We express no opinion with respect to the enforceability of (i) consents to, or restrictions upon, judicial relief or jurisdiction or venue; (ii) waivers of rights or defenses with respect to stay, extension or usury laws; (iii) advance waivers of claims, defenses, rights granted by law, or notice, opportunity for hearing, evidentiary requirements, statutes of limitation, trial by jury or at law, or other procedural rights; (iv) broadly or vaguely stated waivers of rights; (v) provisions authorizing or validating conclusive or discretionary determinations; (vi) restrictions upon non-written modifications and waivers; (vii) severability clauses; or (viii) provisions for liquidated damages, default interest, late charges, monetary penalties, forfeitures, make-whole premiums or other economic remedies to the extent such provisions are deemed to constitute a penalty.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications set forth in this letter, we advise you that, in our opinion, subject to the completion of the actions to be taken by the Company, the Trustee and the Underwriters prior to the sale of the Notes, the Notes, when duly executed, authenticated, issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute the valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms.
The opinion set forth above is subject to the effects of (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights or remedies of creditors generally; (b) general equitable principles (including, without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, regardless of whether enforcement is considered in proceedings at law or in equity); (c) applicable law and public policy with respect to rights to indemnity and contribution; (d) an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (e) provisions of law that require that a judgment for money damages rendered by a court in the United States be expressed only in United States dollars; (f) limitations by any governmental authority that limit, delay or prohibit the making of payments outside the United States; and (g) generally applicable laws that (1) provide for the enforcement of oral waivers or modifications where a material change of position in reliance thereon has occurred or provide that a course of performance may operate as a waiver, (2) limit the availability of a remedy under certain circumstances where another remedy has been elected, (3) limit the enforceability of provisions releasing, exculpating or exempting a party from, or requiring indemnification of a party for, liability for its own action or inaction, to the extent the action or inaction involves negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, willful misconduct or unlawful conduct, (4) may, where less than all of a contract may be unenforceable, limit the enforceability of the balance of the contract to circumstances in which the unenforceable portion is not an essential part of the agreed-upon exchange, (5) may limit the enforceability of provisions providing for compounded interest, imposing increased interest rates or late payment charges upon delinquency in payment or default or providing for liquidated damages or for premiums or penalties upon acceleration, or (6) limit the waiver of rights under usury laws. Furthermore, the manner in which any particular issue relating to the opinions would be treated in any actual court case would depend in part on facts and circumstances particular to the case and would also depend on how the court involved chose to exercise the wide discretionary authority generally available to it. We express no opinion as to the effect of Section 210(p) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
