the excise tax turns out to be inconsistent with that of the Internal Revenue Service or any other relevant authority, then Tang shall notify Millennium Cell of the discrepancy. Millennium Cell shall defend its position and increase the payment to the extent that the Internal Revenue Service prevails in its position, and it shall also reimburse Tang for any interest and penalties associated with the auditor's computations.
(i) As a result of his employment with Millennium Cell, Tang has obtained and will obtain secret and confidential information concerning the business of Millennium Cell and any Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the identity of customers and sources of supply, their needs and requirements, the nature and extent of contracts with them, and related cost, price and sales information;
(ii) Millennium Cell and any Subsidiaries will suffer damage that will be difficult to compute if, during the Term or thereafter, Tang should divulge secret and confidential information relating to the business of Millennium Cell heretofore or hereafter acquired by him in the course of his employment with Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries; and
(iii) The provisions of this Section 10 are reasonable and necessary for the protection of the business of Millennium Cell and any Subsidiaries.
(b) Confidential Information. Tang agrees that he will not at any time, either during the Term of Employment or thereafter, divulge to any person, firm or corporation any information obtained or learned by him during the course of his employment with Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries, with regard to the operational, financial, business or other affairs of Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries, their officers and directors, including without limitation trade "know how," secrets, customer lists, sources of supply, pricing policies, operational methods or technical processes, except
(i) in the course of performing his duties hereunder,
(ii) with Millennium Cell's express written consent,
(iii) to the extent that any such information is in the public domain, is ascertainable from public or published information or is known to any person who is not subject to a contractual or fiduciary obligation owed to Millennium Cell not to disclose such information, in each case other than as a result of Tang's breach of any of his obligations hereunder, or
(iv) when required to be disclosed by court order, subpoena or other government process.
In the event that Tang shall be required to make disclosure pursuant to the provisions of clause (iv) of the preceding sentence, he shall promptly, but in no event more than 48 hours after learning of such court order, subpoena, or other government process, notify Millennium Cell, by personal delivery or by facsimile, confirmed by mail. Further, at Millennium Cell's written request and expense, Tang shall
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(v) take all reasonably necessary steps requested by Millennium Cell to defend against the enforcement of such court order, subpoena or other government process, and
(vi) permit Millennium Cell to intervene and participate with counsel of its choice in any proceeding relating to the enforcement thereof.
(c) Return of Documents and Property. Upon termination of his employment with Millennium Cell, or at any time Millennium Cell may so request, Tang will promptly deliver to Millennium Cell all files, memoranda, notes, records, reports, manuals, data, drawings, blueprints and other documents and information (and all copies thereof) relating to the business of Millennium Cell and/or any Subsidiaries, and all property associated therewith, that are then in his possession or under his control; provided, however, that this requirement shall not apply to any such item that is, at the applicable time, already in the public domain.
(d) Remedies and Sanctions. In the event that Tang is found to be in violation of Section 10(b) or 10(c), Millennium Cell shall be entitled to relief as provided in Section 12 below.
11. NONCOMPETITION/NONSOLICITATION.
(a) Acknowledgments. Tang acknowledges that:
(i) Millennium Cell and any Subsidiaries will suffer damage that will be difficult to compute if, during the Term or thereafter, Tang should enter a competitive business; and
(ii) The provisions of this Section 11 are reasonable and necessary for the protection of the business of Millennium Cell and any Subsidiaries.
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(b) Noncompetition and Nonsolicitation. During the Covenant Period (which shall extend for 12 months after the Term) Tang, without the prior written permission of Millennium Cell, shall not, directly or indirectly:
(i) enter into the employ of or render any services to any person, firm or corporation engaged in any business that derives more than 5 percent of its gross sales from products that are interchangeable with or substitutable for a product sold by one or more of the businesses conducted by Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries when the Term ends (a "Competitive Business");
(ii) engage in any Competitive Business for his own account;
(iii) become associated with or interested in any Competitive Business as an individual, partner, shareholder, creditor, director, officer, principal, agent, employee, trustee, consultant, advisor or in any other relationship or capacity;
(iv) employ or retain, or have or cause any other person or entity to employ or retain, any person who was employed or retained by Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries while Tang was employed by Millennium Cell; or
(v) solicit, endeavor to entice away from or knowingly interfere with Millennium Cell or any Subsidiaries, any of its or their customers or sources of supply.
Notwithstanding, the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall preclude Tang from investing his personal assets in the securities of any corporation or other business entity that is engaged in a Competitive Business if such securities are traded on a national stock exchange or in the over-the-counter market and if such investment does not result in his beneficially owning, at any time, more than 5 percent of the publicly-traded equity securities of such competitor.
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(c) Remedies and Sanctions. In the event that Tang is found to be in violation of Section 11(b), Millennium Cell shall be entitled to relief as provided in Section 12 below.
12. INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.
(a) Commission of a Breach. If Tang commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach, of any of the provisions of Section 10 or 11 above, Millennium Cell shall have the right and remedy to seek to have the provisions of this Agreement specifically enforced by any court having equity jurisdiction, it being acknowledged and agreed by Tang that the services being rendered hereunder to Millennium Cell are of a special, unique and extraordinary character and that any such breach or threatened breach may cause irreparable injury to Millennium Cell and that monetary damages will not provide an adequate remedy to Millennium Cell.
The rights and remedies enumerated in this Section 12(a) shall be independent one of another and shall be severally enforceable, and such rights and remedies shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other damages, rights and remedies available to Millennium Cell under law or equity.
(b) Violation of a Covenant. If Tang shall violate any covenant contained in this Section 12, subject to the requirements of Section 9(e) or 9(g) as may be applicable, the Covenant Period shall automatically extend for 12 months from the date on which Tang permanently ceases such violation or, if later, from the date of entry by a court of competent jurisdiction of a final order or judgment enforcing such covenant.
(c) Unenforceability. If any provision of this Section 12 is held to be unenforceable because of the scope, duration or area of its applicability, the tribunal making such
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determination shall have the power to modify such scope, duration, or area, or all of them, and any such provision shall then be applicable in such modified form.
13. WITHHOLDING TAXES.
All payments to Tang or his Beneficiary shall be subject to withholding on account of federal, state and local taxes as required by law. If any payment under this Agreement is insufficient to provide the amount of such taxes required to be withheld, Millennium Cell may withhold such taxes from any subsequent payment due Tang or his Beneficiary. In the event that all payments due are insufficient to provide the required amount of such withholding taxes, Tang or his Beneficiary, within five days after written notice from Millennium Cell, shall pay to Millennium Cell the amount of such withholding taxes in excess of the payments due.
14. INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY INSURANCE.
Nothing herein is intended to limit Millennium Cell's indemnification of Tang, and Millennium Cell shall indemnify him to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law consistent with Millennium Cell's Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws as in effect on the date of this Agreement, with respect to any action or failure to act on his part while he is an officer, director or employee of Millennium Cell or any Subsidiary. Millennium Cell shall cause Tang to be covered, during the Term and after the Term in respect of claims arising from any such service during the Term, by such insurance on terms no less favorable than the directors' and officers' liability insurance maintained by Millennium Cell as in effect on the date of this Agreement in terms of coverage, limits and reimbursement of defense costs.
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15. ASSIGNABILITY, SUCCESSORS, BINDING AGREEMENT.
(a) Assignability and Successors. In addition to any obligations imposed by law upon any successor to Millennium Cell, with the acquiescence of Tang, Millennium Cell will use its best efforts to persuade any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of Millennium Cell to assume expressly and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that Millennium Cell would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place.
(b) Binding Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by Tang's personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees. If Tang shall die while any amount would still be payable to him hereunder (other than amounts which, by their terms, terminate upon his death) if he had continued to live, all such amounts, unless otherwise provided herein, shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Agreement to the executors, personal representatives or administrators of Tang's estate.
16. REPRESENTATIONS.
The Parties respectively represent and warrant that each is fully authorized and empowered to enter into this Agreement and that the performance of its or his obligations, as the case may be, under this Agreement will not violate any agreement between such Party and any other person, firm or organization. Millennium Cell represents and warrants that this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms.
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17. ENTIRE AGREEMENT.
Except to the extent otherwise provided herein, this Agreement contains the entire understanding and agreement between the Parties concerning the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreements, whether written or oral, between the Parties concerning the subject matter hereof. In the event of a conflict between this Agreement and terms of any benefit plan, grant or award, the provisions of this Agreement shall govern the determination of Tang's rights. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, to the extent that the provisions of any benefit plan, grant or award are more favorable to Tang than the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of such benefit plan, grant or award shall govern the determination of Tang's rights.
18. AMENDMENT OR WAIVER.
No provision of this Agreement may be amended unless such amendment is agreed to in writing and signed by both Tang and an authorized officer of Millennium Cell. No waiver by either Party of any breach by the other Party of any condition or provision contained in this Agreement to be performed by such other Party shall be deemed a waiver of a similar or dissimilar condition or provision at the same or any prior or subsequent time. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by the Party to be charged with the waiver.
19. SEVERABILITY.
In the event that any provision or portion of this Agreement shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, in whole or in part, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall be unaffected thereby and shall remain in full force and effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.
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20. SURVIVAL.
The respective rights and obligations of the Parties under this Agreement shall survive any termination of Tang's employment with Millennium Cell.
21. BENEFICIARIES/REFERENCES.
Tang shall be entitled to select (and change, to the extent permitted under any applicable law) a beneficiary or beneficiaries to receive any compensation or benefit payable under this Agreement following Tang's death by giving Millennium Cell written notice thereof. In the event of Tang's death or of a judicial determination of his incompetence, reference in this Agreement to Tang shall be deemed to refer, as appropriate, to his beneficiary, estate or other legal representative.
22. NO MITIGATION.
Millennium Cell agrees that, if Tang's employment with Millennium Cell terminates during the Term, Tang will not be required to seek other employment or attempt in any way to reduce any amounts payable to him under this Agreement. Further, the amount of any payment shall not be reduced by any compensation earned by Tang as the result of employment by another employer, by retirement benefits, by offset against any amount claimed to be owed by Tang to Millennium Cell or otherwise.
23. GOVERNING LAW.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, without reference to principles of conflict of laws.
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24. RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES.
(a) Arbitration. Except as provided in Section 24(b), any disputes arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be resolved by arbitration, to be held in Newark, New Jersey, in accordance with the commercial rules and procedures of the American Arbitration Association.
(b) Litigation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Tang shall have the right to waive his rights under Section 24(a) and have any dispute resolved by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Costs. Except as provided in Section 10(b), each Party shall bear its or his respective costs, fees (including attorneys' fees) and expenses of any arbitration or litigation in connection with this Agreement.
(d) Continuation of Payments. Pending the outcome or resolution of any dispute between the Parties, Millennium Cell shall continue to pay to Tang all amounts, and provide on his behalf all benefits, due him under this Agreement.
25. NOTICES.
Any notice given to either Party shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given when delivered either personally, by fax, by overnight delivery service (such as Federal Express) or sent by certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, duly addressed to the Party concerned at the address indicated below or to such changed address as the Party may subsequently give notice of.
If to Millennium Cell: | Millennium Cell, Inc. One Industrial Way West Eatontown, New Jersey 07724 Attention: Secretary Fax: (732) 542-4010 |
If to Tang: | Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D. 2355 Spyglass Hill Center Valley, Pennsylvania 18034 Fax: (610) 882-9222 |
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26. HEADINGS.
The headings of the sections contained in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be deemed to control or affect the meaning or construction of any provision of this Agreement.
27. COUNTERPARTS.
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be an original, but all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above. Millennium Cell Inc.
| | | | Millennium Cell, Inc. |
| | | | |
Attest: | ___________________________ | | By: | /s/ James L. Rawlings |
| | | Title: | James L. Rawlings, Chairman, Compensation Committee |
| | | | |
Witness: | ___________________________ | | | /s/ Stephen S. Tang |
| | | | Stephen S. Tang |
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