicable, of the general partner of such Person and (iv) in any other case, the functional equivalent of the foregoing.
“Books and Records” means all books, records, board minutes, contracts, licenses, insurance policies, environmental audits, business plans, files, computer files, computer discs and other data and software storage and media devices, accounting books and records, financial statements (actual and pro forma), filings with Governmental Authorities and any and all records and instruments relating to the Collateral or each Grantor’s business.
“Borrower” means the Persons identified as such in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Brookfield Master Sale Agreement” means that certain Master Electric Vehicle Charging Station Sale and License Agreement, dated as of November 19, 2018, by and between Volta Charging Services LLC and GGPLP REIT Services, LLC, together with any and all related purchase and license addendums, as the same may be amended or modified in accordance with the terms of Section 5.9.
“BSA” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
SCHEDULE A - 2
“Budget” means a budget of Borrower, in form and substance satisfactory to Agent, depicting on a 12-week basis receipts (on a cumulative basis) and disbursements for the next 12 weeks of Borrower, broken down by week, including the anticipated uses of the proceeds of any Loan for each week during such period. The initial Budget commencing on the Closing Date is attached hereto as Exhibit B (and the Agent confirms it is in form and substance satisfactory to it). The Budget shall be refreshed by the Borrowers no less frequently than every 4 calendar weeks.
“Business Day” means any day that is not a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banks are required or permitted to be closed in the State of New York.
“Business Loan Agreement” means that certain Business Loan Agreement, dated April 27, 2020, by and between Parent and Continental Bank
“Capital Lease” means, with respect to any Person, any lease of any property (whether real, personal or mixed) by such Person as lessee that, in accordance with GAAP, either would be required to be classified and accounted for as a capital lease on a balance sheet of such Person or otherwise would be disclosed as such in a note to such balance sheet, other than, in the case of Borrower, any such lease under which Borrower is the lessor.
“Capital Lease Obligation” means, of any Person, the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as Capital Leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.
“Cash Balance” means, as of any date of determination, the balance of unrestricted cash of Credit Parties on such date that is (x) not subject to any Lien other than a Lien in favor of Agent, and (y) held in Deposit Accounts over which Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent) has a first priority perfected Lien by virtue of “control” (as defined in the UCC) of such accounts for its benefit. For the avoidance of doubt, no proceeds of the PPP Loan shall be included in the calculation of Cash Balance.
“Cash Equivalents” means (a) any readily-marketable securities (i) issued by, or directly, unconditionally and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States federal government or (ii) issued by any agency of the United States federal government the obligations of which are fully backed by the full faith and credit of the United States federal government, (b) any readily- marketable direct obligations issued by any other agency of the United States federal government, any state of the United States or any political subdivision of any such state or any public instrumentality thereof, in each case having a rating of at least “A-1” from S&P or at least “P-1” from Moody’s, (c) any commercial paper rated at least “A-1” by S&P or “P-1” by Moody’s and issued by any Person organized under the laws of any state of the United States, (d) any Dollar-denominated time deposit, insured certificate of deposit, overnight bank deposit or bankers’ acceptance issued or accepted by (i) any Lender or (ii) any commercial bank that is (A) organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (B) “adequately capitalized” (as defined in the regulations of its primary federal banking regulators) and (C) has Tier 1 capital (as defined in such regulations) in excess of $250,000,000 and (e) shares of any United States money market fund that (i) has substantially all of its assets invested continuously in the types of investments referred to in clause (a), (b), (c) or (d) above with maturities as set forth in the proviso below, (ii) has net assets in excess of $500,000,000 and (iii) has obtained from either S&P or Moody’s the highest rating obtainable for money market funds in the United States; provided, however, that the maturities of all obligations specified in any of clauses (a), (b), (c) or (d) above shall not exceed 365 days.
SCHEDULE A - 3
“Cash Management System” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.26(a).
“Change of Control” means any of (a) Parent ceasing to own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the capital stock of each Borrower, (b) a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of any Credit Party, (c) (i) at any time prior to the consummation of the De-SPAC Transaction, a consolidation, merger, amalgamation, acquisition, sale of all or substantially all of the stock or assets of any Credit Party, exclusive license of all or substantially all of any Credit Party’s owned intellectual property rights, a sale of voting control or any other corporate reorganization in which the capital stock of any Credit Party immediately prior to such consolidation, merger, amalgamation or reorganization represents less than 50% of the voting power of the surviving entity (or if the surviving entity is a wholly owned subsidiary, its parent) immediately after such consolidation, merger, amalgamation or reorganization or the entity acquiring such Credit Party’s assets or the exclusive license to such Credit Party’s owned intellectual property rights; provided, for the avoidance of doubt, none of a Qualified IPO, the De-SPAC First Merger and the De-SPAC Second Merger shall constitute a Change in Control, (ii) at any time after consummation of the De-SPAC Transaction, the Permitted Investors ceasing to own at any time, directly or indirectly, at least 40% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of Parent, or (d) a majority of the members of the board of directors or other equivalent governing body of Parent ceases to be composed of individuals who were members of the board or equivalent governing body of Parent following the consummation of the De-SPAC Transaction; provided that consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement shall not constitute a Change of Control.
“Charges” means all Federal, state, county, city, municipal, local, foreign or other governmental taxes (including taxes owed to PBGC at the time due and payable), levies, customs or other duties, assessments, charges, liens, and all additional charges, interest, penalties, expenses, claims or encumbrances upon or relating to (i) the Collateral, (ii) the Obligations, (iii) the employees, payroll, income or gross receipts of any Credit Party, (iv) the ownership or use of any assets by any Credit Party, or (v) any other aspect of any Credit Party’s business.
“Chief Executive Office” means the chief executive office of any Credit Party as set forth on Disclosure Schedule 3.2 hereto.
“Closing Certificate” means that certain closing certificate of Borrower delivered to Agent as of the Closing Date in substantially the form of Exhibit G.
“Closing Date” means the Business Day on which the conditions precedent set forth in Section 2 have been satisfied or specifically waived in writing by Agent and the initial Term Loan has been made.
“Closing Date Term Loan” has the meaning assigned thereto in Section 1.1(a).
“Closing Date Term Loan Commitment” means the commitment of each Lender under this Agreement to make or otherwise fund its portion of the Closing Date Term Loan as set forth on Schedule B attached hereto.
SCHEDULE A - 4
“Code” means the Uniform Commercial Code as the same may, from time to time, be in effect in the State of New York; provided, that in the event that, by reason of mandatory provisions of law, any or all of the attachment, perfection or priority of, or remedies with respect to, Agent’s Lien on any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, the term “Code” shall mean the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions of this Agreement relating to such attachment, perfection, priority or remedies and for purposes of definitions related to such provisions; provided further, that to the extent that the Code is used to define any term herein or in any Loan Document and such term is defined differently in different Articles or Divisions of the Code, the definition of such term contained in Article or Division 9 shall govern.
“Collateral” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 6.1.
“Collateral Documents” means, collectively, the Pledge Agreements, the Mortgages, the assignments of leases and rents, the collateral assignment of leases, each Control Agreement, and all other U.S. and foreign law security agreements, pledge agreements, patent and trademark security agreements, lease assignments, guarantees and other similar agreements, and all amendments, restatements, modifications or supplements thereof or thereto, by or between any one or more of any Credit Party, any of their respective Subsidiaries or any other Person pledging or granting a Lien on Collateral or guaranteeing the payment and performance of the Obligations, and any Lender or Agent for the benefit of Agent, the Lenders and other secured parties now or hereafter delivered to the Lenders or Agent pursuant to or in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and all financing statements (or comparable documents now or hereafter filed in accordance with the Code or comparable law) against any such Person as debtor in favor of any Lender or Agent for the benefit of Agent, the Lenders and the other secured parties, as secured party, as any of the foregoing may be amended, restated and/or modified from time to time.
“Compliance Certificate” means a compliance certificate in the form attached as Exhibit E hereto executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower relating to the financial performance of the Credit Parties.
“Contingent Obligation” shall mean, as to any Person, any obligation, agreement, understanding or arrangement of such Person guaranteeing or intended to guarantee any Indebtedness, leases, dividends or other obligations (“primary obligations”) 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 primary obligation or any property constituting direct or indirect security therefor; (b) to advance or supply funds (i) for the purchase or payment of any such primary obligation or (ii) to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or otherwise to maintain the net worth or solvency of the primary obligor; (c) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of any such primary obligation of the ability of the primary obligor to make payment of such primary obligation; (d) with respect to bankers’ acceptances, letters of credit and similar credit arrangements, until a reimbursement obligation arises (which reimbursement obligation shall constitute Indebtedness); or (e) otherwise to assure or hold harmless the holder of such primary obligation against loss in respect thereof; provided, however, that the term “Contingent Obligation” shall not include endorsements of instruments for deposit or collection in the ordinary course of business or any product warranties. The amount of any Contingent Obligation shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the primary obligation in respect of which such Contingent Obligation is made (or, if less, the maximum amount of such primary obligation for which such person may be liable, whether singly or jointly, pursuant to the terms of the instrument evidencing such Contingent Obligation) or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof (assuming such Person is required to perform thereunder) as determined by such Person in good faith.
SCHEDULE A - 5
“Contractual Obligation” means as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument, or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.
“Control Agreement” means a deposit account control agreement among any financial institution at which a Controlled Account is maintained, the Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent) and the applicable Credit Party, which shall provide, among other things, that such financial institution executing such agreement has no rights of setoff or recoupment or any other claim against such Controlled Account other than for payment of its service fees and other charges directly related to the administration of such account, shall give the Agent (or, for so long as the EICF Loan Agreement and the Intercreditor Agreement are in effect, EICF Facility Agent) “control” of such Controlled Account as such term is defined in Section 9-104 of the Code and shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent.
“Controlled Account” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.26(c).
“Copyrights” shall mean all of the following now owned or hereafter adopted or acquired by any Person: (i) all copyrights in any original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, all registrations and applications for registration of any such copyrights in the United States or any other country, including registrations, recordings and applications, and supplemental registrations, recordings, and applications in the United States Copyright Office; and (ii) all Proceeds of the foregoing, including license royalties and proceeds of infringement suits, the right to sue for past, present and future infringements, all rights corresponding thereto throughout the world and all renewals and extensions thereof.
“Credit Parties” means the Borrower and the Guarantors.
“Default” means any Event of Default or any event that, with the passage of time or notice or both, would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Default Rate” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 1.5(c).
“Delayed Draw Borrowing Request” means each Delayed Draw Borrowing Request delivered to Agent in substantially the form of Exhibit K pursuant to Section 1.1(b) and executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower.
“Delayed Draw Term Loan” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 1.1(b).
“Delayed Draw Term Loan Available Amount” means, as of any funding date during the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period, an amount equal to the difference of (a) the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment minus (b) the aggregate principal amount of Delayed Draw Term Loans that have been advanced prior to such funding date.
“Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment” means the commitment of each Lender under this Agreement to make or otherwise fund its portion of the Delayed Draw Term Loans as set forth on Schedule B hereto.
SCHEDULE A - 6
“Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period” means the period from and including the Closing Date until the earlier to occur of (i) the Effective Time of the Merger, and (ii) a Merger Agreement Termination Event; provided that the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period shall be suspended for any period between (it being understood and agreed, for the avoidance of doubt, that the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitment Period shall no longer be suspended following the occurrence of the applicable event specified in clause (B) below):
(A) the earliest to occur of (1) the delivery of a Notice to Shell Parent pursuant to Section 6.3(d)(A) of the Merger Agreement, (2) the delivery of a notice by Shell Parent pursuant to Section 9.1(e) of the Merger Agreement, and (3) an Adverse Recommendation Change; and
(B) the earliest to occur of (1) Shell Parent makes an offer that causes the applicable Alternative Proposal that is the subject of the Notice referred to in foregoing clause (A)(1) to no longer to constitute a Superior Proposal, (2) cure of the breach or violation that is the subject of the notice or withdrawal of the notice by Shell Parent referred to in foregoing clause (A)(2) (and solely for purposes of this definition, if a breach or violation is capable of being cured with commercially reasonable efforts (including by application of the proceeds of a Loan hereunder), then the submission of a written plan that would reasonably be expected to cure such breach or violation within the time periods permitted by Section 9.1(e) of the Merger Agreement shall be deemed cure such breach or violation).
“Delayed Draw Term Loan Funded Amount” means, with respect to any Lender at any time, the aggregate principal amount of the Delayed Draw Term Loan funded by such Lender.
“Designated Person” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 3.22(a).
“De-SPAC Transaction” means the series of related transactions pursuant to which (a) Volta Industries, Inc., a Delaware corporation, shall merge with and into SNPR Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation, with Volta Industries, Inc. being the surviving entity (the “First Surviving Entity”) in such transaction (the “De-SPAC First Merger”), (b) promptly after the De-SPAC First Merger referred to in the foregoing clause (a), Volta Industries, Inc. as the First Surviving Entity shall merge with and into SNPR Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, with Volta Charging Industries, LLC (f/k/a SNPR Merger Sub II, LLC), being the surviving entity (the “Second Surviving Entity”) in such transaction (the “De-SPAC Second Merger”), and (c) upon consummation of both of the foregoing De-SPAC First Merger and De-SPAC Second Merger, Volta Charging Industries, LLC (f/k/a SNPR Merger Sub II, LLC) shall (i) become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, and (ii) Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II shall be immediately renamed Volta Inc., as such series of related transactions is set forth in greater detail in that certain Business Combination Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, dated as of February 7, 2021, by and among Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, SNPR Merger Sub I, Inc., SNPR Merger Sub II, LLC, and Volta Industries, Inc.
SCHEDULE A - 7
“Distributions” shall mean, collectively, with respect to each Credit Party, all dividends, cash, options, warrants, rights, instruments, distributions, returns of capital or principal, income, interest, profits and other property, interests (debt or equity), or proceeds, including as a result of a split, revision, reclassification or other like change of the Pledged Securities, from time to time received, receivable or otherwise distributed to such Credit Party in respect of or in exchange for any or all of the Pledged Securities.
“Dollars” or “$” means lawful currency of the United States of America.
“EICF Loan Agreement” means that certain Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement dated as of June 19, 2019 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time) among the Borrower, the other credit parties party thereto, the lenders party thereto, CION INVESTMENT CORPORATION, as co-lead arranger, and EICF AGENT LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as lead arranger, administrative agent and collateral agent (in such capacity, “EICF Facility Agent”).
“Embargoed Person” means any party that (i) is publicly identified on any List, including on the most current list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” published by the OFAC or resides, is organized or chartered in a country or territory subject to OFAC sanctions or embargo programs or (ii) is publicly identified as prohibited from doing business with the United States under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Trading With the Enemy Act, or any other Requirement of Law.
“Environmental Laws” means all applicable Federal, state and local laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations, now or hereafter in effect, and in each case as amended or supplemented from time to time, and any applicable binding judicial or administrative interpretation thereof relating to the regulation and protection of human health as it relates to Hazardous Materials, the environment and natural resources (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, wetlands, land surface or subsurface strata, wildlife, aquatic species and vegetation).
“Environmental Liabilities” means all liabilities, obligations, responsibilities, remedial actions, removal costs, losses, damages of whatever nature, costs and expenses (including all reasonable fees, disbursements and expenses of counsel, experts and consultants and costs of investigation and feasibility studies), fines, penalties, sanctions and interest incurred as a result of any written claim, suit, action or demand of whatever nature by any Person and which relate to any environmental condition regulated under any Environmental Law, environmental permits or in connection with any Release, threatened Release, or the presence of a Hazardous Material.
“Equity Interest” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents, including membership interests (however designated, whether voting or nonvoting), of equity of such Person, including, if such Person is a partnership, partnership interests (whether general or limited) and any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of property of, such partnership, whether outstanding on the date hereof or issued after the Closing Date, but excluding debt securities convertible or exchangeable into such equity.
SCHEDULE A - 8
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (or any successor legislation thereto), as amended from time to time, and any regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with any Credit Party, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the IRC, or, solely for the purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the IRC, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the IRC.
“ERISA Event” shall mean (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is waived); (b) the failure with respect to any Plan to meet the minimum funding standards of Section 412 of the Code, whether or not waived, or the failure to make by its due date a required installment under Section 430(j) of the Code; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the IRC or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan; (d) the incurrence by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan pursuant to Section 4041(c) of ERISA; (e) the receipt by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate of a notice from (i) a plan administrator relating to an intention to terminate any Plan pursuant to Section 4041(c) of ERISA, or (ii) the PBGC to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan; (f) the incurrence by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any liability with respect to any withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be insolvent within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 7.1.
“Excluded Account” means (a) any deposit account the funds in which are used, in the ordinary course of business, exclusively for the payment of salaries, wages and benefits, workers’ compensation taxes and similar taxes, in each case to or for the benefit of employees of the Borrower provided that the aggregate balance in such accounts does not exceed the amount necessary to make the immediately succeeding payroll, payroll tax or benefit payment (or such minimum amount as may be required by any requirement of law with respect to such accounts), as applicable, (b) any deposit account the funds in which consist exclusively of funds held by any Credit Party in trust for any director, officer or employee of any Credit Party or for any employee benefit plan maintained by any Credit Party for the benefit of any of the foregoing, or (c) any deposit account that is a zero-balance disbursement account.
SCHEDULE A - 9
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient: (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes; (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 1.7, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office; (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 8(b); and (d) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.
“Executive Orders” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the IRC, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the IRC and any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement, treaty or convention among Governmental Authorities and implementing such Sections of the IRC.
“Financial Statements” means, with respect to any Person, the income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows of such Person, prepared for the time period specified and prepared in accordance with GAAP setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for such time period the previous year.
“Fiscal Month” means any of the monthly accounting periods of Borrower.
“Fiscal Quarter” means any of the quarterly accounting periods of Borrower.
“Fiscal Year” means the twelve (12) month period of Borrower ending December 31 of each year. Subsequent changes of the fiscal year of Borrower shall not change the term “Fiscal Year” unless Agent shall give Borrower prior written consent to such change.
“Foreign Investment” means each of the Volta Canada Investments, the Volta France Investments, the Volta Germany Investments and the Volta Netherlands Investments.
“Foreign Lender” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 8(b)(ii).
“Foreign Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia or Canada or any province or territory thereof.
“Fund” means any Person (other than a natural Person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans, bonds and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its activities.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America as in effect from time to time, consistently applied.
SCHEDULE A - 10
“Governmental Authority” means any nation or government, any state or other political subdivision thereof, and any agency, department or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government.
“Grantor” means Borrower and each Guarantor.
“Guaranteed Indebtedness” means, as to any Person, any obligation of such Person guaranteeing any indebtedness, lease, dividend, or other obligation (“primary obligations”) of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, including any obligation or arrangement of such guaranteeing Person (whether or not contingent): (i) to purchase or repurchase any such primary obligation; (ii) to advance or supply funds (a) for the purchase or payment of any such primary obligation or (b) to maintain working capital or equity capital of the primary obligor or otherwise to maintain the net worth or solvency or any balance sheet condition of the primary obligor; (iii) to purchase property, securities or services primarily for the purpose of assuring the owner of any such primary obligation of the ability of the primary obligor to make payment of such primary obligation; or (iv) to indemnify the owner of such primary obligation against loss in respect thereof.
“Guaranteed Obligations” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 11.1.
“Guarantees” shall mean the guarantees issued pursuant to Article 9 by the Guarantors.
“Guarantors” means the Parent and the Subsidiary Guarantors.
“Hazardous Material” means any substance, material or waste that is regulated as hazardous by or forms the basis of liability now or hereafter under, any Environmental Law, including any material or substance that is (a) defined as a “hazardous waste,” “hazardous material,” “hazardous substance,” “extremely hazardous waste,” “restricted hazardous waste,” “pollutant,” “contaminant,” “hazardous constituent,” “special waste,” “toxic substance” or other similar term or phrase under any Environmental Law, (b) petroleum or any fraction or by-product thereof, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or any radioactive substance.
“Hedging Agreement” shall mean any swap, cap, collar, forward purchase or similar agreements or arrangements dealing with interest rates, currency exchange rates or commodity prices, either generally or under specific contingencies.
“Hedging Obligations” shall mean obligations under or with respect to Hedging Agreements.
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“Indebtedness” of any Person shall mean, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or advances; (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments; (c) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid or accrued; (d) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property purchased by such Person; (e) all obligations of such Person issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding trade accounts payable and accrued obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business on normal trade terms and not overdue by more than 90 days); (f) all Indebtedness of others secured by any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the obligations secured thereby have been assumed, but limited to the fair market value of such property; (g) all Capital Lease Obligations, Purchase Money Obligations and synthetic lease obligations of such Person; (h) all Hedging Obligations to the extent required to be reflected on a balance sheet of such Person; (i) all Attributable Indebtedness of such Person; (j) all obligations of such Person for the reimbursement of any obligor in respect of letters of credit, letters of guarantee, bankers’ acceptances and similar credit transactions; (k) the principal balance outstanding under any synthetic lease, off-balance sheet loan or similar off-balance sheet financing product; (l) all obligations, whether or not contingent, to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise acquire for value any of its own Stock or Stock Equivalents (or any Stock or Stock Equivalent of a direct or indirect parent entity thereof) prior to the date that is 180 days after the Stated Maturity Date valued at, in the case of redeemable preferred Stock, the greater of the voluntary liquidation preference and the involuntary liquidation preference of such Stock plus accrued and unpaid dividends; and (m) all Contingent Obligations of such Person in respect of Indebtedness or obligations of others of the kinds referred to in clauses (a) through (l) above. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except (other than in the case of general partner liability) to the extent that terms of such Indebtedness expressly provide that such Person is not liable therefor. For the avoidance of doubt, the PPP Loan shall constitute “Indebtedness” for all purposes under this Agreement until such time and to the extent that such PPP Loan is forgiven.
“Indemnified Liabilities” and “Indemnified Person” have the respective meanings assigned to them in Section 1.10.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of Borrower under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in (a), Other Taxes.
“Intellectual Property” means any and all Licenses, Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, trade secrets and customer lists.
“Intercreditor Agreement” means that certain Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between Agent and EICF Facility Agent.
“IRC” and “IRS” mean respectively, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the Internal Revenue Service, and any successors thereto.
“Joinder Agreement” means each Joinder Agreement of a new Subsidiary delivered to the Agent after the Closing Date in substantially the form of Exhibit H pursuant to Sections 1.12 and 3.28(b).
“Key” means, with respect to any representation and warranty, covenant or Default provided for in any Loan Document, (i) on and after the Trigger Date, each such representation and warranty, covenant or Default, and, (ii) before the Trigger Date:
(a) in the case of any representation and warranty, only those set forth in Sections 3.1(a)(i), 3.1(a)(ii), 3.1(b), 3.2, 3.3(a), 3.3(b), 3.3(d), 3.3(e), 3.4(a), 3.14, 3.21(a), 3.21(d), 3.30 3.41 and Article 6 hereof;
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(a) in the case of any covenant, only those set forth in Article 1 or Article 4, Sections 3.21(b), 3.23(a), 3.26, 3.28, 3.36, 5.11, 5.12, 5.17 and 5.22 and Article 6 hereof;
(a) in the case of any Default, only those resulting from an event set forth in Section 7.1(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (h), (i), (k), (p), (q) or (r) hereof;
“Lender” means each of those certain financial institutions set forth on Schedule B attached hereto, and if at any time any Lender shall decide to assign or syndicate all or any of the Obligations, such term shall include such assignee or such other members of the syndicate.
“Liabilities” means all claims, actions, suits, judgments, damages, losses, liability, obligations, responsibilities, fines, penalties, sanctions, costs, fees, taxes, commissions, charges, disbursements and expenses, in each case of any kind or nature (including interest accrued thereon or as a result thereto and fees, charges and disbursements of financial, legal and other advisors and consultants), whether joint or several, whether or not indirect, contingent, consequential, actual, punitive, treble or otherwise.
“Licenses” shall mean, with respect to each Grantor, all license and distribution agreements with, and covenants not to sue, any other party with respect to any Patent, Trademark or Copyright or any other patent, trademark or copyright, whether such Grantor is a licensor or licensee, distributor or distributee under any such license or distribution agreement, together with any and all (i) renewals, extensions, supplements and continuations thereof, (ii) income, fees, royalties, damages, claims and payments now and hereafter due and/or payable thereunder and with respect thereto including damages and payments for past, present or future infringements or violations thereof, (iii) rights to sue for past, present and future infringements or violations thereof and (iv) other rights to use, exploit or practice any or all of the Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights or any other patent, trademark or copyright.
“Lien” means any mortgage, security deed or deed of trust, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, lien, charge, claim, security interest, security title, easement or encumbrance, or preference, priority or other security agreement or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any lease or title retention agreement, any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing, and the filing of, or agreement to give, any financing statement perfecting a security interest under the Code or comparable law of any jurisdiction).
“Lists” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Litigation” means any claim, lawsuit, litigation, investigation or proceeding of or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority.
“Loan” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.1.
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“Loan Documents” means this Agreement, the Intercreditor Agreement, the Perfection Certificate, each Mortgage, the Pledge Agreement, the Control Agreements, each Power of Attorney, any waiver or consent of a landlord or mortgagee executed in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders, and all other agreements, pledges, consents, assignments, contracts and notices whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by or on behalf of any Credit Party, or any employee of any Credit Party, and delivered to, and in favor of, Agent in connection with the Agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby. Any reference in the Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to the Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative. For the avoidance of doubt, the Merger Agreement (and the ancillary documents related thereto) shall not constitute a “Loan Document”.
“Margin Stock” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.8.
“Material Adverse Effect” means: (i) a “Company Material Adverse Effect” as defined in the Merger Agreement, or (ii) a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets, operations, or financial condition of the Credit Parties taken as a whole, (b) the validity and enforceability of any Loan Document, (c) Borrower’s or any other Credit Party’s ability to pay or perform the Obligations under the Loan Documents to which such Credit Party is a party in accordance with the terms thereof (before the Trigger Date only, unless such effect arises out of, results from or is related to (in each case, individually or in the aggregate) any occurrence, effect, change, event or development referred to in the proviso to the definition of “Company Material Adverse Effect” in the Merger Agreement as such proviso is further qualified by the second proviso to such definition regarding any disproportionate adverse effect (the “Exceptions”)), (d) the Collateral or Agent’s Liens on the Collateral or the priority of any such Lien, or (e) Agent’s or any Lender’s rights and remedies under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the occurrence of a Merger Agreement Termination Event in and of itself shall not constitute a Material Adverse Effect for any purpose under this Agreement; provided, however, that any occurrence, effect, change, event, fact, circumstance or development underlying or associated with such Merger Agreement Termination Event may, subject to the Exceptions, be considered in determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred or otherwise form the basis for constituting a Material Adverse Effect.
“Maturity Date” means the earliest to occur of (i) the date of the acceleration of the maturity of any Obligations pursuant to Section 7.2 and (ii) the Stated Maturity Date.
“Maximum Lawful Rate” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.5(e).
“Merger Agreement” means that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of the date hereof, among Shell Parent, Merger Sub, a Delaware corporation and an affiliate of Lender, and Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation, as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified.
“Merger Agreement Termination Event” means termination of the Merger Agreement in compliance with Article IX of the Merger Agreement.
“Mortgage” means any mortgage or deed of trust from the relevant Credit Party in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders relating to such Credit Party’s real property owned or leased as of the Closing Date and any other mortgage or deed of trust delivered to the Agent pursuant to Section 3.28.
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“Multiemployer Plan” shall mean a multiemployer plan within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) or Section 3(37) of ERISA that is subject to Title IV of ERISA (a) to which any Grantor or any ERISA Affiliate is then making or accruing an obligation to make contributions; (b) to which any Grantor or any ERISA Affiliate has within the preceding five plan years made contributions; or (c) with respect to which any Grantor could reasonably be expected to incur liability.
“Non-Funding Lender” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.13.
“Note Purchase Agreement” means that certain Convertible Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 26, 2020, by and among Parent, as issuer, and each of the purchasers listed on Exhibit A thereto or additional purchasers from time to time party thereto, as may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Subordination Agreement.
“Obligations” means all loans, advances, debts, expense reimbursement, fees, liabilities, and obligations for the performance of covenants, tasks or duties or for payment of monetary amounts (whether or not such performance is then required or contingent, or amounts are liquidated or determinable) owing by Borrower and any other Credit Party to the Lenders arising under any of the Loan Documents, of any kind or nature, present or future, whether or not evidenced by any note, agreement or other instrument, and all covenants and duties regarding such amounts. This term includes all principal, interest, Charges, expenses, attorneys’ fees and any other sum chargeable to Borrower under any of the Loan Documents (including interest accruing at the then applicable rate provided in this Agreement after the maturity of the Loan, and Charges, costs, expenses and interest accruing at the then applicable rate provided in this Agreement after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy, or the commencement of any insolvency, reorganization or like proceeding, whether or not a claim for post-filing or post-petition interest or a claim for such Charges, costs and expense is allowed in such proceeding), and all principal and interest due in respect of the Loan and all obligations and liabilities of any Guarantor under any Guarantee.
“OFAC” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“OFAC Laws and Regulations” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Organizational Documents” shall mean, with respect to any Person, (i) in the case of any corporation or unlimited liability corporation, the certificate or articles of incorporation, as applicable, and by-laws (or similar documents) of such Person, (ii) in the case of any limited liability company, the certificate of formation and operating agreement (or similar documents) of such Person, (iii) in the case of any limited partnership, the certificate of formation and limited partnership agreement (or similar documents) of such Person, (iv) in the case of any general partnership, the partnership agreement (or similar document) of such Person and (v) in any other case, the functional equivalent of the foregoing.
“Other Lists” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections 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 Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).
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“Other Permitted Sales” means the sale, transfer, assignment, license or financing of electronic charging stations on terms and conditions substantially similar to those in the Brookfield Master Sale Agreement and reasonably acceptable to Required Lenders.
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment.
“Ownership Interests” means, as applied to any Person, corporate stock and any and all securities, shares, partnership interests (whether general, limited, special or other), limited liability company interests, membership interests, equity interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated and of any character) of corporate stock of such Person or any of the foregoing issued by such Person (whether a corporation, a partnership, a limited liability company or another entity) and shall include securities convertible into Ownership Interests and rights, warrants or options to acquire Ownership Interests.
“Parent” has the meaning given to such term in the caption hereto.
“Participant” has the meaning given to such term in Section 8(a).
“Participant Register” has the meaning given to such term in Section 8(a).
“Patents” means all of the following in which any Person now holds or hereafter acquires any interest: (i) all letters patent of the United States or any other country, all registrations and recordings thereof, and all applications for letters patent of the United States or any other country, including registrations, recordings and applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or in any similar office or agency of the United States, any State or Territory thereof, or any other country; and (ii) all reissues, continuations, continuations-in-part or extensions thereof.
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any successor thereto.
“Perfection Certificate” means a certificate in the form of Exhibit A attached to this Agreement or any other form approved by the Agent, as the same shall be supplemented from time to time by a Perfection Certificate Supplement or otherwise.
“Perfection Certificate Supplement” means a certificate supplement in the form of Exhibit I attached to this Agreement or any other form approved by the Agent.
“Permit” means, with respect to any Person, any permit, approval, authorization, license, registration, certificate, concession, grant, franchise, variance or permission from, and any other Contractual Obligations with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law and applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
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“Permitted Investors” means, collectively, the Persons who held the Equity Interests of the Parent immediately prior to the commencement of the De-SPAC Transaction.
“Permitted Liens” means the following encumbrances: (i) Liens for taxes or assessments or other governmental Charges or levies, either not yet due and payable or to the extent that nonpayment thereof is permitted by the terms of Section 3.10; (ii) carriers’, warehousemen’s, suppliers’, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business and securing indebtedness not yet due and payable or overdue for more than 30 days or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and in either case in an outstanding aggregate amount not in excess of $550,000 at any time; (iii) attachment, judgment or other similar Liens arising in connection with court or arbitration proceedings, provided that the same are discharged, or that execution or enforcement thereof is stayed pending appeal, within thirty (30) days or (in the case of any execution or enforcement pending appeal) such lesser time during which such appeal may be taken; (iv) zoning restrictions, easements, licenses, or other restrictions on the use of real property or other minor irregularities in title (including leasehold title) thereto, so long as the same do not materially impair the use, value, or marketability of such real estate; (v) Purchase Money Liens securing Purchase Money Obligations (or rent) to the extent permitted under Section 5.1; (vi) Liens in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders securing the Obligations; and (vii) Liens on the Collateral securing the “Obligations” under and as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement.
“Permitted Brookfield Sales” means the sale, transfer, assignment, license or financing of electronic charging stations pursuant to the Brookfield Master Sale Agreement.
“Person” means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, association, corporation, limited liability company, institution, public benefit corporation, entity or government (whether Federal, state, county, city, municipal or otherwise, including any instrumentality, division, agency, body or department thereof), and shall include such Person’s successors and assigns.
“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the IRC or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which any Credit Party or any ERISA Affiliate is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Pledge Agreement” means that certain Pledge Agreement, dated as of the Closing Date, among the Credit Parties and the Agent pledging as Collateral for the Obligations any Ownership Interests of Subsidiaries owned by each Credit Party.
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“Pledged Securities” shall mean, collectively, with respect to each Credit Party, (i) all issued and outstanding Equity Interests of each issuer set forth on Schedule 10(a) to the Perfection Certificate as being owned by such Credit Party and all options, warrants, rights, agreements and additional Equity Interests of whatever class of any such issuer acquired by such Credit Party (including by issuance), together with all rights, privileges, authority and powers of such Credit Party relating to such Equity Interests in each such issuer or under any Organizational Document of each such issuer, and the certificates, instruments and agreements representing such Equity Interests and any and all interest of such Credit Party in the entries on the books of any financial intermediary pertaining to such Equity Interests, (ii) all Equity Interests of any Subsidiary, which Equity Interests are hereafter acquired by such Credit Party (including by issuance) and all options, warrants, rights, agreements and additional Equity Interests of whatever class of any such Subsidiary acquired by such Credit Party (including by issuance), together with all rights, privileges, authority and powers of such Credit Party relating to such Equity Interests or under any Organizational Document of any such Subsidiary, and the certificates, instruments and agreements representing such Equity Interests and any and all interest of such Credit Party in the entries on the books of any financial intermediary pertaining to such Equity Interests, from time to time acquired by such Credit Party in any manner, and (iii) all Equity Interests issued in respect of the Equity Interests referred to in clause (i) or (ii) upon any consolidation or merger of any issuer of such Equity Interests; provided, however, that Pledged Securities shall not include any Equity Interests which are not required to be pledged pursuant to Section 3.28.
“Post-Closing Organization Chart” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.1(s).
“Power of Attorney” means each Power of Attorney of the Credit Parties delivered to Agent as of the Closing Date in substantially the form of Exhibit D and any Power of Attorney delivered to the Agent after the Closing Date pursuant to Section 1.12.
“PPP Loan” means an unsecured loan in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $3,193,300.00 incurred by Parent under 15 U.S.C. 636(a)(36) (as added to the Small Business Act by Section 1102 of the PPP Rule) pursuant to the Business Loan Agreement and the Promissory Note.
“PPP Rule” means the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and applicable rules and regulations, as amended from time to time. For the avoidance of doubt, references to specific sections of the PPP Rule shall also include applicable rules and regulations, as amended from time to time.
“Pre-Closing Organization Chart” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.1(s).
“Preferred Stock” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any and all preferred or preference Equity Interests (however designated) of such Person whether now outstanding or issued after the Closing Date.
“Preferred Stock Issuance” shall mean the issuance or sale by any Credit Party of any Preferred Stock after the Closing Date.
“Proceeds” means “proceeds,” as such term is defined in the Code and, in any event, shall include: (i) any and all proceeds of any insurance, indemnity, warranty or guarantee payable to any Grantor from time to time with respect to any Collateral; (ii) any and all payments (in any form whatsoever) made or due and payable to any Grantor from time to time in connection with any requisition, confiscation, condemnation, seizure or forfeiture of any Collateral by any governmental body, authority, bureau or agency (or any Person acting under color of Governmental Authority); (iii) any recoveries by any Grantor against third parties with respect to any litigation or dispute concerning any Collateral, including claims arising out of the loss or nonconformity of, interference with the use of, defects in, or infringement of rights in, or damage to, Collateral; and (iv) any and all other amounts, rights to payment or other property acquired upon the sale, lease, license, exchange or other disposition of Collateral (excluding amounts and rights to payment arising from the rental of any of the Collateral to customers of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or distributors) and all rights arising out of Collateral.
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“Promissory Note” mean that certain Promissory Note, dated as of April 27, 2020, issued by Parent in favor of Continental Bank in an aggregate amount equal to $3,193,300.00.
“Property” means any interest in any kind of property or asset, whether real, personal or mixed, and whether tangible or intangible.
“Purchase Money Lien” means any Lien upon any fixed assets that secure the Purchase Money Obligations related thereto but only if such Lien shall at all times be confined solely to the asset the purchase price of which was financed or refinanced through the incurrence of the Purchase Money Obligations secured by such Lien (and the proceeds thereof) and only if such Lien secures only such Purchase Money Obligations.
“Purchase Money Obligations” means for any Person the obligations of such Person in respect of Indebtedness (including Capital Lease Obligations) incurred for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price of any property (including Equity Interests of any Person) or the cost of installation, construction or improvement of any property and any refinancing thereof; provided, however, that (i) such Indebtedness is incurred within one year after such acquisition, installation, construction or improvement of such property by such Person and (ii) the amount of such Indebtedness does not exceed 100% of the cost of such acquisition, installation, construction or improvement, as the case may be.
“Qualified IPO” means the initial firm commitment underwritten offering of any Credit Party’s common stock or common Equity Interests pursuant to (a) in the case of any such offering in the United States of America, a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission or (b) in the case of any offering under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the United States of America, the applicable laws and/or regulations of such other jurisdiction.
“Real Property” shall mean, collectively, all right, title and interest (including any leasehold, mineral or other estate) in and to any and all parcels of or interests in real property owned, leased or operated by any Person, whether by lease, license or other means, together with, in each case, all easements, hereditaments and appurtenances relating thereto, all improvements and appurtenant fixtures and equipment, all general intangibles and contract rights and other property and rights incidental to the ownership, lease or operation thereof.
“Recipient” means Agent and any Lender.
“Register” has the meaning given to such term in Section 8(a).
“Related Persons” means, with respect to any Person, each Affiliate of such Person and each director, officer, employee, agent, trustee, representative, attorney, accountant and each insurance, environmental, legal, financial and other advisor and other consultants and agents of or to such Person or any of its Affiliates.
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“Release” means as to any Person, any release, spill, emission, leaking, pumping, injection, deposit, disposal, discharge, dispersal, dumping, leaching or migration of Hazardous Materials in the indoor or outdoor environment by such Person, including the movement of Hazardous Materials through or in the air, soil, surface water, ground water or property.
“Remedies Event” has the meaning given to such term in Section 7.2(b).
“Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having at such time in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the sum of the aggregate Term Loan Commitments (or, if such Term Loan Commitments are terminated, the amount outstanding under the Term Loan) then in effect; provided that at any time that there are two (2) or more Lenders, the Required Lenders shall consist of not fewer than two (2) Lenders that are not Affiliates of one another.
“Requirement of Law” means as to any Person, the certificate or articles of incorporation and by-laws or other Organizational Documents of such Person, and any law, treaty, rule or regulation or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case, binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
“Responsible Officer” means, with respect to any Person (other than an individual), any officer at the level of vice president or higher of, but in any event, with respect to financial matters, the chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, treasurer or controller of such Person.
“Restricted Locations” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.21(c).
“Restricted Payment” means: (a) the declaration or payment of any dividend or the incurrence of any liability to make any other payment or distribution of cash or other property or assets on or in respect of Borrower’s or any other Credit Party’s Stock, (b) any payment or distribution made in respect of any subordinated Indebtedness of Borrower or any other Credit Party in violation of any subordination or other agreement made in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders, (c) any payment on account of the purchase, redemption, defeasance or other retirement of Borrower’s or any other Credit Party’s Stock or Indebtedness or any other payment or distribution made in respect of any thereof, either directly or indirectly; other than (i) that arising under this Agreement or under the EICF Loan Agreement or (ii) interest and principal, when due without acceleration or modification of the amortization as in effect on the Closing Date, under Indebtedness (not including subordinated Indebtedness, payments of which shall be permitted only in accordance with the terms of the relevant subordination agreement made in favor of Agent for the benefit of the Lenders) permitted under Sections 5.1, or (d) any payment, loan, contribution, or other transfer of funds or other property to any holder of Stock of such Person which is not expressly and specifically permitted in this Agreement; provided that any payment by a Borrower to another Credit Party, Agent or any Lender shall not constitute a Restricted Payment.
“SDN List” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“Secretarial Certificate” means each Secretarial Certificate of the Credit Parties delivered to Agent as of the Closing Date in substantially the form of Exhibit C and any Secretarial Certificate delivered to the Agent after the Closing Date pursuant to Section 1.12.
“Shell Parent” means Shell USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
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“Solvent” means, with respect to any Person on a particular date, that on such date (a) the assets of such Person, at a fair valuation, exceed its liabilities, including contingent liabilities, (b) the remaining capital of such Person is not unreasonably small to conduct its business and (c) such Person will not have incurred debts, and does not have the present intent to incur debts, beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature. For purposes of this definition, “debt” means any liability on a claim, and “claim” means any (i) right to payment, whether or not such right is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured or unsecured, or (ii) right to an equitable remedy for breach of performance if such breach gives rise to a right to payment, whether or not such right to an equitable remedy is reduced to judgment, fixed, contingent, matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, secured or unsecured. In computing the amount of contingent liabilities of any Person on any date, such liabilities shall be computed at the amount that, in the judgment of the Agent in light of all facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount of such liabilities that reasonably can be expected to become actual or matured liabilities.
“Stated Maturity Date” means the earlier of (i) the later to occur of (A) the date that is 60 days after termination of the Merger Agreement in compliance with Article IX of the Merger Agreement (other than any such termination pursuant to Section 9.1(d) thereof), and (B) the date that is 91 days following the “Stated Maturity Date” under and as defined in the EICF Loan Agreement, (ii) the Effective Time of the Merger, and (iii) the date of termination of the Merger Agreement pursuant to Section 9.1(d) thereof.
“Stock” means all certificated and uncertificated shares, options, warrants, membership interests, general or limited partnership interests, participation or other equivalents (regardless of how designated) of or in a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or equivalent entity whether voting or nonvoting, including common stock, preferred stock, beneficial interests in a trust or any other “equity security” (as such term is defined in Rule 3a11-1 of the General Rules and Regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) or other equity interests in any Person.
“Stock Equivalents” means all securities convertible into or exchangeable for Stock or any other Stock Equivalent and all warrants, options or other rights to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any Stock or any other Stock Equivalent, whether or not presently convertible, exchangeable or exercisable.
“Subordination Agreement” means that certain Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement, dated as of March 26, 2020, by and among each of the parties thereto as Subordinated Creditors, the Credit Parties and Agent, as may be amended from time to time.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation of which an aggregate of more than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding Stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the Board of Directors of such corporation (irrespective of whether, at the time, Stock of any other class or classes of such corporation shall have or might have voting power by reason of the happening of any contingency) is at the time, directly or indirectly, owned legally or beneficially by such Person and/or one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or with respect to which any such Person has the right to vote or designate the vote of more than fifty percent (50%) of such Stock whether by proxy, agreement, operation of law or otherwise, and (ii) any partnership or limited liability company in which such Person or one or more Subsidiaries of such Person has an equity interest (whether in the form of voting or participation in profits or capital contribution) of more than fifty percent (50%) or of which any such Person is a general partner or manager or may exercise the powers of a general partner or manager. If “Subsidiary” or “Subsidiaries” is used in this Agreement or any other of the Loan Documents without reference to being the Subsidiary of any specific Credit Party or other Person, then that reference to “Subsidiary” or “Subsidiaries” shall be deemed to refer to any Subsidiary or the Subsidiaries of Borrower.
SCHEDULE A - 21
“Subsidiary Guarantor” means each direct or indirect Subsidiary of the Borrower as of the Closing Date and each other direct or indirect Subsidiary that becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 1.12.
“Substitute Lender” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.14(a).
“Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Term Loan” has the meaning given to such term in Section 1.1(b).
“Term Loan Commitments” means, collectively, the Closing Date Term Loan Commitments, and the Delayed Draw Term Loan Commitments.
“Termination Date” means the date on which all Obligations under this Agreement are paid in full, in cash (other than contingent obligations not yet due and payable), and Borrower shall have no further right to borrow any moneys or obtain other credit extensions or financial accommodations from the Lenders under this Agreement.
“Title IV Plan” means a pension plan subject to Title IV of ERISA, other than a Multiemployer Plan, to which any ERISA Affiliate incurs or otherwise has any obligation or liability, contingent or otherwise.
“Trademarks” means all of the following now owned or hereafter adopted or acquired by any Person: (i) all trademarks, trade names, corporate names, business names, trade styles, service marks, logos, other source or business identifiers, prints and labels on which any of the foregoing have appeared or appear, designs and general intangibles of like nature (whether registered or unregistered) all registrations and recordings thereof, and all applications in connection therewith, including all registrations, recordings and applications in the United States Patent and Trademark Office or in any similar office or agency of the United States, any State or Territory thereof, or any other country or any political subdivision thereof: (ii) all reissues, extensions or renewals thereof; and (iii) all goodwill associated with or symbolized by any of the foregoing.
“Transactions” means, collectively, the transactions to occur on or prior to the Closing Date pursuant to this Agreement, including (a) the execution, delivery and performance of the Loan Documents and the initial borrowings hereunder; and (b) the payment of all fees and expenses to be paid on or prior to the Closing Date and owing in connection with the foregoing.
“Transferred Guarantor” has the meaning given to such term in Section 11.9.
SCHEDULE A - 22
“Trigger Date” means the earlier of (i) the date on which any person not a party to the Merger Agreement or affiliated with Shell Parent has made a Superior Proposal that has been accepted by Parent in accordance with Section 9.1(d) of the Merger Agreement and (ii) the date of a Merger Agreement Termination Event.
“USA PATRIOT Act” means the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56).
“U.S. Borrower” means a Borrower that is a U.S. Person.
“U.S. Person” means any Person that is a “United States person” as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the IRC.
“U.S. Publicly-Traded Entity” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.22.
“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 8(b)(ii)(C).
“Volta Charging” means the Person identified as such in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Volta Media” means the Person identified as such in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Volta Services” means the Person identified as such in the preamble of this Agreement.
“Wholly Owned Subsidiary” means, as to any Person, (a) any corporation 100% of whose capital stock (other than directors’ qualifying shares) is at the time owned by such Person and/or one or more Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of such Person and (b) any partnership, association, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity in which such Person and/or one or more Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of such Person have a 100% equity interest at such time.
“Withdrawal Liability” means 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.
“Withholding Agent” means Borrower and Agent.
Any accounting term used in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents shall have, unless otherwise specifically provided therein, the meaning customarily given such term in accordance with GAAP, and all financial computations thereunder shall be computed, unless otherwise specifically provided therein, in accordance with GAAP consistently applied; provided, that all financial covenants and calculations in the Loan Documents shall be made in accordance with GAAP as in effect on the Closing Date unless Borrower and Agent shall otherwise specifically agree in writing. That certain items or computations are explicitly modified by the phrase “in accordance with GAAP” shall in no way be construed to limit the foregoing. All other capitalized terms contained in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, but not defined herein or therein, shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, have the meanings provided for by the Code or in the Merger Agreement, as appropriate. The words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” or other words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole, including the exhibits and schedules thereto, as the same may from time to time be amended, modified or supplemented, and not to any particular section, subsection or clause contained in this Agreement.
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For purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the following additional rules of construction shall apply, unless specifically indicated to the contrary: (a) wherever from the context it appears appropriate, each term stated in either the singular or plural shall include the singular and the plural; (b) the term “or” is not exclusive; (c) the term “including” (or any form thereof) shall not be limiting or exclusive; (d) all references to statutes and related regulations shall include any amendments of same and any successor statutes and regulations; and (e) all references to any instruments or agreements, including references to any of the Loan Documents, shall include any and all modifications or amendments thereto and any and all extensions or renewals thereof.
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SCHEDULE A - 24
Exhibit 10.3
[EXECUTION VERSION]
SUBORDINATION AND INTERCREDITOR AGREEMENT
THIS SUBORDINATION AND INTERCREDITOR AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of this January 17, 2023, by and among EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US, a Delaware limited liability company (“Subordinated Creditor”), VOLTA CHARGING, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Charging”), VOLTA INC., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), VOLTA MEDIA LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Media”), and VOLTA CHARGING SERVICES LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Services” and collectively with Volta Charging, Parent and Volta Media, “Company”), and EICF AGENT LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as Agent for all Senior Lenders party to the Senior Loan Agreement described below.
R E C I T A L S
A. The Company, Agent and Senior Lenders (as hereinafter defined) have entered into a Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement dated as of June 19, 2019 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Senior Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which, among other things, Senior Lenders have agreed, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Senior Loan Agreement, to make certain loans and financial accommodations to the Company. All of the Company’s obligations to Agent and Senior Lenders under the Senior Loan Agreement and the other Senior Loan Documents (as hereinafter defined) are secured by liens on and security interests in substantially all of the now existing and hereafter acquired real and personal property of the Company (the “Collateral”).
B. The Company and Subordinated Creditor are entering into a Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement dated as of the date hereof (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time and, to the extent applicable, as refinanced in connection with a New Buyer Event, the “Subordinated Loan Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, Subordinated Creditor agrees, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Subordinated Loan Agreement, to make certain loans and financial accommodations to the Company. All of the Company’s obligations under the Subordinated Loan Agreement and the other Subordinated Loan Documents (as hereinafter defined) are secured by liens on and security interests in the Collateral.
C. As an inducement to and as one of the conditions precedent to the agreement of Agent and Senior Lenders to permit the Company to enter into the Subordinated Loan Agreement, Agent and Senior Lenders have required the execution and delivery of this Agreement by Subordinated Creditor and the Company in order to set forth the relative rights and priorities of Agent, Senior Lenders and Subordinated Creditor under the Senior Loan Documents and the Subordinated Loan Documents.
NOW, THEREFORE, in order to induce Agent and Senior Lenders to permit the Company to enter the Subordinated Loan Documents, and to continue to extend financial accommodations under and consummate the other transactions contemplated by the Senior Loan Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which hereby are acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
1. Definitions. The following terms shall have the following meanings in this Agreement:
“Adoption Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to that term in Section 2.8(a).
“Agent” shall mean EICF Agent LLC, as Agent for the Senior Lenders, or any other Person appointed by the holders of the Senior Debt as administrative agent for purposes of the Senior Loan Documents and this Agreement.
“Bankruptcy Code” shall mean Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code, as amended from time to time and any successor statute and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Capped Obligations” means, with respect to Senior Debt or Subordinated Debt, obligations in respect of principal of loans and interest, premium, if any, and fees (but not including out-of-pocket fees and disbursements) accruing or payable in respect thereof or in respect of commitments therefor.
“Distribution” means, with respect to any Senior Debt or Subordinated Debt, (a) any payment or distribution by any Person of cash, securities or other property, by set-off or otherwise, on account of such Senior Debt or Subordinated Debt, (b) any redemption, purchase or other acquisition of such Senior Debt or Subordinated Debt by any Person or (c) the granting of any lien or security interest to or for the benefit of the holders of such Senior Debt or Subordinated Debt in or upon any property of any Person.
“Enforcement Action” shall mean (a) to take from or for the account of the Company or any guarantor of the Subordinated Debt or the Senior Debt (as the case may be) , by set-off or in any other manner, the whole or any part of any moneys which may now or hereafter be owing by the Company or any such guarantor with respect to the Subordinated Debt, (b) to sue for payment of, or to initiate or participate with others in any suit, action or proceeding against the Company or any such guarantor to (i) enforce payment of or to collect the whole or any part of the Subordinated Debt or the Senior Debt (as the case may be) or (ii) commence judicial enforcement of any of the rights and remedies under the Subordinated Loan Documents or the Senior Loan Documents (as the case may be) or applicable law with respect to the Subordinated Debt or the Senior Debt (as the case may be), (c) to exercise any put option or to cause the Company or any such guarantor to honor any redemption or mandatory prepayment obligation under any Subordinated Loan Document or the Senior Loan Documents (as the case may be), (d) to notify account debtors or directly collect accounts receivable or other payment rights of the Company or any such guarantor, (e) to take any action under the provisions of any state or federal law, including, without limitation, the Uniform Commercial Code, or under any contract or agreement, to enforce, foreclose upon, take possession of or sell any property or assets of the Company or any such guarantor including the Collateral or (f) the solicitation of bids from third parties to conduct in good faith the liquidation of all or a material portion of the Collateral within a commercially reasonable time or the engagement or retention of sales brokers, marketing agents, investment bankers, accountants, appraisers, auctioneers or other third parties for the purposes of valuing, marketing, and promoting the Collateral to conduct in good faith the sale of all or a material portion of the Collateral within a commercially reasonable time.
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“Excess Senior Debt” means any Senior Debt that are included in the Capped Obligations and that are in excess of the Senior Cap.
“New Buyer Event” means that any person (such person, a “New Buyer”) not a party to the Merger Agreement (as defined in the Subordinated Loan Agreement) or affiliated with Shell USA, Inc. has made a Superior Proposal (as defined in the Merger Agreement) that has been accepted by Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation, in accordance with Section 9.1(d) of the Merger Agreement.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, general or limited partnership, limited liability company, firm, trust, association, government, governmental agency or other entity, whether acting in an individual, fiduciary or other capacity.
“Permitted Payments” means (i) payments of interest in kind on the Subordinated Debt made as compounded interest, added to the aggregate principal amount of the Subordinated Debt, (ii) other payments in respect of Subordinated Debt that are not Capped Obligations in an amount not in excess of $25,000 per each Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower, and (iii) indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Subordinated Debt held by Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US on or after the occurrence of a New Buyer Event in connection with a Transfer or refinancing thereof as contemplated by, and in accordance with the terms of, Section 2.8.
“Proceeding” shall mean any voluntary or involuntary insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, custodianship, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization, assignment for the benefit of creditors, appointment of a custodian, receiver, trustee or other officer with similar powers or any other proceeding for the liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of a Person.
“Senior Cap” means the sum of:
(a) the difference of (1) the amount of unpaid principal of the loans outstanding under the Senior Loan Documents (“Senior Principal Obligations”) not to exceed in the aggregate $17,923,423.42, minus (2) the aggregate amount of all repayments of term indebtedness (Senior Principal Obligations in excess of the Senior Cap being the “Excess Senior Principal Obligations“), plus
(b) accrued but unpaid interest, commitment, facility, utilization, and other analogous fees and, if applicable, prepayment premiums on the Senior Principal Obligations referred to in clause (a) (at rates not in excess of three percent (3%) above the rates provided for under the Senior Loan Agreement as in effect on the date hereof), plus
(c) all fees, expenses, premium (if any), reimbursement obligations, and other amounts of a type not referred to in clause (a) or (b) payable in respect of the amounts referred to in clauses (a) and (b),
in each case payable pursuant to the Senior Loan Documents; provided that the Senior Cap shall not apply to any Senior Debt other than Capped Obligations.
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For purposes of this definition, all payments of Senior Principal Obligations will be deemed to be applied first to reduce the Senior Principal Obligations referred to in clause (a)(1) and thereafter to reduce any Excess Senior Principal Obligations.
“Senior Debt” shall mean all obligations, liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the Company from time to time owed to Agent or any Senior Lender under the Senior Loan Documents, including, without limitation, the principal amount of all debts, claims and indebtedness, accrued and unpaid interest and all fees, costs and expenses, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise, heretofore, now and from time to time hereafter owing, due or payable, whether before or after the filing of a Proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code together with (a) any amendments, modifications, renewals or extensions thereof to the extent not prohibited by the terms of this Agreement and (b) any interest accruing thereon after the commencement of a Proceeding, without regard to whether or not such interest is an allowed claim. Senior Debt shall be considered to be outstanding whenever any loan commitment under the Senior Loan Document is outstanding.
“Senior Default” shall mean any “Event of Default” under the Senior Loan Documents.
“Senior Default Notice” shall mean a written notice from Agent to Subordinated Creditor pursuant to which Subordinated Creditor is notified of the occurrence of a Senior Default, which notice incorporates a reasonably detailed description of such Senior Default and which notice expressly states that it is a “Senior Default Notice” hereunder.
“Senior Lenders” shall mean the holders of the Senior Debt.
“Senior Loan Documents” shall mean the Senior Loan Agreement and all other agreements, documents and instruments executed from time to time in connection therewith, as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Subordinated Creditor” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals, and shall include, for the avoidance of doubt, any New Buyer or an affiliate thereof that is a holder of Subordinated Debt that becomes a party hereto in connection with a New Buyer Event pursuant to an Adoption Agreement (thereby replacing the pre-existing Subordinated Creditor hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement).
“Subordinated Debt” shall mean all of the obligations of the Company to Subordinated Creditor evidenced by or incurred pursuant to the Subordinated Loan Documents, including, without limitation, the principal amount of all debts, claims and indebtedness, accrued and unpaid interest and all fees, costs and expenses, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise, heretofore, now and from time to time hereafter owing, due or payable, whether before or after the filing of a Proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code together with (a) any amendments, modifications, renewals or extensions thereof to the extent not prohibited by the terms of this Agreement and (b) any interest accruing thereon after the commencement of a Proceeding, without regard to whether or not such interest is an allowed claim. Subordinated Debt shall be considered to be outstanding whenever any loan commitment under the Subordinated Loan Document is outstanding.
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“Subordinated Cap” means the sum of:
(a) the difference of (1) the amount of unpaid principal of the loans outstanding under the Subordinated Loan Documents (“Subordinated Principal Obligations”) not to exceed in the aggregate $35,000,000 minus (2) the aggregate amount of all repayments of Subordinated Principal Obligations (other than repayments of Subordinated Principal Obligations made in connection with a refinancing pursuant to a New Buyer Event as contemplated by, and in accordance with the terms of, Section 2.8) (Subordinated Principal Obligations in excess of the Subordinated Cap being the “Excess Subordinated Principal Obligations”), plus
(b) accrued but unpaid interest, commitment, facility, utilization, and other analogous fees and, if applicable, prepayment premiums on the Subordinated Principal Obligations referred to in clause (a) (at rates not in excess of three percent (3%) above the rates provided for under the Subordinated Loan Agreement as in effect on the date hereof), plus
(c) all fees, expenses, premium (if any), reimbursement obligations, and other amounts of a type not referred to in clause (a) or (b) payable in respect of the amounts referred to in clauses (a) and (b),
in each case payable pursuant to the Subordinated Loan Documents; provided that the Subordinated Cap shall not apply to any Subordinated Debt other than Capped Obligations.
For purposes of this definition, all payments of Subordinated Principal Obligations (for the avoidance of doubt, excluding repayments of Subordinated Principal Obligations made in connection with a refinancing pursuant to a New Buyer Event as contemplated by, and in accordance with the terms of, Section 2.8) will be deemed to be applied first to reduce the Subordinated Principal Obligations referred to in clause (a)(1) and thereafter to reduce any Excess Subordinated Principal Obligations.
“Subordinated Debt Default” shall mean any “Event of Default” under the Subordinated Loan Documents.
“Subordinated Debt Default Notice” shall mean a written notice from Subordinated Creditor or the Company to Agent pursuant to which Agent is notified of the occurrence of a Subordinated Debt Default, which notice incorporates a reasonably detailed description of such Subordinated Debt Default and which notice states that it is a “Subordinated Debt Default Notice” hereunder.
“Subordinated Loan Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in the recitals and shall include, for the avoidance of doubt, any applicable loan agreement the proceeds of which are used to refinance in full an existing Subordinated Loan Agreement (thereby replacing the existing Subordinated Loan Agreement for all purposes of this Agreement) and pursuant to which a New Buyer or an affiliate thereof that has become a party to this agreement pursuant to an Adoption Agreement extends Subordinated Debt to the Company in connection with a New Buyer Event.
“Subordinated Loan Documents” shall mean the Subordinated Loan Agreement, any related guaranty with respect to the Subordinated Debt, any security agreement or other collateral document securing the Subordinated Debt and all other documents, agreements and instruments now existing or hereinafter entered into evidencing or pertaining to all or any portion of the Subordinated Debt, in each case as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any applicable merger or other acquisition agreement (and related documentation) in relation to the acquisition of the Company by the Subordinated Creditor (or an affiliate thereof).
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“Uniform Commercial Code” means the Uniform Commercial Code as the same may, from time to time, be in effect in the State of New York; provided, that in the event that, by reason of mandatory provisions of law, any or all of the attachment, perfection or priority of, or remedies with respect to, Agent’s lien on or security interest in any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable body of law as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, the term “Uniform Commercial Code” shall mean the Uniform Commercial Code or other applicable body of law as in effect in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions of this Agreement, if any, relating to such attachment, perfection, priority or remedies and for purposes of definitions related to such provisions.
2. | Subordination. |
2.1 Payment Subordination of Subordinated Debt to Senior Debt. The parties hereto hereby covenant and agree, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any of the Senior Loan Documents or Subordinated Loan Documents, that (i) the payment of any and all of the Subordinated Debt shall be subordinate and subject in right and time of payment, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, to the prior indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Senior Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Senior Cap), and (ii) the payment of any and all of the Excess Senior Debt constituting Capped Obligations shall be subordinate and subject in right and time of payment, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, to the prior indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Subordinated Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Subordinated Cap), (iii) the payment of any and all of the Excess Subordinated Debt constituting Capped Obligations shall be subordinate and subject in right and time of payment, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth, to the prior indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Excess Senior Debt. Each holder of Senior Debt, whether such Senior Debt is now outstanding or hereafter created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed, shall be deemed to have acquired Senior Debt in reliance upon the provisions contained in this Agreement; each holder of Subordinated Debt, whether such Subordinated Debt is now outstanding or hereafter created, incurred, assumed or guaranteed, shall be deemed to have acquired Subordinated Debt in reliance upon the provisions contained in this Agreement.
2.2 Liquidation, Dissolution, Bankruptcy. In the event of any Proceeding involving the Company:
(a) All Senior Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Senior Cap) shall first be indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall be terminated before any Distribution (other than Permitted Payments), whether in cash, securities or other property, shall be made to Subordinated Creditor on account of any Subordinated Debt. All Subordinated Debt shall first be indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Subordinated Loan Documents shall be terminated before any Distribution, whether in cash, securities or other property, shall be made to holders of Senior Debt on account of any Excess Senior Debt constituting Capped Obligations. All Excess Senior Debt shall first be indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall be terminated before any Distribution, whether in cash, securities or other property, shall be made to Subordinated Creditor on account of any Excess Subordinated Debt.
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(b) Any Distribution (other than Permitted Payments), whether in cash, securities or other property which would otherwise, but for the terms hereof, be payable or deliverable in respect of the Subordinated Debt shall be paid or delivered directly to Agent (to be held and/or applied by Agent in accordance with the terms of the Senior Loan Documents) until all Senior Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Senior Cap) is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall have been terminated. Subordinated Creditor irrevocably authorizes, empowers and directs any debtor, debtor in possession, receiver, trustee, liquidator, custodian, conservator or other Person having authority, to pay or otherwise deliver all such Distributions to Agent. Subordinated Creditor also irrevocably authorizes and empowers Agent, in the name of Subordinated Creditor, to demand, sue for, collect and receive any and all such Distributions. Any Distribution, whether in cash, securities or other property which would otherwise, but for the terms hereof, be payable or deliverable in respect of the Excess Senior Debt constituting Capped Obligations shall be paid or delivered directly to Subordinated Creditor (to be held and/or applied by Subordinated Creditor in accordance with the terms of the Subordinated Loan Documents) until all Subordinated Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Subordinated Cap) is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Subordinated Loan Documents shall have been terminated. Any Distribution, whether in cash, securities or other property which would otherwise, but for the terms hereof, be payable or deliverable in respect of the Excess Subordinated Debt constituting Capped Obligations shall be paid or delivered directly to Agent (to be held and/or applied by Agent in accordance with the terms of the Senior Loan Documents) until all Excess Senior Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall have been terminated.
(c) Subordinated Creditor agrees not to initiate, prosecute or participate in any claim, action or other proceeding challenging the enforceability, validity, perfection or priority of the Senior Debt or any perfected lien or security interest securing the Senior Debt.
(d) Subordinated Creditor agrees that Agent and Senior Lenders may consent to the use of cash collateral or provide financing to the Company on such terms and conditions and in such amounts as Agent and Senior Lenders, in their sole discretion, may decide and, in connection therewith, the Company may grant to Agent and Senior Lenders liens and security interests upon all of the property of the Company (which liens and security interests (i) shall secure payment of all Senior Debt (whether such Senior Debt arose prior to the commencement of any Proceeding or at any time thereafter) and all other financing provided by Senior Lenders during such Proceeding and (ii) shall be superior in priority to the liens and security interests, if any, in favor of Subordinated Creditor on the Collateral), so long as (A) Subordinated Creditor otherwise retains its lien on the Collateral junior and subordinate to the lien on the Collateral of the Agent securing the Senior Debt and all other financing provided by Senior Lenders during such Proceeding and (B) Subordinated Creditor may seek adequate protection as permitted by Section 2.2(f).
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(e) Subordinated Creditor agrees that it will not object to or oppose a sale or other disposition of any property securing all or any part of the Senior Debt free and clear of security interests, liens or other claims of Subordinated Creditor under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code or any other provision of the Bankruptcy Code if Agent and Senior Lenders have consented to such sale or disposition, so long as (i) pursuant to court order, the liens of Subordinated Creditor attach to the net proceeds of the disposition with the same priority and validity as the liens held by Subordinated Creditor on such Collateral, and the liens remain subject to the terms of this Agreement, (ii) the proceeds of a disposition of Collateral received by Agent and Senior Lenders in excess of those necessary to achieve the discharge of Senior Debt, up to the Senior Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Senior Debt that are not Capped Obligations, are distributed in accordance with the UCC and applicable law, or (iii) the net cash proceeds of the disposition that are applied to Senior Debt permanently reduce the Senior Debt pursuant to Section 2.2 or if not so applied, are subject to the rights of Subordinated Creditor to object to any further use. Subject to the provisions of Section 2.4 (c) (iv), Subordinated Creditor shall not be deemed to have waived any rights to credit bid on the Collateral in any such disposition in accordance with Section 363(k) of the Bankruptcy Code. Subordinated Creditor may object to any disposition of Collateral that could be raised in a Proceeding by unsecured creditors generally provided such objections are not inconsistent with any other term or provision of this Agreement and are not based on the status of the Subordinated Creditor as a secured creditor (without limiting the foregoing, Subordinated Creditor may not raise any objections based on rights afforded by Sections 363(e) and (f) of the Bankruptcy Code to secured creditors (or by any comparable provision of any bankruptcy law)).
(f) Subordinated Creditor agrees not to assert any right it may have to “adequate protection” of Subordinated Creditor’s interest in any Collateral in any Proceeding and agrees that it will not seek to have the automatic stay lifted with respect to any Collateral without the prior written consent of Agent; provided that in any Proceeding, (i) if the Agent on behalf of the Senior Lenders is granted adequate protection in the form of a lien on additional or replacement Collateral, Subordinated Creditor may seek or request adequate protection (and the Agent and the Senior Lenders hereby agree not to oppose) in the form of a lien on additional or replacement Collateral, which lien will be subordinated to the liens securing the Senior Debt on the same basis as the other liens securing the Subordinated Debt are subordinated to the liens securing Senior Debt under this Agreement, and (ii) if the Senior Lenders are receiving periodic cash payments of post-petition interest due under the Senior Loan Documents, Subordinated Creditor may seek (and the Agent and the Senior Lenders hereby agree not to oppose) and, subject to the terms below and the other terms of this Agreement, retain periodic cash payments of post-petition interest at the non-default rate specified in the Subordinated Loan Documents (“Second lien Adequate Protection Payments”). If Subordinated Creditor receives Second lien Adequate Protection Payments before the discharge of Senior Debt up to the Senior Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Senior Debt that are not Capped Obligations, then upon the effective date of any plan of reorganization or the conclusion or dismissal of any Proceeding, Subordinated Creditor will pay over to Agent pursuant to Section 2.2(a), an amount equal to the lesser of (x) the Second lien Adequate Protection Payments received by Subordinated Creditor and (y) the amount necessary to discharge the Senior Debt. Subordinated Creditor waives any claim it may now or hereafter have arising out of Agent’s or Senior Lenders’ election, in any Proceeding instituted under the Bankruptcy Code, of the application of Section 1111(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code, and/or any borrowing or grant of a security interest under Section 364 of the Bankruptcy Code by Borrower, as debtor in possession. Subordinated Creditor further agrees that it will not seek to participate or participate on any creditor’s committee without Agent’s prior written consent.
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(g) Subordinated Creditor agrees to execute, verify, deliver and file any proofs of claim in respect of the Subordinated Debt requested by Agent in connection with any such Proceeding and hereby irrevocably authorizes, empowers and appoints Agent its agent and attorney-in-fact to (i) execute, verify, deliver and file such proofs of claim upon the failure of Subordinated Creditor promptly to do so prior to 30 days before the expiration of the time to file any such proof of claim and (ii) vote such claim in any such Proceeding upon the failure of Subordinated Creditor to do so prior to 15 days before the expiration of the time to vote any such claim; provided Agent shall have no obligation to execute, verify, deliver, file and/or vote any such proof of claim. In the event that Agent votes any claim in accordance with the authority granted hereby, Subordinated Creditor shall not be entitled to change or withdraw such vote.
(h) The Senior Debt shall continue to be treated as senior debt and the provisions of this Agreement shall continue to govern the relative rights and priorities of Senior Lenders and Subordinated Creditor even if all or part of the Senior Debt or the liens securing the Senior Debt are subordinated, set aside, avoided, invalidated or disallowed in connection with any such Proceeding, and this Agreement shall be reinstated if at any time any payment of any of the Senior Debt is rescinded or must otherwise be returned by any holder of Senior Debt or any representative of such holder.
2.3 Payment Restrictions. Notwithstanding the terms of the Subordinated Loan Documents, the Company hereby agrees that it may not make, and Subordinated Creditor hereby agrees that it will not accept, any Distribution (other than Permitted Payments) with respect to the Subordinated Debt until the Senior Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Senior Cap) is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents have terminated. Notwithstanding the terms of the Senior Loan Documents, the Company hereby agrees that it may not make, and Agent, for itself and on behalf of Senior Lenders, hereby agrees that it will not accept, any Distribution with respect to the Excess Senior Debt constituting Capped Obligations until the Subordinated Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Subordinated Loan Documents have terminated. Notwithstanding the terms of the Subordinated Loan Documents, the Company hereby agrees that it may not make, and Subordinated Creditor hereby agrees that it will not accept, any Distribution with respect to the Excess Subordinated Debt until the Excess Senior Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents have terminated.
2.4 Subordinated Debt Standstill Provisions.
(a) Subject to Sections 2.4(b) and (c), until the Senior Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall be terminated, Subordinated Creditor shall not, without the prior written consent of Agent, take any Enforcement Action with respect to the Subordinated Debt. Any Distributions (other than Permitted Payments) or other proceeds of any Enforcement Action obtained by Subordinated Creditor in violation of this Agreement shall in any event be held in trust by it for the benefit of Agent and Senior Lenders and promptly paid or delivered to Agent for the benefit of Senior Lenders in the form received until all Senior Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents shall have been terminated.
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(b) Notwithstanding Section 2.4(a), Subordinated Creditor may commence an Enforcement Action or exercise rights with respect to a lien securing Subordinated Debt if:
(i) 180 days have elapsed since Subordinated Creditor notified Agent that the Subordinated Debt was due in full as a result of acceleration or otherwise (the “Standstill Period”);
(ii) Agent is not then diligently pursuing an Enforcement Action with respect to all or a material portion of the Collateral or diligently attempting to vacate any stay or prohibition against such exercise;
(iii) any acceleration of the Subordinated Debt has not been rescinded; and
(iv) no Company then is a debtor in a Proceeding.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 2.4(a), Subordinated Creditor may:
(i) file a proof of claim or statement of interest, vote on a plan of reorganization (including a vote to accept or reject a plan of partial or complete liquidation, reorganization, arrangement, composition, or extension, provided that Subordinated Creditor hereby agrees that it shall not propose, vote in favor of, or otherwise support any such plan that violates the payment and lien priorities of this Agreement.), and make other filings, arguments, and motions, with respect to the Subordinated Debt and the Collateral in any Proceeding commenced by or against any Company, in each case to the extent not inconsistent with the payment and lien priorities and other terms of this Agreement;
(ii) take action to create, perfect, preserve, or protect its lien on the Collateral, so long as such actions are not adverse to the priority status in accordance with this Agreement of liens on the Collateral securing the Senior Debt or Agent’s or Senior Lenders’ rights to exercise remedies;
(iii) file necessary pleadings in opposition to a claim objecting to or otherwise seeking the disallowance of Subordinated Debt or a lien securing Subordinated Debt;
(iv) join (but not exercise any control over) a judicial foreclosure or lien enforcement proceeding with respect to the Collateral initiated by Agent or Senior Lenders, to the extent that such action could not reasonably be expected to interfere materially with the enforcement proceeding or Enforcement Action taken by the Agent or the Senior Lenders, but Subordinated Creditor may not receive any proceeds thereof unless expressly permitted under this Agreement; and
(v) bid for or purchase Collateral at any public, private, or judicial foreclosure upon such Collateral initiated by any Agent, or any sale of Collateral during a Proceeding; provided that such bid may not include a “credit bid” in respect of any Subordinated Debt unless the proceeds of such bid are otherwise sufficient to cause the payment in full in cash of Senior Debt up to the Senior Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Senior Debt that is not Capped Obligations.
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2.5 Incorrect Payments. If any Distribution (other than Permitted Payments) on account of the Subordinated Debt not permitted to be made by the Company or accepted by Subordinated Creditor under this Agreement is made and received by Subordinated Creditor, such Distribution shall be held in trust by Subordinated Creditor for the benefit of Agent and Senior Lenders and shall be promptly paid over to Agent for application (in accordance with the Senior Loan Documents) to the payment of the Senior Debt then remaining unpaid, until all of the Senior Debt is paid in full. If any Distribution on account of Excess Senior Debt not permitted to be accepted by holders of Senior Debt under this Agreement is made and received by any such holder, such Distribution shall be held in trust by such holder for the benefit of Subordinated Creditor and shall be promptly paid over to Subordinated Creditor for application (in accordance with the Subordinated Loan Documents) to the payment of the Subordinated Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Subordinated Cap) then remaining unpaid, until all of the Subordinated Debt (in the case of Capped Obligations, up to but not in excess of the Subordinated Cap) is paid in full.
2.6 Subordination of liens and Security Interests; Agreement Not to Contest; Agreement to Release liens.
(a) Regardless of the time, manner or order of perfection, or the validity or perfection of, of any such liens and security interests: (i) any lien on Collateral securing any Senior Debt up to the Senior Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Senior Debt that are not Capped Obligations will at all times be senior and prior in all respects to any lien on such Collateral securing any Subordinated Debt, and any lien on Collateral securing any Subordinated Debt will at all times be junior and subordinate in all respects to any lien on such Collateral securing any Senior Debt up to the Senior Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Senior Debt that are not Capped Obligations; (ii) any lien on Collateral securing any Senior Debt that is not included in the Capped Obligations will at all times be senior and prior in all respects to any lien on such Collateral securing any Subordinated Debt, and any lien on Collateral securing any Subordinated Debt will at all times be junior and subordinate in all respects to a lien on such Collateral securing any Senior Debt that is not included in the Capped Obligations; (iii) any lien on Collateral securing any Excess Senior Debt will at all times be senior and prior in all respects to any lien on such Collateral securing any Excess Subordinated Debt, and any lien on Collateral securing any Excess Subordinated Debt will at all times be junior and subordinate in all respects to a lien on such Collateral securing any Excess Senior Debt; and (iv) the lien on Collateral securing any Senior Debt comprised of Capped Obligations in excess of the Senior Cap will have the priority set forth in Section 2.6(b).
(b) All liens securing Subordinated Debt up to the Subordinated Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Subordinated Debt that are not Capped Obligations will be senior in all respects and prior to any lien on the Collateral securing any Excess Senior Debt (but only with respect to such excess amounts), and all liens securing any Excess Senior Debt will be junior and subordinate in all respects to any lien securing Subordinated Debt up to the Subordinated Cap with respect to the Capped Obligations and in their entirety with respect to Subordinated Debt that are not Capped Obligations. Nothing in clauses (a) and (b) of this Section 2.6 will be deemed a waiver of any default or event of default under the Subordinated Loan Documents or the Senior Loan Documents resulting from (x) the incurrence of Senior Debt comprised of Capped Obligations in excess of the Senior Cap or the grant of liens under the Senior Loan Documents securing any such excess amounts, or (y) the incurrence of Subordinated Debt comprised of Capped Obligations in excess of the Subordinated Cap or the grant of liens under the Subordinated Loan Documents securing any such excess amounts.
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(c) Subordinated Creditor agrees that it will not at any time contest the validity, perfection, priority or enforceability of the Senior Debt or the liens and security interests of Agent and Senior Lenders in the Collateral securing the Senior Debt; Agent, on behalf of itself and each Senior Lender, agrees that it will not at any time contest the validity, perfection, priority or enforceability of the Subordinated Debt or the perfected liens and security interests of Subordinated Creditor in the Collateral securing the Subordinated Debt.
(d) In the event that Agent or Senior Lenders release or agree to release any of their liens or security interests in the Collateral in connection with the sale or other disposition thereof or any of the Collateral is sold or retained pursuant to a foreclosure or similar action, Subordinated Creditor shall (or shall cause its agent) to promptly execute and deliver to Agent such termination statements and releases as Agent shall reasonably request to effect the release of the liens and security interests of Subordinated Creditor in such Collateral. In furtherance of the foregoing, Subordinated Creditor hereby irrevocably appoints Agent its attorney-in-fact, with full authority in the place and stead of Subordinated Creditor and in the name of Subordinated Creditor or otherwise, to execute and deliver any document or instrument which Subordinated Creditor may be required to deliver pursuant to this Section 2.6(d).
(e) Agent acknowledges that applicable provisions of the UCC may require, in order to properly perfect Subordinated Creditor’s security interest in the Collateral securing the Subordinated Debt, that Agent possess or control certain of such Collateral, and may require the execution of control agreements in favor of Agent concerning such Collateral. In order to help ensure that Subordinated Creditor’s security interest in such Collateral is properly perfected (but subject to and without waiving the other provisions of this Agreement), Agent agrees to hold both for itself and Senior Lenders and, to hold as “bailee-in possession” solely for the purposes of perfection and without incurring any duties, obligations or liabilities whatsoever to Subordinated Creditor as a result thereof or with respect thereto, for the benefit of Subordinated Creditor, any such Collateral, and agrees that the intent of this “bailee-in possession” arrangement is for the purpose of perfecting Subordinated Creditor’s lien in such Collateral in accordance with applicable law.
(f) The parties hereto agree that it is their intention that the Collateral securing the Senior Debt and the Subordinated Debt be identical. The parties hereto agree that the Company shall not grant or permit any additional Liens on any asset to secure any Subordinated Debt unless the Company grants a Lien on such asset to secure the Senior Debt concurrently with the grant of a Lien thereon in favor of the Subordinated Creditor. To the extent that the foregoing provision is not complied with for any reason, without limiting any other rights and remedies available to the Agent and the Senior Lenders, Subordinated Creditor agrees that any amounts received by or distributed to the Subordinated Creditor pursuant to or as a result of Liens granted in contravention of this Section 2.6(f) shall be subject to Sections 2.2 and 2.5.
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2.7 Application of Proceeds from Sale or other Disposition of the Collateral. In the event of any sale, transfer or other disposition (including a casualty loss or taking through eminent domain) of the Collateral, the proceeds resulting therefrom (including insurance proceeds) shall be applied in accordance with the terms of the Senior Loan Documents or as otherwise consented to by Agent and Senior Lenders until such time as the Senior Debt is indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all commitments to lend under the Senior Loan Documents have been terminated.
2.8 Sale, Transfer or other Disposition of Subordinated Debt.
(a) Subordinated Creditor shall not sell, assign, pledge, dispose of or otherwise transfer (each a “Transfer”) all or any portion of the Subordinated Debt or any Subordinated Loan Document; provided that (x) Subordinated Creditor may Transfer the Subordinated Debt and the Subordinated Loan Documents to a New Buyer or an affiliate thereof, on or after the occurrence of a New Buyer Event and/or (y) in connection with any New Buyer Event the existing Subordinated Debt may be refinanced in full, and, for purposes of the foregoing clauses (x) and (y), upon such Transfer or refinancing, as the case may be, the applicable New Buyer or an affiliate thereof shall, as a condition to such Transfer or refinancing, execute and deliver to Agent and the Credit Parties an Adoption Agreement to Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement in the form of Exhibit A (the “Adoption Agreement”).
(b) The subordination effected hereby shall survive any Transfer or refinancing of all or any portion of the Subordinated Debt, and the terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon the successors and assigns of Subordinated Creditor, as provided in Section 10 hereof.
2.9 Legends. Until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Section 16 hereof, Subordinated Creditor will cause to be clearly, conspicuously and prominently inserted on the face of the Subordinated Loan Agreement, as well as any renewals or replacements thereof, the following legend:
“The rights and obligations evidenced hereby and by the other Loan Documents are subordinate in the manner and to the extent set forth in that certain Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Intercreditor Agreement”), among Borrower, Agent and EICF Agent LLC, to the indebtedness (including interest) owed by the Credit Parties pursuant to that certain Term Loan, Guarantee and Security Agreement, dated as of June 19, 2019 (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time), among Borrower, the lenders party thereto and EICF Agent LLC, and Agent and each Lender irrevocably agrees to be bound by the provisions of the Intercreditor Agreement.”
3. Modifications.
3.1 Modifications to Senior Loan Documents. Senior Lenders may at any time and from time to time without the consent of or notice to Subordinated Creditor, without incurring liability to Subordinated Creditor and without impairing or releasing the obligations of Subordinated Creditor under this Agreement, change the manner or place of payment or extend the time of payment of or renew or alter any of the terms of the Senior Debt, or amend in any manner any agreement, note, guaranty or other instrument evidencing or securing or otherwise relating to the Senior Debt; provided that Agent and Senior Lenders shall not, without the prior written consent of Subordinated Creditor, agree to any such amendment, modification or supplement that would increase the amount of principal of the Senior Debt (other than by compounding of interest accruing thereunder) to an amount in excess of the Senior Cap.
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3.2 Modifications to Subordinated Loan Documents. Until the Senior Debt has been indefeasibly paid in full in cash and all lending commitments under the Senior Loan Documents have terminated, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Subordinated Loan Documents, Subordinated Creditor shall not, without the prior written consent of Agent, agree to any amendment, modification or supplement to the Subordinated Loan Documents that would (i) increase the amount of principal of the Subordinated Debt (other than by compounding of interest accruing thereunder) to an amount in excess of $35,000,000, (ii) increase the rate of interest accruing on such principal, (iii) shorten the maturity date of the Subordinated Debt, (iv) amend, modify or supplement Sections 6.1 or 7.1 of the Subordinated Loan Agreement, or (v) make any other modification that would be adverse to the Agent or the Senior Lenders.
4. Waiver of Certain Rights by Subordinated Creditor.
4.1 Marshaling. Subordinated Creditor hereby waives any rights it may have under applicable law to assert the doctrine of marshaling or to otherwise require Agent or Senior Lenders to marshal any property of the Company or any guarantor of the Senior Debt for the benefit of Subordinated Creditor.
4.2 Rights Relating to Agent’s Actions with respect to the Collateral. Subordinated Creditor hereby waives, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any rights which it may have to enjoin or otherwise obtain a judicial or administrative order preventing Agent or Senior Lenders from taking, or refraining from taking, any action with respect to all or any part of the Collateral. Without limitation of the foregoing, Subordinated Creditor hereby agrees (a) that it has no right to direct or object to the manner in which Agent and Lenders apply the proceeds of the Collateral resulting from the exercise by Agent and Senior Lenders of rights and remedies under the Senior Loan Documents to the Senior Debt and (b) that Agent has not assumed any obligation to act as the agent for Subordinated Creditor with respect to the Collateral. The Agent shall have the exclusive right to enforce rights and exercise remedies with respect to the Collateral until the Senior Debt is paid in full. In exercising rights and remedies with respect to the Collateral, the Agent and Senior Lenders may enforce the provisions of the Senior Loan Documents and exercise remedies thereunder, all in such order and in such manner as it or they may determine in the exercise of its or their sole business judgment. Such exercise and enforcement shall include, without limitation, the rights to sell or otherwise dispose of Collateral, to incur expenses in connection with such sale or disposition and to exercise all the rights and remedies of a secured lender under the Uniform Commercial Code of any applicable jurisdiction. In conducting any public or private sale under the Uniform Commercial Code, the Agent shall give the Subordinated Creditor such notice of such sale as may be required by the applicable Uniform Commercial Code; provided, however, that 10 days’ notice shall be deemed to be commercially reasonable notice.
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5. Representations and Warranties.
5.1 Representations and Warranties of Subordinated Creditor. Subordinated Creditor hereby represents and warrants to Agent and Senior Lenders that as of the date hereof: (a) Subordinated Creditor is a limited liability company duly formed and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware; (b) Subordinated Creditor has the power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and carry out the terms of this Agreement, all of which have been duly authorized by all proper and necessary action; (c) the execution of this Agreement by Subordinated Creditor will not violate or conflict with the organizational documents of Subordinated Creditor, any material agreement binding upon Subordinated Creditor or any law, regulation or order or require any consent or approval which has not been obtained; (d) this Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation of Subordinated Creditor, enforceable against Subordinated Creditor in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and by equitable principles; and (e) Subordinated Creditor is the sole owner, beneficially and of record, of the Subordinated Loan Documents and the Subordinated Debt.
5.2 Representations and Warranties of Agent. Agent hereby represents and warrants to Subordinated Creditor that as of the date hereof: (a) Agent is a limited liability company duly formed and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware; (b) Agent has the power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and carry out the terms of this Agreement, all of which have been duly authorized by all proper and necessary action; (c) the execution of this Agreement by Agent will not violate or conflict with the organizational documents of Agent, any material agreement binding upon Agent or any law, regulation or order or require any consent or approval which has not been obtained; and (d) this Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation of Agent, enforceable against Agent in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles.
6. Subrogation. Subject to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Senior Debt and the termination of all lending commitments under the Senior Loan Documents, Subordinated Creditor shall be subrogated to the rights of Agent and Senior Lenders to receive Distributions with respect to the Senior Debt until the Subordinated Debt is paid in full. Subordinated Creditor agrees that in the event that all or any part of a payment made with respect to the Senior Debt is recovered from the holders of the Senior Debt in a Proceeding or otherwise, any Distribution (other than Permitted Payments) received by Subordinated Creditor with respect to the Subordinated Debt at any time after the date of the payment that is so recovered, whether pursuant to the right of subrogation provided for in this Agreement or otherwise, shall be deemed to have been received by Subordinated Creditor in trust as property of the holders of the Senior Debt and Subordinated Creditor shall forthwith deliver the same to the Agent for the benefit of the Senior Lenders for application to the Senior Debt until the Senior Debt is paid in full. A Distribution made pursuant to this Agreement to Agent or Senior Lenders which otherwise would have been made to Subordinated Creditor is not, as between the Company and Subordinated Creditor, a payment by the Company to or on account of the Senior Debt.
7. Modification. Any modification of any provision of this Agreement shall not be effective in any event unless the same is in writing and signed by Agent and Subordinated Creditor, and any waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any consent to any departure by any party from the terms hereof, shall not be effective in any event unless the same is in writing and signed by the party against which such waiver or consent is to be enforced, and in each case, any such modification, waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose given. Any notice to or demand on any party hereto in any event not specifically required hereunder shall not entitle the party receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or demand in the same, similar or other circumstances unless specifically required hereunder.
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8. Further Assurances. Each party to this Agreement promptly will execute and deliver such further instruments and agreements and do such further acts and things as may be reasonably requested in writing by any other party hereto that may be necessary or desirable in order to effect fully the purposes of this Agreement.
9. Notices. Unless otherwise specifically provided herein, any notice delivered under this Agreement shall be in writing addressed to the respective party as set forth below and may be personally served, telecopied or sent by overnight courier service or certified or registered United States mail and shall be deemed to have been given (a) if delivered in person, when delivered; (b) if delivered by telecopy, on the date of transmission if transmitted on a business day before 4:00 p.m. (New York time) or, if not, on the next succeeding business day; (c) if delivered by overnight courier, one business day after delivery to such courier properly addressed; or (d) if by United States mail, four business days after deposit in the United States mail, postage prepaid and properly addressed.
Notices shall be addressed as follows:
If to Subordinated Creditor:
Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US
150 North Dairy Ashford Road
Houston, Texas 77079
Attention: Troy Eberhart
Telephone: (281) 216-4611
With a copy to:
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
555 California Street, Suite 3300
San Francisco, California 94104
Attention: Lior Nuchi
Telephone: (628) 231-6817
If to the Company:
c/o Volta, Inc.
155 De Haro Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Attention: Michelle Kley
Telephone: (415) 583-3805
With a copy to:
Shearman & Sterling LLP
535 Mission Street, 25th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attention: Michael Dorf
Telephone: (415) 616-1246
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If to Agent or Senior Lenders:
EICF AGENT LLC
600 3rd Avenue, 38th Floor
New York, New York 10016
Attention: Harry Giovani
Telephone: 212-899-9714
With a copy to:
Chapman and Cutler LLP
1270 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
Attention: Anthony DiGiacomo
Telephone: 212-655-2530
or in any case, to such other address as the party addressed shall have previously designated by written notice to the serving party, given in accordance with this Section 9.
10. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and shall be binding upon, the respective successors and assigns of Agent, Senior Lenders, Subordinated Creditor and the Company. To the extent permitted under the Senior Loan Documents, Senior Lenders may, from time to time, without notice to Subordinated Creditor, assign or transfer any or all of the Senior Debt or any interest therein to any Person and, notwithstanding any such assignment or transfer, or any subsequent assignment or transfer, the Senior Debt shall, subject to the terms hereof, be and remain Senior Debt for purposes of this Agreement, and every permitted assignee or transferee of any of the Senior Debt or of any interest therein shall, to the extent of the interest of such permitted assignee or transferee in the Senior Debt, be entitled to rely upon and be the third party beneficiary of the subordination provided under this Agreement and shall be entitled to enforce the terms and provisions hereof to the same extent as if such assignee or transferee were initially a party hereto.
11. Relative Rights. This Agreement shall define the relative rights of Agent, Senior Lenders and Subordinated Creditor. Nothing in this Agreement shall (a) impair, as among the Company, Agent and Senior Lenders and as between the Company and Subordinated Creditor, the obligation of the Company with respect to the payment of the Senior Debt and the Subordinated Debt in accordance with their respective terms or (b) affect the relative rights of Agent, Senior Lenders or Subordinated Creditor with respect to any other creditors of the Company.
12. Conflict. In the event of any conflict between any term, covenant or condition of this Agreement and any term, covenant or condition of any of the Subordinated Loan Documents, the provisions of this Agreement shall control and govern.
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13. Headings. The paragraph headings used in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of any of the provisions hereof.
14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
15. Severability. In the event that any provision of this Agreement is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable by reason of the operation of any law or by reason of the interpretation placed thereon by any court or governmental authority, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and the affected provision shall be modified to the minimum extent permitted by law so as most fully to achieve the intention of this Agreement.
16. Continuation of Subordination; Termination of Agreement. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Senior Debt and the termination of all lending commitments under the Senior Loan Documents after which this Agreement shall terminate without further action on the part of the parties hereto.
17. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflicts of law principles.
18. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY CONSENTS TO THE JURISDICTION OF ANY STATE OR FEDERAL COURT LOCATED WITHIN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, AND IRREVOCABLY AGREES THAT, SUBJECT TO AGENT’S ELECTION, ALL ACTIONS OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LITIGATED IN SUCH COURTS. EACH PARTY HERETO EXPRESSLY SUBMITS AND CONSENTS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AFORESAID COURTS AND WAIVES ANY DEFENSE OF FORUM NON CONVENIENS. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF ANY AND ALL PROCESS AND AGREES THAT ALL SUCH SERVICE OF PROCESS MAY BE MADE UPON IT BY CERTIFIED OR REGISTERED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, ADDRESSED TO SUCH PERSON AT ITS ADDRESS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT AND SERVICE SO MADE SHALL BE COMPLETE TEN (10) DAYS AFTER THE SAME HAS BEEN POSTED.
19. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES ITS RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION BASED UPON OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OF THE SUBORDINATED LOAN DOCUMENTS OR ANY OF THE SENIOR LOAN DOCUMENTS. EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THIS WAIVER IS A MATERIAL INDUCEMENT TO ENTER INTO A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP, THAT EACH HAS RELIED ON THE WAIVER IN ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE SENIOR LOAN DOCUMENTS AND SUBORDINATED LOAN DOCUMENTS AND THAT EACH WILL CONTINUE TO RELY ON THE WAIVER IN THEIR RELATED FUTURE DEALINGS. EACH PARTY HERETO WARRANTS AND REPRESENTS THAT EACH HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF REVIEWING THIS JURY WAIVER WITH LEGAL COUNSEL, AND THAT EACH KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY WAIVES ITS JURY TRIAL RIGHTS.
20. Consent. Agent and Senior Lenders acknowledge and consent to the incurrence of the Subordinated Debt and Company’s (and other Credit Parties’) entry into the Subordinated Loan Documents.
21. Adoption Agreement. At any time after the date of this Agreement, one or more additional New Buyers (or an affiliate thereof) may become party hereto by executing and delivering to Agent an Adoption Agreement as contemplated by Section 2.8(a). Immediately upon such execution and delivery of such Adoption Agreement (and without any further action), each such additional Person will become a party to this Agreement as a “Subordinated Creditor” and have all of the rights and obligations of a Subordinated Creditor hereunder and this Agreement shall be deemed amended by such Adoption Agreement.
(Signature page follows)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Subordinated Creditor, Agent and the Company have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first above written.
SUBORDINATED CREDITOR: | |||
EQUILON ENTERPRISES LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US, a Delaware limited liability company | |||
By | /s/ Barbara Stoyko | ||
Name: | Barbara Stoyko | ||
Title: | Vice President - Mobility | ||
AGENT: | |||
EICF AGENT LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||
By | /s/ Harry Giovani | ||
Name: | Harry Giovani | ||
Title: | Authorized Signatory |
[Intercreditor Agreement]
COMPANY: | |||
VOLTA CHARGING, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Name: | Michelle Kley | ||
Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | ||
VOLTA INC., a Delaware corporation | |||
By | /s/ Vince Cubbage | ||
Name: | Vince Cubbage | ||
Title: | Interim Chief Executive Officer | ||
VOLTA MEDIA LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Name: | Michelle Kley | ||
Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | ||
VOLTA CHARGING SERVICES LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | |||
By | /s/ Michelle Kley | ||
Name: | Michelle Kley | ||
Title: | Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary |
[Intercreditor Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
ADOPTION AGREEMENT
TO SUBORDINATION AND INTERCREDITOR AGREEMENT
This Adoption Agreement (“Adoption Agreement”) is executed as of [___], 2023 by the undersigned (the “New Buyer”) and being delivered to Agent. Reference is made to that certain Subordination and Intercreditor Agreement, dated as of January 17, 2023 (the “Agreement”), by and among Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US, a Delaware limited liability company (“Subordinated Creditor”), Volta Charging, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Charging”), Volta Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), Volta Media LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Media”), Volta Charging Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Volta Services” and collectively with Volta Charging, Parent and Volta Media, “Borrower”) and EICF Agent LLC (“Agent”), as such Agreement may be amended, supplemented, and/or restated from time to time. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Adoption Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in the Agreement.
By the execution of this Adoption Agreement, the New Buyer agrees as follows:
1.1 Acknowledgement. New Buyer acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Agreement and acknowledges that New Buyer will be, on or about the date hereof and upon acquisition of any Subordinated Debt, a Subordinated Creditor for all purposes of the Agreement and bound by all
terms of the Agreement applicable to a Subordinated Creditor.
1.2 Agreement. New Buyer hereby (a) agrees that the Subordinated Debt, and any other Subordinated Debt that New Buyer has acquired prior to the date hereof and/or acquires after the date hereof, shall be bound by and subject to the terms of the Agreement and (b) adopts the Agreement with the same force and effect as if New Buyer were originally a party thereto as a Subordinated Creditor thereunder.
1.3 Notices. Any notice required or permitted by the Agreement shall be given to New Buyer at the address or facsimile number listed below New Buyer’s signature hereto.
(Signature page follows)
A-1
NEW BUYER: | ||
[______] | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
Address for Notices: | ||
ACCEPTED AND AGREED: | ||
AGENT: | ||
EICF AGENT LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | Authorized Signatory |
A-2
Exhibit 99.1
Volta Inc. to be Acquired by Shell USA, Inc. to Accelerate Decarbonization of the
Transportation Sector
Shell to Acquire Volta in All-Cash Transaction Valuing Volta at Approximately $169 Million
New York, NY (January 18, 2023) -- Volta Inc. (NYSE: VLTA) today announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement under which Shell USA Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc (NYSE: SHEL), will acquire Volta in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $169 million. The transaction brings Volta’s powerful dual charging and media network to Shell’s established brand and seeks to unlock robust, long-term growth opportunities in electric vehicle (“EV”) charging.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Shell USA Inc. will acquire all outstanding shares of Class A common stock of Volta at $0.86 per share in cash upon completion of the merger, which represents an approximate 18 percent premium to the closing price of Volta stock on January 17, 2023, the last full trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction.
Vince Cubbage, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said, “The shift to e-mobility is unstoppable, and Shell recognizes Volta’s industry-leading dual charging and media model delivers a public charging offering that is affordable, reliable, and accessible. While the EV infrastructure market opportunity is potentially enormous, Volta’s ability to capture it independently, in challenging market conditions and with ongoing capital constraints, was limited. This transaction creates value for our shareholders and provides our exceptional employees and other stakeholders a clear path forward.”
Cubbage continued, “Both Volta and Shell have a demonstrated ability to meet the changing needs of customers, and this acquisition will bring that experience together to provide the options that are needed as more drivers choose electric.”
This acquisition builds on the momentum in electric mobility by combining one of the leading EV charging and media companies in the U.S. with one of the world’s largest energy suppliers. The transaction provides the opportunity to unlock Volta’s significant signed pipeline of charging stalls in construction or evaluation and capture the seismic EV charging market opportunity. Following the completion of the transaction, there will be no immediate change in driver experience, Volta Media™ Network capabilities available to advertisers, or services provided to commercial properties and retail locations.
As part of the agreement, an affiliate of Shell will provide subordinated secured term loans to Volta to bridge Volta through the closing of the transaction.
Approvals
Volta’s Board of Directors, having determined that the transaction is in the best interests of the company’s stockholders, has unanimously approved the transaction and recommends that Volta’s stockholders approve the transaction and adopt the merger agreement at the special meeting of stockholders to be called in connection with the transaction.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2023. The closing of the merger is subject to the approval of Volta’s stockholders, the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other applicable regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. Upon closing of the transaction, Volta’s Class A common stock will no longer be listed on any public market.
Advisors
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. are serving as advisors to Volta, and Shearman & Sterling LLP is serving as Volta’s legal advisor. Raymond James & Associates, Inc. provided a fairness opinion to Volta’s Board of Directors. UBS Securities LLC is serving as a financial advisor to Shell, and Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is serving as Shell’s legal advisor.
About Volta Inc.
Volta Inc. (NYSE: VLTA) is an industry-leading electric vehicle (“EV”) charging and media company. Volta’s unique network of charging stations powers vehicles and drives business growth while accelerating a clean energy future. Volta delivers value to site hosts, brands, and consumers by installing charging stations that feature large-format digital advertising screens located steps away from the entrances of popular commercial locations. Retailers can attract and influence foot traffic, advertisers can precisely target audiences, and EV drivers can charge their vehicles seamlessly as they go about their daily routines. Volta’s extensive network leverages its proprietary PredictEV® platform, which uses sophisticated behavioral science and machine learning technology to help commercial property owners, cities, and electric utilities plan EV infrastructure intelligently, efficiently, and equitably. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger between a subsidiary of Shell USA, Inc. (“Shell”) and Volta Inc. (“Volta”). In connection with the proposed transaction, Volta plans to file a proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). STOCKHOLDERS OF VOLTA ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION THAT VOLTA WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND THE PARTIES TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Stockholders and investors will be able to obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials (when they become available) and other documents filed by Volta at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the Proxy Statement (when they become available) and the filings that will be incorporated by reference therein may also be obtained, without charge, on Volta’s website at investors.voltacharging.com or by contacting Volta Investor Relations at drew@voltacharging.com.
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Participants in Solicitation
Volta and its directors, executive officers and certain employees, may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed merger. Information regarding Volta’s directors and executive officers is available in its proxy statement filed with the SEC on June 13, 2022 and in its current reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 13, 2022, July 12, 2022, August 2, 2022 and January 6, 2023. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC (when they become available). Investors should read the proxy statement and other relevant materials carefully when they become available before making any voting or investment decisions. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Such statements include statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. All statements included in this communication other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions about future events and currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Such statements are inherently subject to numerous business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Volta’s control. No assurance can be given that such expectations will be correct or achieved or that the assumptions are accurate or that any transaction will ultimately be consummated. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “target,” “estimate,” “continue,” “positions,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “goal,” “objective,” “prospects,” “possible” or “potential,” by future conditional verbs such as “assume,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could” or “may,” or by variations of such words or by similar expressions or the negative thereof. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, without limitation: (1) risks related to the consummation of the transaction, including the risks that (a) the transaction may not be consummated within the anticipated time period, or at all, (b) the parties may fail to obtain Volta stockholder approval of the merger agreement, (c) the parties may fail to secure the termination or expiration of the waiting period applicable under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act or other applicable regulatory approvals, and (d) other conditions to the consummation of the merger under the merger agreement may not be satisfied; (2) the possibility of the termination of the merger agreement and the effects that any termination of the merger agreement may have on Volta or its business, including the risks that Volta’s stock price may decline significantly and that Volta may not be able to continue as a going concern if the transaction is not completed; (3) the effects that the announcement or pendency of the merger may have on Volta and its business, including the risks that as a result (a) Volta’s business, operating results or stock price may suffer, (b) Volta’s current plans and operations may be disrupted, (c) Volta’s ability to retain or recruit key employees may be adversely affected, (d) Volta’s business relationships (including, customers and suppliers) may be adversely affected, or (e) Volta’s management’s or employees’ attention may be diverted from other important matters; (4) the effect of limitations that the merger agreement places on Volta’s ability to operate its business, return capital to stockholders or engage in alternative transactions; (5) the nature, cost and outcome of pending and future litigation and other legal proceedings, including any such proceedings related to the merger and instituted against Volta and others; (6) the risk that the transaction and related transactions may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; (7) other economic, business, competitive, legal, regulatory, and/or tax factors; and (8) other factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of Volta’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, each as updated or supplemented by subsequent reports that Volta has filed or files with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (including supply chain constraints, labor shortages and inflationary pressure). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which such statement is made. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this communication occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, Volta’s actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Volta undertakes no obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances after the date of this communication, or otherwise.
Contacts
For Investor / Analyst:
Drew Lipsher, Chief Development Officer
Drew@voltacharging.com
For Media / Press:
Jette Speights, SVP of Communications
Jette@voltacharging.com
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