category of S&P), and the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any replacement rating agency or rating agencies selected by us under the circumstances permitting us to select a replacement agency.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation, and its successors.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivisions thereof.
“Rating Agency” means each of Moody’s and S&P; provided, that if either of Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the Notes or fails to make a rating of the Notes publicly available for reasons outside our control, we may appoint another “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act as a replacement for such Rating Agency, provided, that we shall give notice of such appointment to the trustee.
“S&P” means S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and its successors.
“Subsidiary” of a Person means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, association, partnership or other business entity of which at least a majority of the total voting power of the capital stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (1) such Person, (2) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (3) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.
“Voting Stock” of any specified Person as of any date means the capital stock of such Person that is at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the board of directors of such Person.
The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of Republic Services, Inc. and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise, established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the applicability of the requirement that we offer to repurchase the Notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of Republic Services, Inc. and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.
In addition, under a Delaware Chancery Court interpretation of a change of control repurchase requirement with a continuing director provision, a board of directors may approve a slate of shareholder-nominated directors without endorsing them or while simultaneously recommending and endorsing its own slate instead. The foregoing interpretation would permit our board to approve a slate of directors that included a majority of dissident directors nominated pursuant to a proxy contest, and the ultimate election of such dissident slate would not constitute a “Change of Control Triggering Event” that would trigger your right to require us to repurchase the Notes as described above.
Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
The provisions regarding defeasance and covenant defeasance in the accompanying prospectus will apply to the Notes.
At our option, we: (1) will be discharged from all obligations under the indenture in respect of the Notes (except for certain obligations to exchange or register the transfer of the Notes, replace stolen, lost or mutilated Notes, maintain paying agencies and hold monies for payment in trust); or (2) need not comply with certain restrictive covenants of the indenture (including the restrictions on liens, the limitations on sale and lease back transactions, the requirement to provide periodic financial reporting and the requirement to make a Change of Control Offer)
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