11.ABSENCEOF FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP.The Company acknowledges and agrees that:
(a) The Underwriters’ responsibility to the Company is solely contractual in nature, the Representative has been retained solely to act as an underwriter in connection with the sale of the Stock and no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company and the Representative has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether the Representative has advised or are advising the Company on other matters;
(b) the price of the Stock set forth in this Agreement was established by the Company following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Representative, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) it has been advised that the Representative and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Representative has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and
(d) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Representative for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that the Representative shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of the Company.
12.SUCCESSORS; PERSONS ENTITLEDTO BENEFITOF AGREEMENT. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the several Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors and assigns. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, other than the persons mentioned in the preceding sentence, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of no other person; except that the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements and indemnities of the Company contained in this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the Underwriter Indemnified Parties, and the indemnities of the several Underwriters shall be for the benefit of the Company Indemnified Parties. No purchaser of any of the Stock from the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
13.SURVIVALOF INDEMNITIES, REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES,ETC.The respective indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by them respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any person controlling any of them and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Stock. Notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, including without limitation any termination pursuant toSection 8, the indemnities, covenants, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements forth inSections 2,5,7 and9 andSections 10 through21, inclusive, of this Agreement shall not terminate and shall remain in full force and effect at all times.
14.NOTICES. All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and:
(a) if to the Underwriters, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex, or facsimile transmission to Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 375 Park Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10152 Attention: Equity Syndicate Department (fax no: (212)214-5918), with a copy (which shall not constitute notice hereunder) to Goodwin Procter LLP, The New York Times Building, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, Attention: Michael D. Maline, Fax:212-355-3333; and
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