(a) The General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner may lend to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the General Partner and any Affiliate of the General Partner, funds needed or desired by the Group Member for such periods of time and in such amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided, however, that in any such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing party interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be charged the borrowing party or impose terms less favorable on the borrowing party than would be charged or imposed on the borrowing party by unrelated lenders on comparable loans made on an arms-length basis (without reference to the lending party’s financial abilities or guarantees). The borrowing party shall reimburse the lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest costs) incurred by the lending party in connection with the borrowing of such funds. For purposes of this Section 7.13(a) and Section 7.13(b), the term ‘Group Member’ shall include any Affiliate of the Group Member that is controlled by the Group Member. No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates (other than another Group Member).
(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Partnership, funds on terms and conditions established by the Board of Supervisors; provided, however, that the Partnership may not charge a Group Member interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be charged to such Group Member (without reference to the General Partner’s financial abilities or guarantees), by unrelated lenders on comparable loans. The foregoing authority shall be exercised by the Board of Supervisors and shall not create any right or benefit in favor of any Group Member or any other Person.
(c) The General Partner may itself, or may enter into an agreement with any of its Affiliates to, render services to a Group Member. Any services rendered to a Group Member by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates shall be on terms that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 7.13(c) shall be deemed satisfied as to (i) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (ii) any transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership Group than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (iii) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership Group), is equitable to the Partnership Group. The provisions of Section 7.11 shall apply to the rendering of services described in this Section 7.13(c).
(d) The Partnership may transfer assets to joint ventures, other partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other business entities in which it is or thereby becomes a participant upon such terms and subject to such conditions as are consistent with this Agreement and applicable law.
(e) Neither the General Partner nor any of its Affiliates shall sell, transfer or convey any property to, or purchase any property from, the Partnership, directly or indirectly, except pursuant to transactions that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 7.13(e) shall be deemed to be satisfied as to (i) the transactions effected pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, (ii) any transaction pursuant to Section 4.6(b), (iii) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (iv) any transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties, or (v) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to
the Partnership), is equitable to the Partnership. With respect to any contribution of assets to the Partnership in exchange for Units, the Audit Committee, in determining whether the appropriate number of Units are being issued, shall take into account, among other things, the fair market value of the assets, the liquidated and contingent liabilities assumed, the tax basis in the assets, the extent to which tax-only allocations to the transferor will protect the existing partners of the Partnership against a low tax basis, and such other factors as the Audit Committee deems relevant under the circumstances.
(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates will have no obligation to permit any Group Member to use any facilities or assets of the General Partner and its Affiliates, except as may be provided in contracts entered into from time to time specifically dealing with such use, nor shall there be any obligation on the part of the General Partner or its Affiliates to enter into such contracts.
7.14 Indemnification.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including legal fees, expenses and other disbursements), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee, provided, that in each case the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner that such Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.14 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal fees, expenses and other disbursements) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to Section 7.14(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall, from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to the final disposition of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall be determined by a final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Section 7.14.
(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 7.14 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Common Units, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity, and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.
(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the members of the Board of Supervisors, the General Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General
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Partner and the members of the Board of Supervisors and such other Persons as the Board of Supervisors shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership’s activities, regardless of whether the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
(e) For purposes of this Section 7.14, the Partnership shall be deemed to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute ‘fines’ within the meaning of Section 7.14(a); and action taken or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose which is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partners to personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this Agreement.
(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.14 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
(h) The provisions of this Section 7.14 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.
(i) No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.14 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.14 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
7.15 Liability of Indemnitees.
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the Assignees or any other Persons who have acquired interests in the Units, for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of errors in judgment or any act or omission if such Indemnitee acted in good faith pursuant to authority granted in this Agreement.
(b) To the maximum extent permitted by law, the General Partner and its Affiliates shall not be responsible for any act or omission by the Board of Supervisors, any member of the Board of Supervisors, or any Officers of the Partnership.
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(c) To the maximum extent permitted by law, the members of the Board of Supervisors and the Officers of the Partnership shall not be responsible for any act or omission by the General Partner and its Affiliates.
(d) Subject to its obligations and duties set forth in Section 7.1(a), the Board of Supervisors may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through the Officers or other agents of the Partnership, and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the Board of Supervisors shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such Officer or agent appointed by the Board of Supervisors in good faith.
(e) It will not constitute a breach of fiduciary or other duty for an Officer or member of the Board of Supervisors to engage attorneys, accountants, engineers and other advisors on behalf of the Partnership, its Board of Supervisors, or any committee thereof, even though such persons may also be retained from time to time by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, and such persons may be engaged with respect to any matter in which the interests of the Partnership and the General Partner or any of its Affiliates may differ, or may be engaged by both the Partnership and the General Partner or any of its Affiliates with respect to a matter, as long as such Officer or member of the Board of Supervisors reasonably believes that any conflict between the Partnership and the General Partner or any of its Affiliates with respect to such matter is not material.
(f) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.15 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability to the Partnership and the Limited Partners, of the General Partner, its directors, officers and employees and any other Indemnitees under this Section 7.15 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
7.16 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest.
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or the Operating Partnership Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any Officer or member of the Board of Supervisors, on the one hand, and the Partnership, the Operating Partnership, any Partner or any Assignee, on the other, any resolution or course of action in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved by all Partners, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of the Operating Partnership Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, if the resolution or course of action is, or by operation of this Agreement is deemed to be, fair and reasonable to the Partnership. The Board of Supervisors shall be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval of a resolution of such conflict or course of action. Any conflict of interest and any resolution of such conflict of interest shall be conclusively deemed fair and reasonable to the Partnership if such conflict of interest or resolution is (i) approved by Special Approval (as long as the material facts known to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates or such Officer or member of the Board of Supervisors regarding any proposed transaction were disclosed to the Audit Committee at the time it gave its approval), (ii) on terms no less favorable to the Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (iii) fair to the Partnership, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved
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(including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership). The Board of Supervisors may also adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received Special Approval. The Board of Supervisors (including the Audit Committee in connection with Special Approval) shall be authorized in connection with its determination of what is fair and reasonable to the Partnership and in connection with its resolution of any conflict of interest to consider (A) the relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interest; (B) any customary or accepted industry practices and any customary or historical dealings with a particular Person; (C) any applicable generally accepted accounting practices or principles; and (D) such additional factors as the Board of Supervisors (including the Audit Committee) determines in its discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances. Nothing contained in this Agreement, however, is intended to nor shall it be construed to require the Board of Supervisors (including the Audit Committee) to consider the interests of any Person other than the Partnership. In the absence of bad faith by the Board of Supervisors, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the Board of Supervisors with respect to such matter shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or a breach of any standard of care or duty imposed herein or therein or, to the extent permitted by law, under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or existing in equity or otherwise.
(b) Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby provides that the Board of Supervisors is permitted or required to make a decision (i) in its ‘sole discretion’ or ‘discretion’ or that it deems ‘necessary or appropriate’ or ‘necessary or advisable’ or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, except as otherwise provided herein, the Board of Supervisors shall make such decision in its sole discretion (regardless of whether there is a reference to ‘sole discretion’ or ‘discretion’) unless another express standard is provided for, or (ii) in ‘good faith’ or under another express standard, the Board of Supervisors shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement, the Operating Partnership Agreement, any other agreement contemplated hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation or in equity or otherwise. In addition, any actions taken by the Board of Supervisors consistent with the standards of ‘reasonable discretion’ set forth in the definition of Available Cash shall not constitute a breach of any duty of the Board of Supervisors to the Partnership or the Limited Partners. The Board of Supervisors shall have no duty, express or implied, to sell or otherwise dispose of any asset of the Partnership Group.
(c) Whenever a particular transaction, arrangement or resolution of a conflict of interest is required under this Agreement to be ‘fair and reasonable’ to any Person, the fair and reasonable nature of such transaction, arrangement or resolution shall be considered in the context of all similar or related transactions.
(d) The Limited Partners hereby authorize the Board of Supervisors on behalf of the Partnership as a partner of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the general partner or the Board of Supervisors of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to this Section 7.16.
7.17 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner and the Board of Supervisors.
(a) The General Partner and the Board of Supervisors may rely and shall be protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report,
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notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
(b) The General Partner and the Board of Supervisors may consult with legal counsel, accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and advisers selected by either of them, and any act taken or omitted to be taken in reliance upon the opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) of such Persons as to matters that the General Partner or the Board of Supervisors reasonably believes to be within such Person’s professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been done or omitted in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized Officers of the Partnership.
(d) The Board of Supervisors shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of the duly authorized Officers of the Partnership or a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact.
(e) Any standard of care and duty imposed by this Agreement or under the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation or in equity or otherwise shall be modified, waived or limited, to the maximum extent permitted by law, as required to permit the General Partner and the Board of Supervisors to act under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated by this Agreement and to make any decision pursuant to the authority prescribed in this Agreement, so long as such action is reasonably believed by the General Partner or the Board of Supervisors to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) The General Partner or other holder of Partnership Securities that have voting rights, when voting its interest in the Partnership on any matter shall not be acting in a fiduciary capacity and therefore shall be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, the Partnership or any Limited Partner.
7.18 Purchase or Sale of Units.
The Partnership may purchase or otherwise acquire Units. As long as Units are held by any Group Member, such Units shall not be considered Outstanding for any purpose, except as otherwise provided herein. The General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner may also purchase or otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of Common Units for its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles IV and X.
7.19[Deleted.]
7.20 Reliance by Third Parties.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the Board of Supervisors and any Officer of the Partnership authorized by the Board of Supervisors to act on behalf of and in the name of the Partnership (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of
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Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)) has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Partnership and to enter into any contracts on behalf of the Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the Board of Supervisors or any such Officer (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)) as if it were the Partnership’s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. Each Limited Partner hereby waives, to the maximum extent permitted by law, any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the Board of Supervisors or any such Officer (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)) in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the Board of Supervisors or its representatives or any such Officer (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)) be obligated to ascertain that the terms of the Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the Board of Supervisors or its representatives or any such Officer (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)). Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Board of Supervisors or its representatives or any such Officer (including the General Partner, acting pursuant to the direction of the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 7.1(a)) shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Partnership and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Partnership.
ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
8.1 Records and Accounting.
The Partnership shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Partnership appropriate books and records with respect to the Partnership’s business, including all books and records necessary to provide to the Limited Partners any information required to be provided pursuant to Section 3.4(a). Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders and Assignees of Units or other Partnership Securities, books of account and records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device, provided, that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
8.2 Fiscal Year.
The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be a 52-53 week fiscal year concluding on the last Saturday in September.
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8.3 Reports.
(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the Board of Supervisors shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the Board of Supervisors in its discretion, an annual report containing financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership, presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, Partners equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the Board of Supervisors.
(b) To the extent required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or as the Board of Supervisors determines to be necessary or appropriate, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each year, the Board of Supervisors shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Unit, as of a date selected by the Board of Supervisors in its discretion, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other information so required, or as the Board of Supervisors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
9.1 Tax Returns and Information.
The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership’s taxable year ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.
9.2 Tax Elections.
(a) The Partnership has made the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke such election upon the Board of Supervisors’ determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Limited Partners. For the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the Board of Supervisors shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of Units will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Units on any National Securities Exchange on which such Units are traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(g) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.
(b) The Partnership has elected to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Partnership ratably over a sixty-month period as provided in Section 709 of the Code.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the Board of Supervisors shall determine whether the Partnership should make any other elections permitted by the Code.
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9.3 Tax Controversies.
Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code) and is authorized and required to represent the Partnership (at the Partnership’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Partnership’s affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Partnership funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Partner agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such proceedings.
9.4 Withholding.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Board of Supervisors is authorized to take any action that it determines in its discretion to be necessary or appropriate to cause the Partnership and the Operating Partnership to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the Partnership is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income to any Partner or Assignee (including, without limitation, by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the amount withheld may be treated as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.
ARTICLE X
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
10.1 Current Partners.
The General Partner and the Limited Partners who are Record Holders of the Outstanding Common Units are the current Partners of the Partnership as of the date of this Agreement.
10.2 Admission of Substituted Limited Partners.
By transfer of a Unit representing a Limited Partner Interest in accordance with Article IV, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the transferee the right to seek admission as a Substituted Limited Partner subject to the conditions of, and in the manner permitted under, this Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate representing a Limited Partner Interest shall, however, only have the authority to convey to a purchaser or other transferee who does not execute and deliver a Transfer Application (a) the right to negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser or other transferee and (b) the right to transfer the right to request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner to such purchaser or other transferee in respect of the transferred Units. Each transferee of a Unit representing a Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent acquiring such Unit for the account of another Person) who executes and delivers a Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such execution and delivery, be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become a Substituted Limited Partner with respect to the Units so transferred to such Person. Such Assignee shall become a Substituted Limited Partner (x) at such time as the Board of Supervisors consents thereto, which consent may be given or withheld in the Board of Supervisors’ discretion, and (y) when any such admission is shown on the books and records of the Partnership. If such consent is withheld, such transferee shall be an Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the Partnership equivalent to that of a Limited Partner with respect to allocations and distributions, including liquidating
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distributions, of the Partnership. With respect to voting rights attributable to Units that are held by Assignees, the General Partner shall be deemed to be the Limited Partner with respect thereto and shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Units on any matter, vote such Units at the written direction of the Assignee who is the Record Holder of such Units. If no such written direction is received, such Units will not be voted. An Assignee shall have no other rights of a Limited Partner.
10.3 Admission of Successor General Partner.
A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transfer of the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6; provided, however, that no such successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such successor has executed and delivered such other documents or instruments as may be required to effect such admission. Any such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the business of the Partnership without dissolution. The admission of a successor General Partner shall not be deemed to have affected in any manner the irrevocable delegation of all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership to the Board of Supervisors pursuant to Section 7.1(a).
10.4 Admission of Additional Limited Partners.
(a) A Person (other than the General Partner or a Substituted Limited Partner) who makes a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in accordance with this Agreement shall be admitted to the Partnership as an Additional Limited Partner only upon furnishing to the Board of Supervisors (i) evidence of acceptance in form satisfactory to the Board of Supervisors of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the granting of the power of attorney granted in Section 2.6, and (ii) such other documents or instruments as may be required in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors to effect such Person’s admission as an Additional Limited Partner.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.4, no Person shall be admitted as an Additional Limited Partner without the consent of the Board of Supervisors, which consent may be given or withheld in the Board of Supervisors’ discretion. The admission of any Person as an Additional Limited Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of such Person is recorded as such in the books and records of the Partnership, following the consent of the Board of Supervisors to such admission.
10.5 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership.
To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the Board of Supervisors shall take all steps necessary and appropriate under the Delaware Act to amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and, if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the Chief Executive Officer and President may for this purpose, among others, exercise the power of attorney granted pursuant to Section 2.6.
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ARTICLE XI
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner.
(a) The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Partnership upon the occurrence of any one of the following events (each such event herein referred to as an ‘Event of Withdrawal’);
(i) the General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the Partnership (of which event the General Partner shall give written notice to the other Partners) (and it shall be deemed that the General Partner has withdrawn pursuant to this Section 11.1(a)(i) if the General Partner voluntarily withdraws as general partner of the Operating Partnership);
(ii) the General Partner transfers all of its rights as General Partner pursuant to Section 4.6;
(iii) the General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 11.2;
(iv) the General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files a petition or answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or similar relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a proceeding of the type described in clauses (A)-(C) of this Section 11.1(a)(iv); or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee (but not a debtor in possession), receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of its properties;
(v) a final and non-appealable order of relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary or involuntary petition by or against the General Partner;
(vi) a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation or formation; or
(vii) (A) in the event the General Partner is a corporation, a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) in the event the General Partner is a partnership or limited liability company, the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner; (C) in the event the General Partner is acting in such capacity by virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D) in the event the General Partner is a natural person, his death or adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise in the event of the termination of the General Partner.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v), (vi) or (vii)(A), (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General Partner shall give notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such occurrence. The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Section 11.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.
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(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances: (i) at any time during the period beginning on March 5, 1996 and ending at 12:00 midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on September 30, 2006, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws; provided that prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, the withdrawal is approved by Unitholders holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and the General Partner delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of Counsel (‘Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel’) that such withdrawal (following the selection of the successor General Partner) would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or of a limited partner of the Operating Partnership or cause the Partnership or the Operating Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes; (ii) at any time after 12:00 midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on September 30, 2006, the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to Section 11.2; or (iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding Common Units. The withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall also constitute the withdrawal of the General Partner as general partner of the other Group Members for which it acts as general partner. If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(i), the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units, may, prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor General Partner. The Person so elected as successor General Partner shall automatically become the successor general partner of the other Group Members, and is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the business of the Partnership and the other Group Members without dissolution. If prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal, a successor is not selected by the Limited Partners as provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with and subject to Section 12.1. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.1 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.
11.2 Removal of the General Partner.
The General Partner may be removed (i) if such removal is approved by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units; provided, however, that the Limited Partner Interests held by a General Partner shall not be voted on or considered for purposes of this Section 11.2 or (ii) by the Board of Supervisors if the General Partner or its members fail to transfer their interests as required by Section 4.6(b). Any such action by such holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the election of a successor General Partner by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units. Such removal shall be effective immediately following the admission of a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 10.3. The removal of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the removal of the General Partner as general partner of the other Group Members for which it acts as general partner. If a Person is elected as a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2, such Person shall, upon admission pursuant to Section 10.3, automatically become the successor general partner of the other Group Members, and is hereby authorized to, and shall, continue the business of the
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Partnership and the other Group Members without dissolution. The right of the holders of Outstanding Common Units to remove the General Partner shall not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has received an opinion as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.
11.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner; Delegation of Authority to the Board of Supervisors by Successor General Partner.
(a) In the event of (i) withdrawal of the General Partner under circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement, (ii) removal of the General Partner by the holders of Outstanding Common Units or by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to Section 11.2, if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2, the successor shall purchase from the Departing Partner its General Partner Interest and its partnership interest as the general partner in the other Group Members, if applicable, for consideration of $10.
(b) [Deleted.]
(c) [Deleted.]
(d) Any successor General Partner will be deemed to have delegated irrevocably to the Board of Supervisors all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership to the same extent that the General Partner delegated such management powers to the Board of Supervisors pursuant to Section 7.1 of this Agreement.
11.4[Deleted.]
11.5 Withdrawal of Limited Partners.
No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of a Limited Partner’s Common Units becomes a Record Holder of the Common Units so transferred, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited Partner with respect to the Common Units so transferred.
ARTICLE XII
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
12.1 Dissolution.
The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Limited Partners or Additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Upon the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner is elected pursuant to Sections 10.3, 11.1, 11.2 or this Section 12.1, the Partnership shall not be dissolved and such successor General Partner is hereby authorized to and shall continue the business of the Partnership. The Partnership shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
(a) the expiration of its term as provided in Section 2.7;
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(b) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected and an Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in Section 11.1(b) or 11.2 and such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.3, or for Events of Withdrawal of the General Partner for which the appointment of a successor General Partner is not provided for hereunder, unless the Partnership is continued without dissolution in accordance with the Delaware Act;
(c) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that is approved by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units;
(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act;
(e) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Partnership Group; or
(f) at any time that there are no limited partners of the Partnership, unless the Partnership is continued without dissolution pursuant to the Delaware Act.
12.2 [Deleted].
12.3 Liquidator.
Upon dissolution of the Partnership, the Board of Supervisors shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units. The Liquidator shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the Board of Supervisors under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.10(a)) to the extent necessary or desirable in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during such period of time as shall be reasonably required in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for herein.
12.4 Liquidation.
The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as the Liquidator determines to be in the best interest of the Partners, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:
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(a) Disposition of Assets. The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms as the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Partners. Under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations, the Liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership’s assets for a reasonable time or distribute assets to the Partners in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.
(b) Discharge of Liabilities. Liabilities of the Partnership include amounts owed to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.
(c) Liquidation Distributions. All property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 12.4(b) shall be distributed to the Partners in accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c)) for the taxable year of the Partnership during which the liquidation of the Partnership occurs (with such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation, Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable year (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).
12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership.
Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the liquidation of the Partnership, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a foreign limited partnership in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be taken.
12.6 Return of Capital Contributions.
The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited Partners, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.
12.7 Waiver of Partition.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby waives any right to partition of the Partnership property.
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12.8 Capital Account Restoration.
No Limited Partner shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Partnership. The General Partner shall be obligated to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of its interest in the Partnership by the end of the taxable year of the Partnership during which such liquidation occurs, or, if later, within 90 days after the date of such liquidation.
ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
13.1 Amendment to be Adopted Solely by the Board of Supervisors.
Each Limited Partner and the General Partner agree that the Board of Supervisors, without the approval of any Partner or Assignee, may amend any provision of this Agreement, and may authorize any Officer (pursuant to the powers of attorney granted in Section 2.6) to execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:
(a) a change in the name of the Partnership, the location of the principal place of business of the Partnership, the registered agent of the Partnership or the registered office of the Partnership;
(b) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Partners in accordance with this Agreement;
(c) a change that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, is necessary or advisable to qualify or continue the qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership or a partnership in which the Limited Partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that neither the Partnership nor the Operating Partnership will be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes;
(d) a change that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, (i) does not adversely affect the Limited Partners in any material respect, (ii) is necessary or advisable to (A) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute (including the Delaware Act) or (B) facilitate the trading of the Units (including the division of Outstanding Units into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which the Board of Supervisors determines in its discretion to be in the best interests of the Partnership and the Limited Partners, (iii) is necessary or advisable in connection with action taken by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.10, or (iv) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Proxy Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(e) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership and any changes that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, are necessary or advisable as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership including, if the Board of Supervisors shall so
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determine, a change in the definition of ‘Quarter’ and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Partnership;
(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Partnership or the members of the Board of Supervisors or the Officers, or the General Partner or its directors, officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or ‘plan asset’ regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;
(g) an amendment that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, is necessary or advisable in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 5.6;
(h) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the Board of Supervisors acting alone;
(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3;
(j) an amendment that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, is necessary or advisable to reflect, account for and deal with appropriately the formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the Partnership in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity other than the Operating Partnership, in connection with the conduct by the Partnership of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;
(k) an amendment that, in the discretion of the Board of Supervisors, is necessary or advisable to effect or continue the irrevocable delegation by the General Partner to the Board of Supervisors of all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership; or
(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
13.2 Amendment Procedures.
Except as provided in Sections 13.1 and 13.3, all amendments to this Agreement shall be made in accordance with the following requirements. Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the Board of Supervisors. A proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units, unless a greater or different percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law. Amendments to, or actions to repeal or adopt provisions inconsistent with Section 7.3 (other than the first sentence thereof), Section 14.6 and the definitions in Section 1.1 to the extent used therein, shall require the approval of the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the Outstanding Common Units. Each proposed amendment that requires the approval of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be set forth in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment. If such an amendment is proposed, the Board of Supervisors shall seek the written approval of the requisite percentage of Outstanding Common Units or call a meeting of the Limited Partners to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The Board of Supervisors shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any such proposed amendments.
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13.3 Amendment Requirements.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no provisions of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Common Units required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Common Units whose aggregate Outstanding Common Units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c), (ii) enlarge the obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates without its consent, which may be given or withheld in its sole discretion, (iii) change Section 12.1(a) or (c), or (iv) change the term of the Partnership or, except as set forth in Section 12.1(c), give any Person the right to dissolve the Partnership.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3, and except as otherwise provided, and without limitation of the Board of Supervisor’s authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement as contemplated in Section 13.1, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Partnership Interests of the class affected.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 7.10(a) or 13.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 14.3(b), no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Common Units unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any Limited Partner or any limited partner of the other Group Members under applicable law.
(e) This Section 13.3 shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Common Units.
13.4 Tri-Annual and Special Meetings.
All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this Agreement shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XIII and, in the case of Tri-Annual Meetings, in the manner provided in Sections 7.2(a)(i) and 7.3 and this Article XIII. Tri-Annual Meetings to elect the Supervisors and to transact such other business as may be properly brought before the Tri-Annual Meeting shall be held on such date and at such time and place as the Board of Supervisors may specify in the notice of the meeting, which shall be delivered to each Limited Partner at least 10 and not more than 60 days prior to such meeting. Special meetings of the Limited Partners may be called by the Board of Supervisors or by Limited Partners owning 20% or more of the Outstanding Common Units of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed. Limited Partners shall call a special meeting by delivering to the Board of Supervisors one or more requests in writing stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to call a special meeting and indicating the general or specific purposes for which the special meeting is to be called. Within 60 days after receipt of such a call from Limited
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Partners or within such greater time as may be reasonably necessary for the Partnership to comply with any statutes, rules, regulations, listing agreements or similar requirements governing the holding of a meeting or the solicitation of proxies for use at such a meeting, the Board of Supervisors shall send a notice of the meeting to the Limited Partners either directly or indirectly through the Transfer Agent. A meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the Board of Supervisors on a date not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days after the mailing of notice of the meeting. The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, if any, and if present and acting, shall preside at all meetings of the Limited Partners. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, the Chief Executive Officer, as chosen by the Board of Supervisors, shall preside, and in their absence, the President shall preside. Limited Partners shall not vote on matters that would cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability under the Delaware Act or the law of any other state in which the Partnership is qualified to do business.
13.5 Notice of a Meeting.
Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall be given to the Record Holders in writing by mail or other means of written communication in accordance with Section 16.1. The notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of written communication.
13.6 Record Date.
For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a meeting as provided in Section 13.11, the Board of Supervisors may set a Record Date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (a) the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern) or (b) in the event that approvals are sought without a meeting, the date by which Limited Partners are requested in writing by the Board of Supervisors to give such approval.
13.7 Adjournment.
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 45 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Partnership may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 45 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XIII.
13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes.
The transactions of any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if occurred at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person or by proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, Limited Partners representing such quorum who were present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote, sign a written waiver of notice or an approval of the holding of the meeting or an approval of the minutes
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thereof. All waivers and approvals shall be filed with the Partnership records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting. Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the Partner does not approve, at the beginning of the meeting, of the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and except that attendance at a meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove the consideration of matters required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if the disapproval is expressly made at the meeting.
13.9 Quorum.
The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Limited Partners of such class or classes unless any such action by the Limited Partners requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of such Units, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage (excluding, in either case, if such are to be excluded from the vote, Outstanding Units owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates). At any meeting of the Limited Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present, the act of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent a majority of the Outstanding Units entitled to vote and be present in person or by proxy at such meeting shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Limited Partners, unless a greater or different percentage is required with respect to such action under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the act of the Limited Partners holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required. The Limited Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Outstanding Units specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum any meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned from time to time by the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Units represented either in person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted, except as provided in Section 13.7.
13.10 Conduct of a Meeting.
The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, or in his absence, the Vice Chairman or, in his absence, the Chief Executive Officer, or in his absence, the President, or in his absence, any Vice President, shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4, the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The presiding Officer shall designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Partnership maintained by the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals in writing.
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13.11 Action Without a Meeting.
If authorized by the Board of Supervisors, any action that may be taken at a meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Partners owning not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Units that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all the Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision conflicts with any rule, regular guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing. The Board of Supervisors may specify that any written ballot submitted to Limited Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than 20 days, specified by the Board of Supervisors. If a ballot returned to the Partnership does not vote all of the Units held by the Limited Partner, the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a ballot for the Units that were not voted. If approval of the taking of any action by the Limited Partners is solicited by any Person other than by or on behalf of the Board of Supervisors, the written approvals shall have no force and effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the Partnership in care of the Board of Supervisors, (b) approvals sufficient to take the action proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date sufficient approvals are deposited with the Partnership and (c) an Opinion of Counsel is delivered to the Board of Supervisors to the effect that the exercise of such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to jeopardize the Limited Partners’ limited liability, and (ii) is otherwise permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties and liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.
13.12 Voting and Other Rights.
(a) Only those Record Holders of the Units on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.
(b) With respect to Units that are held for a Person’s account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Units are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Units in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it is so acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section 13.12(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.
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ARTICLE XIV
MERGERS AND BUSINESS COMBINATIONS WITH INTERESTED UNITHOLDERS
14.1 Authority.
The Partnership may merge or consolidate with one or more corporations, statutory trusts, business trusts or associations, real estate investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability limited partnership, limited liability company or limited liability partnership formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written agreement of merger or consolidation (‘Merger Agreement’) in accordance with this Article XIV.
14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation.
Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV requires the prior approval of the Board of Supervisors. If the Board of Supervisors shall determine, in the exercise of its discretion, to consent to the merger or consolidation, the Board of Supervisors shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
(a) The names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;
(b) The name and jurisdictions of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the ‘Surviving Business Entity’);
(c) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
(d) The manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity securities of each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any general or limited partner interests, securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of any limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of such general or limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for, or upon conversion of their general or limited partner interests, securities or rights, and (ii) in the case of securities represented by certificates, upon the surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity (other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be delivered;
(e) A statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership, certificate of formation or agreement of limited liability company or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
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(f) The effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be specified in the certificate of merger); and
(g) Such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation as are deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of Supervisors.
14.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation.
(a) The Board of Supervisors, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement and the merger or consolidation contemplated thereby, be submitted to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XIII. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.
(b) Except as otherwise provided by Section 14.6, the Merger Agreement and the merger or consolidation contemplated thereby shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Common Units or of any class of Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement and the merger or consolidation contemplated thereby.
(c) After such approval by vote or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4, the merger or consolidation may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.
14.4 Certificate of Merger.
Upon the required approval by the Board of Supervisors and the Limited Partners of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.
14.5 Effect of Merger.
(a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger:
(i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;
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(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in anyway impaired because of the merger or consolidation;
(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and
(iv) all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity, and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.
(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article shall not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another.
14.6 Business Combinations with Interested Unitholders.
(a) The approval of the Board of Supervisors and the affirmative vote at a Tri-Annual Meeting or special meeting of the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Partnership Interests Beneficially Owned by an Interested Unitholder or any Affiliate or Associate of an Interested Unitholder) shall be required to approve any Business Combination.
(b) The Board of Supervisors shall have the power and duty to determine, on the basis of information known to them after reasonable inquiry, all facts necessary to determine compliance with this Section 14.6, including, without limitation, (a) whether a Person is an Interested Shareholder, (b) the number of Units or other Partnership Interests Beneficially Owned by any Person, (c) whether a Person is an Affiliate or Associate of another, and (d) the fair market value of the Partnership Securities or securities of any Subsidiary of the Partnership, and the good faith determination of the Board of Supervisors on such matters shall be conclusive and binding for all the purposes of this Section 14.6.
ARTICLE XV
[Deleted.]
ARTICLE XVI
GENERAL PROVISIONS
16.1 Addresses and Notices.
Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Partner or Assignee at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such
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notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Unit at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Partnership, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Unit or the Partnership Interest of a General Partner by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 executed by the Board of Supervisors, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the Partnership is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Partnership of a change in his address) if they are available for the Partner or Assignee at the principal office of the Partnership for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Partners and Assignees. Any notice to the Partnership shall be deemed given if received by the General Partner at the principal office of the Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The Board of Supervisors may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Partner, Assignee or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
16.2 Further Action.
The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
16.3 Binding Effect.
This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
16.4 Integration.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
16.5 Creditors.
None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.
16.6 Waiver.
No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
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16.7 Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Unit (other than a General Partner Unit), upon accepting the Certificate evidencing such Unit or executing and delivering a Transfer Application as herein described, independently of the signature of any other party.
16.8 Applicable Law.
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.
16.9 Invalidity of Provisions.
If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
16.10 Consent of Partners.
Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be bound by the results of such action.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
| | | GENERAL PARTNER: |
| | | | | | |
| | | SUBURBAN ENERGY SERVICES GROUP LLC |
| | | | BY
| /s/ MARK A. ALEXANDER |
| | | | | NAME: | Mark Alexander |
| | | | | TITLE: | Member |
| | | | | | |
| | | LIMITED PARTNERS |
| | | | | | |
| | | All Limited Partners now and hereafter admitted as Limited Partners of the Partnership, pursuant to powers of attorney now and hereafter executed in favor of, and granted and delivered to, the Chief Executive Officer of the Partnership. |
| | | | | | |
| | | By: Mark A. Alexander, Chief Executive Officer of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., as attorney-in-fact for all Limited Partners pursuant to the Power of Attorney Granted pursuant to Section 2.6 |
| | | | | | |
| | | /s/ MARK A. ALEXANDER |
| | | Mark A. Alexander |
| | | Attorney-in-Fact |
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Exhibit A to the Third Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.
Certificate Evidencing Common Units
Representing Limited Partner Interests
Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.
In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the ‘Partnership Agreement’), SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the ‘Partnership’), hereby certifies that [ ] (the ‘Holder’) is the registered owner of [ ] Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership (the ‘Common Units’) transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed and accompanied by a properly executed application for transfer of the Common Units represented by this Certificate. The rights, preferences and limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Partnership Agreement. Copies of the Partnership Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Partnership at, the principal office of the Partnership located at One Suburban Plaza, 240 Route 10 West, Whippany, New Jersey 07981-0206. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meaning given them in the Partnership Agreement.
The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Limited Partner and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed the Partnership Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement, (iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement and (iv) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement.
This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar. This Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
Dated: | | | SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P. |
| | |
Countersigned and Registered by: Computershare Trust Company, N.A. as Transfer Agent and Registrar | | By: | |
| | | [Chief Executive Officer] [President] [Vice President] |
| | | |
By: | | | By: | |
| Authorized Signature | | | [Secretary] [Assistant Secretary] |
| | | | | |
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[Reverse of Certificate]
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows according to applicable laws or regulations:
TEN COM – | | as tenants in common | | UNIF GIFT MIN ACT – |
TEN ENT – | | as tenants by the entireties | | ________________Custodian____________________ |
JT TEN – | | as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common | | (Cust.) (Minor) under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act___________________________________________ |
| | | | State |
Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.
ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS
in
SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING INVESTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
DUE TO TAX SHELTER STATUS OF SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P.
You have acquired an interest in Suburban Propane Partners, L.P., One Suburban Plaza, 240 Route 10 West, Whippany, New Jersey 07981-0206, whose taxpayer identification number is 22-3410353. The Internal Revenue Service has issued Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. the following tax shelter registration number: .
YOU MUST REPORT THIS REGISTRATION NUMBER TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IF YOU CLAIM ANY DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P.
You must report the registration number as well as the name and taxpayer identification number of SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P on Form 8271. FORM 8271 MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE RETURN ON WHICH YOU CLAIM THE DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT, OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN SUBURBAN PROPANE PARTNERS, L.P.
If you transfer your interest in Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. to another Person, you are required by the Internal Revenue Service to keep a list containing (a) that Person’s name, address and taxpayer identification number, (b) the date on which you transferred the interest and (c) the name, address and tax shelter registration number of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. If you do not want to keep such a list, you must (1) send the information specified above to the Partnership, which will keep the list for this tax shelter, and (2) give a copy of this notice to the Person to whom you transfer your interest. Your failure to comply with any of the above-described responsibilities
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could result in the imposition of a penalty under Section 6707(b) or 6708(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, unless such failure is shown to be due to reasonable cause.
ISSUANCE OF A REGISTRATION NUMBER DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THIS INVESTMENT OR THE CLAIMED TAX BENEFITS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED, EXAMINED, OR APPROVED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.
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FOR VALUE RECEIVED, conveys, sells and transfers unto | | hereby assigns, |
| | |
(Please print or typewrite name and address of Assignee) | | (Please insert Social Security or other identifying number of Assignee) |
Common Units representing limited partner interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Partnership Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint _________________ as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P.
Date: | | | NOTE: | The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular, without alteration, enlargement or change. |
|
SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A MEMBER FIRM OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC. OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST COMPANY.
| | | |
| | | (Signature)
Signature(s) Guaranteed |
No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books of the Partnership, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be transferred is surrendered for registration or transfer and an Application for Transfer of Common Units has been executed by a transferee either (a) on the form set forth below or (b) on a separate application that the Partnership will furnish on request without charge. A transferor of the Common Units shall have no duty to the transferee with respect to execution of the transfer application in order for such transferee to obtain registration of the transfer of the Common Units.
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APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF COMMON UNITS
The undersigned (‘Assignee’) hereby applies for transfer to the name of the Assignee of the Common Units evidenced hereby.
The Assignee (a) requests admission as a Substituted Limited Partner and agrees to comply with and be bound by, and hereby executes, the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (the ‘Partnership’), as amended, supplemented or restated to the date hereof (the ‘Partnership Agreement’), (b) represents and warrants that the Assignee has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement, (c) appoints, the Chief Executive Officer and the President of the Partnership and, if a Liquidator shall be appointed, the Liquidator of the Partnership as the Assignee’s attorney-in-fact to execute, swear to, acknowledge and file any document, including, without limitation, the Partnership Agreement and any amendment thereto, and the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership and any amendment thereto, necessary or appropriate for the Assignee’s admission as a Substituted Limited Partner and as a party to the Partnership Agreement, (d) gives the power of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement, and (e) makes the waivers and gives the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement. Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership Agreement.
Date: | | | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Social Security or other identifying number of Assignee | | | Signature of Assignee |
| | | |
| | | |
Purchase Price including commissions, if any | | | Name and Address of Assignee |
Type of Entity (check one):
[ ] Individual | [ ] Partnership | [ ] Corporation |
| | |
[ ] Trust | [ ] Other (specify) | |
| |
Nationality (check one): | |
| |
[ ] U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity | |
| |
[ ] Foreign Corporation | [ ] Non-resident Alien |
| | | |
If the U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity box is checked, the following certification must be completed.
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Under Section 1445(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the ‘Code’), the partnership must withhold tax with respect to certain transfers of property if a holder of an interest in the Partnership is a foreign person. To inform the Partnership that no withholding is required with respect to the undersigned interestholder’s interest in it, the undersigned hereby certifies the following (or, if applicable, certifies the following on behalf of the interestholder).
Complete Either A or B:
A. Individual Interestholder
1. I am not a non-resident alien for purposes of U.S. income taxation.
2. My U.S. taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number) is
3. My home address is
B. Partnership, Corporation or Other Interestholder
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________ is not a foreign
Name of Interestholder
corporation, foreign partnership, foreign trust or foreign estate (as those terms are defined in the Code and Treasury Regulations).
2. The interestholder’s U.S. employer identification number is
3. The interestholder’s office address and place of incorporation (if applicable) is
The interestholder agrees to notify the Partnership within sixty (60) days of the date the interestholder becomes a foreign person.
The interestholder understands that this certificate may be disclosed to the Internal Revenue Service by the Partnership and that any false statement contained herein could be punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this certification and to the best of my knowledge and belief it is true, correct and complete and, if applicable, I further declare that I have authority to sign this document on behalf of
Note: If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee holder or an agent of any of the foregoing, and is holding for the account of any other
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person, this application should be completed by an officer thereof or, in the case of a broker or dealer, by a registered representative who is a member of a registered national securities exchange or a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or, in the case of any other nominee holder, a person performing a similar function. If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee owner or an agent of any of the foregoing, the above certification as to any person for whom the Assignee will hold the Common Units shall be made to the best of the Assignee’s knowledge.
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