EXHIBIT 10.1
ENERGY RECOVERY, INC.
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is entered into, effective as of , 20 by and between Energy Recovery, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and ”Indemnitee”).
WHEREAS, it is essential to the Company to retain and attract as directors and officers the most capable persons available;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee is a director and/or officer of the Company;
WHEREAS, both the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increased risk of litigation and other claims currently being asserted against directors and officers of corporations;
WHEREAS, the Bylaws of the Company require the Company to indemnify and advance expenses to its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law, and the Indemnitee serves as a director and/or officer of the Company in part in reliance on the Company’s Bylaws; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of Indemnitee’s need for (i) substantial protection against personal liability based on Indemnitee’s reliance on the aforesaid Bylaws, (ii) specific contractual assurance that the protection promised by the Bylaws will be available to Indemnitee (regardless of, among other things, any amendment to or revocation of the Bylaws or any change in the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors or acquisition transaction relating to the Company) and (iii) an inducement to provide effective services to the Company as a director and/or officer, the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for the indemnification of and the advancing of expenses to Indemnitee to the fullest extent (whether partial or complete) permitted under Delaware law and as set forth in this Agreement, and, to the extent insurance is maintained, to provide for the continued coverage of Indemnitee under the Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the above premises and of Indemnitee continuing to serve the Company directly or, at its request, with another enterprise, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties agree as follows:
1.Certain Definitions.
| (a) | “Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company. | ||
| (b) | “Affiliate” shall mean any corporation or other person or entity that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with, the person specified, including, without limitation, with respect to the Company, any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company. | ||
| (c) | A “Change in Control” shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) (other than a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company, and other than any person holding shares of the Company on the date that the Company first registers under the Act or any transferee of such individual if such transferee is a spouse or lineal descendant of the transferee or a trust for the benefit of the individual, his or her spouse or lineal descendants), is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or |
| indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 30% or more of the total voting power represented by the Company’s then outstanding Voting Securities, (ii) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board and any new director whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute a majority of the Board, (iii) the stockholders of the Company approve a merger or consolidation of the Company with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation that would result in the Voting Securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into Voting Securities of the surviving entity) at least 80% of the total voting power represented by the Voting Securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation or (iv) the stockholders of the Company approve a plan of complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets. |
| (d) | “Expenses” shall mean any expense, liability or loss, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement, any interest, assessments or other charges imposed thereon, any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement and all other costs and obligations, paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal) or preparing for any of the foregoing in, any Proceeding relating to any Indemnifiable Event. | ||
| (e) | “Indemnifiable Event” shall mean any event or occurrence that takes place either prior to or after the execution of this Agreement, related to the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company, or while a director or officer is or was serving at the request of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company as a director, officer, employee, trustee, agent or fiduciary of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, employee benefit plan, trust or other enterprise or was a director, officer, employee or agent of a foreign or domestic corporation that was a predecessor corporation of the Company or of another enterprise at the request of such predecessor corporation, or related to anything done or not done by Indemnitee in any such capacity, whether or not the basis of the Proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company, as described above. | ||
| (f) | “Independent Counsel” shall mean the person or body appointed in connection with Section 3. | ||
| (g) | “Proceeding” shall mean any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding or any alternative dispute resolution mechanism (including an action by or in the right of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company) or any inquiry, hearing or investigation, whether formal or informal, whether conducted by the Company or an Affiliate of the Company or any other party, that Indemnitee in good faith believes might lead to the institution of any such action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other. | ||
| (h) | “Reviewing Party” shall mean the person or body appointed in accordance with Section 3. | ||
| (i) | “Voting Securities” shall mean any securities of the Company that vote generally in the election of directors. |
2.Agreement to Indemnify.
| (a) | General Agreement. In the event Indemnitee was, is or becomes a party to or witness or other participant in, or is threatened to be made a party to or witness or other participant in, a Proceeding by reason of (or arising in part out of) an Indemnifiable Event, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee from and against any and all Expenses to the fullest extent permitted by law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended or interpreted (but in the case of any such amendment or interpretation, only to the extent that such amendment or interpretation permits the Company to provide broader indemnification rights than were permitted prior thereto). The parties hereto intend that this Agreement shall provide for indemnification in excess of that expressly permitted by statute, including, without limitation, any indemnification provided by the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, vote of its stockholders or disinterested directors or applicable law. | ||
| (b) | Initiation of Proceeding. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Indemnitee shall not be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement in connection with any Proceeding initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or any director or officer of the Company unless (i) the Company has joined in or the Board has consented to the initiation of such Proceeding, (ii) the Proceeding is one to enforce indemnification rights under Section 5 or (iii) the Proceeding is instituted after a Change in Control (other than a Change in Control approved by a majority of the directors on the Board who were directors immediately prior to such Change in Control) and Independent Counsel has approved its initiation. | ||
| (c) | Expense Advances. All Expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee prior to the final disposition of a Proceeding shall be advanced by the Company to Indemnitee within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of a written request for such advance unless and until there has been a final determination by a court of competent jurisdiction that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such Expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent the Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any Proceeding, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection therewith. Indemnitee shall qualify for advances upon the execution and delivery to the Company of this Agreement which shall constitute an undertaking providing that the Indemnitee undertakes to the fullest extent permitted by law to reimburse the advance if and to the extent that it is ultimately determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a final judgment, not subject to appeal, that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company. No other form of undertaking shall be required other than the execution of this Agreement. Indemnitee’s obligation to reimburse the Company for advances shall be unsecured and no interest shall be charged thereon. This Section 2(c) shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which indemnity is excluded pursuant to Section 2(b) or 2(f). | ||
| (d) | Mandatory Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any Proceeding relating in whole or in part to an Indemnifiable Event or in defense of any issue or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses incurred in connection therewith. | ||
| (e) | Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of Expenses, but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled. |
| (f) | Prohibited Indemnification. No indemnification pursuant to this Agreement shall be paid by the Company on account of any Proceeding in which a final judgment is rendered against Indemnitee or Indemnitee enters into a settlement, in each case (i) for an accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or similar provisions of any federal, state or local laws; (ii) for which payment has actually been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount paid under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision; or (iii) for which payment is prohibited by law. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary stated or implied in this Section 2(f), indemnification pursuant to this Agreement relating to any Proceeding against Indemnitee for an accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee of securities of the Company pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or similar provisions of any federal, state or local laws shall not be prohibited if Indemnitee ultimately establishes in any Proceeding that no recovery of such profits from Indemnitee is permitted under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or similar provisions of any federal, state or local laws. |
| 3. | Reviewing Party. Prior to any Change in Control, the Reviewing Party shall be any appropriate person or body consisting of a member or members of the Board or any other person or body appointed by the Board who is not a party to the particular Proceeding with respect to which Indemnitee is seeking indemnification; provided that if all members of the Board are parties to the particular Proceeding with respect to which Indemnitee is seeking indemnification, the Independent Counsel referred to below shall become the Reviewing Party; after a Change in Control, the Independent Counsel referred to below shall become the Reviewing Party. With respect to all matters arising before a Change in Control for which Independent Counsel shall be the Reviewing Party and all matters arising after a Change in Control, in each case concerning the rights of Indemnitee to indemnity payments and Expense Advances under this Agreement or any other agreement or under applicable law or the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws now or hereafter in effect relating to indemnification for Indemnifiable Events, the Company shall seek legal advice only from Independent Counsel selected by Indemnitee and approved by the Company (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), and who has not otherwise performed services for the Company or the Indemnitee (other than in connection with indemnification matters) within the last five years. The Independent Counsel shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. Such counsel, among other things, shall render its written opinion to the Company and Indemnitee as to whether and to what extent the Indemnitee should be permitted to be indemnified under applicable law. The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees of the Independent Counsel and to indemnify fully such counsel against any and all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), claims, liabilities, loss and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the engagement of Independent Counsel pursuant hereto. |
4.Indemnification Process and Appeal.
| (a) | Indemnification Payment. Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification of Expenses, and shall receive payment thereof, from the Company in accordance with this Agreement as soon as practicable after Indemnitee has made written demand on the Company for indemnification, but in no event later than thirty (30) days after demand, unless the Reviewing Party has given a written opinion to the Company that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under applicable law. Indemnitee shall cooperate with the Reviewing Party making a determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to the Reviewing Party upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged |
| or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. In the event the Reviewing Party has failed to make such determination within thirty (30) days after the Company’s receipt of Indemnitee’s written demand for indemnification, the requisite determination that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall be deemed to have been made. |
| (b) | Suit to Enforce Rights. Regardless of any action by the Reviewing Party, if Indemnitee has not received full indemnification within thirty (30) days after making a demand in accordance with Section 4(a), Indemnitee shall have the right to enforce its indemnification rights under this Agreement by commencing litigation in any court in the State of California or the State of Delaware having subject matter jurisdiction thereof seeking an initial determination by the court or challenging any determination by the Reviewing Party or any aspect thereof. The Company hereby consents to service of process and to appear in any such proceeding. The Company shall be precluded from asserting in any such proceeding that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement. The remedy provided for in this Section 4 shall be in addition to any other remedies available to Indemnitee at law or in equity. | ||
| (c) | Defense to Indemnification, Burden of Proof, and Presumptions. It shall be a defense to any action brought by Indemnitee against the Company to enforce this Agreement that it is not permissible under applicable law for the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed. In connection with any such action or any determination by the Reviewing Party or otherwise as to whether Indemnitee is entitled to be indemnified hereunder, the burden of proving such a defense or determination shall be on the Company. Neither the failure of the Reviewing Party or the Company (including its Board, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action by Indemnitee that indemnification of the claimant is proper under the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the standard of conduct set forth in applicable law, nor an actual determination by the Reviewing Party or Company (including its Board, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) that the Indemnitee had not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct. For purposes of this Agreement, the termination of any claim, action, suit or proceeding, by judgment, order, settlement (whether with or without court approval), conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that Indemnitee did not meet any particular standard of conduct or have any particular belief or that a court has determined that indemnification is not permitted by applicable law. For purposes of any determination of good faith under any applicable standard of conduct, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Company, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the officers of the Company in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Company or the Board or counsel selected by any committee of the Board or on information or records given or reports made to the Company by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser, investment banker, compensation consultant, or other expert selected with reasonable care by the Company or the Board or any committee of the Board. The provisions of the preceding sentence shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct. The knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement. |
| 5. | Indemnification for Expenses Incurred in Enforcing Rights. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against any and all Expenses that are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any action brought by Indemnitee for (i) indemnification or advance payment of Expenses by the Company under this Agreement or any other agreement or under applicable law or the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws now or hereafter in effect relating to indemnification for Indemnifiable Events, regardless of whether Indemnitee is ultimately successful in such action, unless as a part of such action a court of competent jurisdiction over such action determines that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such action was not made in good faith or was frivolous; and/or (ii) recovery under directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies maintained by the Company; but only in the event that Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification or insurance recovery, as the case may be. In addition, the Company shall, if so requested by Indemnitee, advance the foregoing Expenses to Indemnitee, subject to and in accordance with Section 2(c). |
| 6. | Notification and Defense of Proceeding. |
| (a) | Notice. Promptly after receipt by Indemnitee of notice of the commencement of any Proceeding, Indemnitee shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company under this Agreement, notify the Company of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee, except as provided in Section 6(c). | ||
| (b) | Defense. With respect to any Proceeding as to which Indemnitee notifies the Company of the commencement thereof, the Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense and except as otherwise provided below, to the extent the Company so wishes, it may assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to Indemnitee of its election to assume the defense of any Proceeding, the Company shall not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise for any Expenses subsequently incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense of such Proceeding other than reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. Indemnitee shall have the right to employ legal counsel in such Proceeding, but all Expenses related thereto incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense shall be at Indemnitee’s expense unless: (i) the employment of legal counsel by Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company, (ii) Indemnitee has reasonably determined that there may be a conflict of interest between Indemnitee and the Company in the defense of the Proceeding, (iii) after a Change in Control, the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been approved by the Independent Counsel or (iv) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of such Proceeding, in each of which cases all Expenses of the Proceeding shall be borne by the Company. The Company shall not be entitled to assume the defense of any Proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Company, or as to which Indemnitee shall have made the determination provided for in (ii) above or under the circumstances provided for in (iii) and (iv) above. | ||
| (c) | Settlement of Claims. The Company shall not be liable to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement or otherwise for any amounts paid in settlement of any Proceeding effected without the Company’s written consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld; provided, however, that if a Change in Control has occurred, the Company shall be liable for indemnification of Indemnitee for amounts paid in settlement if the Independent Counsel has approved the settlement. The Company shall not settle any Proceeding in any manner that would impose any penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s written consent. The Company shall not be liable to indemnify the Indemnitee under this Agreement with regard to any judicial award if the Company was not given a reasonable and timely opportunity as a result of Indemnitees’ failure to provide notice, at its expense, to participate in the defense of such |
| action, and the lack of such notice materially prejudiced the Company’s ability to participate in defense of such action. The Company’s liability hereunder shall not be excused if participation in the Proceeding by the Company was barred by this Agreement. |
| 7. | Establishment of Trust. In the event of a Change in Control, the Company shall, upon written request by Indemnitee, create a Trust for the benefit of the Indemnitee and from time to time upon written request of Indemnitee shall fund the Trust in an amount sufficient to satisfy any and all Expenses reasonably anticipated at the time of each such request to be incurred in connection with investigating, preparing for, participating in, and/or defending any Proceeding relating to an Indemnifiable Event. The amount or amounts to be deposited in the Trust pursuant to the foregoing funding obligation shall be determined by the Independent Counsel. The terms of the Trust shall provide that (i) the Trust shall not be revoked or the principal thereof invaded without the written consent of the Indemnitee, (ii) the Trustee shall advance, within thirty (30)��days of a request by the Indemnitee, any and all Expenses to the Indemnitee (and the Indemnitee hereby agrees to reimburse the Trust under the same circumstances for which the Indemnitee would be required to reimburse the Company under Section 2(c) of this Agreement), (iii) the Trust shall continue to be funded by the Company in accordance with the funding obligation set forth above, (iv) the Trustee shall promptly pay to the Indemnitee all amounts for which the Indemnitee shall be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise no later than thirty (30) days after notice pursuant to Section 4(a) and (v) all unexpended funds in the Trust shall revert to the Company upon a final determination by the Independent Counsel or a court of competent jurisdiction, as the case may be, that the Indemnitee has been fully indemnified under the terms of this Agreement. The Trustee shall be chosen by the Indemnitee. Nothing in this Section 7 shall relieve the Company of any of its obligations under this Agreement. All income earned on the assets held in the Trust shall be reported as income by the Company for federal, state, local and foreign tax purposes. The Company shall pay all costs of establishing and maintaining the Trust and shall indemnify the Trustee against any and all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), claims, liabilities, loss and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the establishment and maintenance of the Trust. |
| 8. | Non-Exclusivity. The rights of Indemnitee hereunder shall be in addition to any other rights Indemnitee may have under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, applicable law or otherwise; provided, however, that this Agreement shall supersede any prior indemnification agreement between the Company and the Indemnitee. To the extent that a change in applicable law (whether by statute or judicial decision) permits greater indemnification than would be afforded currently under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, applicable law or this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties that Indemnitee enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. |
| 9. | Liability Insurance. For the duration of Indemnitee’s service as a director and/or officer of the Company, and thereafter for so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any pending or possible Proceeding by reason of (or arising in part out of) an Indemnifiable Event, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts (taking into account the scope and amount of coverage available relative to the cost thereof) to cause to be maintained in effect policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing coverage for directors and/or officers of the Company that is at least substantially comparable in scope and amount to that provided by the Company’s current policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to maintain said policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance during any time period in which such insurance is not reasonably available or if it is determined in good faith by the then directors of the Company either that: (a) the premium cost of such insurance is substantially disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided thereunder, or (b) the protection provided by such insurance is so limited by exclusions, deductions or otherwise that there is insufficient benefit to warrant the cost of maintaining such insurance. |
| The Company shall provide Indemnitee with a copy of all directors’ and officers’ liability insurance applications, binders, policies, declarations, endorsements and other related materials, and shall provide Indemnitee with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on the same. | ||
| 10. | Amendment of this Agreement. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be binding unless in the form of a writing signed by the party against whom enforcement of the waiver is sought, and no such waiver shall operate as a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or not similar), nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver. Except as specifically provided herein, no failure to exercise or any delay in exercising any right or remedy hereunder shall constitute a waiver thereof. | |
| 11. | Subrogation. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and shall do everything that may be necessary to secure such rights, including the execution of such documents necessary to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights. |
| 12. | No Duplication of Payments. The Company shall not be liable under this Agreement to make any payment in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee to the extent Indemnitee has otherwise received payment (under any insurance policy, Bylaw or otherwise) of the amounts otherwise indemnifiable hereunder. |
| 13. | Duration of Agreement. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee is a director, officer, employee or other agent of the Company (or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or other agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise) and shall continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible claim or threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil or criminal, arbitrational, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee was serving in the capacity referred to herein. |
| 14. | Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company), assigns, spouses, heirs and personal and legal representatives. The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all, substantially all or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place. The indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee for any action taken or not taken while serving in an indemnified capacity pertaining to an Indemnifiable Event even though Indemnitee may have ceased to serve in such capacity at the time of any Proceeding. |
| 15. | Severability. If any provision (or portion thereof) of this Agreement shall be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, (a) the remaining provisions shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of this Agreement containing any provision held to be invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, void or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, void or unenforceable. |
| 16. | Contribution. To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, whether or not the indemnification provided for in this Agreement is available to Indemnitee for any reason whatsoever, the Company shall pay all or a portion of the amount that would otherwise be incurred by Indemnitee for Expenses in connection with any claim relating to an Indemnifiable Event, as is deemed fair and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances of such Proceeding in order to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Company and Indemnitee as a result of the event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such Proceeding; and/or (ii) the relative fault of the Company (and its directors, officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with such event(s) and/or transaction(s). |
| 17. | Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts made and to be performed in such State without giving effect to its principles of conflicts of laws. The Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally (i) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement may be brought in the Delaware Court of Chancery, (ii) consent to submit to the jurisdiction of the Delaware Court of Chancery for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, (iii) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court of Chancery, and (iv) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court of Chancery has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum. |
| 18. | Notices. All notices, demands and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be made in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if delivered by hand, against receipt or mailed, postage prepaid, certified or registered mail, return receipt requested and addressed to the Company at: |
Energy Recovery, Inc.
1908 Doolittle Drive
San Leandro, CA 94577
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
and to Indemnitee at the address set forth below Indemnitee’s signature hereto. Notice of change of address shall be effective only when given in accordance with this Section. All notices complying with this Section shall be deemed to have been received on the date of hand delivery or on the third business day after mailing.
19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
(signature page follows)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed and delivered this Indemnification Agreement as of the day specified above.
| ENERGY RECOVERY, INC.,a Delaware corporation | ||||
| (Signature) | ||||
| By: | ||||
| Title: | ||||
| “INDEMNITEE”, an individual | ||||
| (Signature) | ||||
| (Print name) | ||||
| (Street address) | ||||
| (City, State and ZIP) | ||||