Employment Agreement
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), made and entered into as of January 1, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), is by and between Lordstown Motors Corp., a Delaware corporation (“Company”), and Melissa Leonard (“Executive”). Certain capitalized terms shall have the meaning given to them in Section 7 below.
WHEREAS, Company and Executive desire to enter into an employment agreement on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
WHEREAS, Company considers Executive a “key executive” and agrees to provide Executive the significant consideration described in this Agreement as and for Company’s retention of Executive; and
WHEREAS, Company and Executive desire to enter into this Agreement as of the Effective Date and this Agreement shall supersede all prior employment terms and conditions, whether or not in writing.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or otherwise, nothing shall limit Executive’s rights under applicable law to provide truthful information to any governmental entity or to file a charge with or participate in an investigation conducted by any governmental entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive agrees to waive Executive’s right to recover monetary damages in connection with any charge, complaint or lawsuit filed by Executive or anyone else on Executive’s behalf (whether involving a governmental entity or not); provided that Executive is not agreeing to waive, and this Agreement shall not be read as requiring Executive to waive, any right Executive may have to receive an award for information provided to any governmental entity. Executive is hereby notified that the immunity provisions in Section 1833 of title 18 of the United States Code provide that an individual cannot be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for any disclosure of a trade secret that is made (1) in confidence to federal, state or local government officials, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, and is solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of the law, (2) under seal in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, or (3) to Executive’s attorney in connection with a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law (and the trade secret may be used in the court proceedings for such lawsuit) as long as any document containing the trade secret is filed under seal and the trade secret is not disclosed except pursuant to court order.
“2020 Incentive Plan” shall mean the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan.
“Affiliate” shall mean each individual, company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other business entity, which is, directly or indirectly, controlled by, controls, or is under common control with, Company, where “control” means (i) the ownership of a majority of the voting securities or other voting interests or other equity interests of any company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other business entity, or (ii) the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture or other business entity.
“Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Annual Base Salary” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
“Board of Directors” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(b ).
“Cause” shall mean the Board of Directors’ determination in good faith that Executive has:
(i)disregarded or refused to substantially perform her duties and obligations to Company as required by this Agreement and the Board of Directors (other than any such failure resulting from her Disability or Executive’s termination of her employment with Company for any reason);
(ii)breached a fiduciary responsibility to Company in any material respect;
(iii)commission of an act of fraud, embezzlement or other misappropriation of funds;
(iv)breached any confidentiality or proprietary information agreement in any material respect between Executive and Company;
(v)acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct when undertaking Executive’s duties;
(vi)breached this Agreement;
(vii)Executive’s excessive and unreasonable absences from Executive’s duties for any reason (other than authorized leave or leave required by law or as a result of Executive’s Disability); or
(viii)Executive’s indictment for, conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, (A) a felony, (B) a misdemeanor (other than traffic or motor vehicle violations), or (C) any other act, omission or event that, in any such case, has caused or is likely to cause economic harm to Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the image, reputation and/or goodwill of Company or its Subsidiaries or that Company in good faith believes is reasonably likely to cause material harm to the image, reputation and/or goodwill of Company or its Subsidiaries, their respective products, services and/or trade/service marks;
Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to Company’s termination of Executive for Cause above, Company shall give Executive written notice specifying in reasonable detail the existence of any condition and Executive shall have 30 days from the date of Executive’s receipt of such notice in which to cure the condition giving rise to Cause (if curable).
“CEO” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 1.
“Change of Control” means:
(i)one Person (or more than one Person acting as a group) acquires ownership of stock of Company that, together with the stock held by such person or group, constitutes more than 35% of the total fair market value or total voting power of the stock of Company; provided, that, a Change in Control shall not occur if any Person (or more than one Person acting as a group) owns more than 50% of the total fair market value or total voting power of Company’s stock and acquires additional stock;
(ii)a majority of the members of the Board of Directors are replaced during any 12-month period by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the Board of Directors before the date of appointment or election; or
(iii)one Person (or more than one person acting as a group), acquires (or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition) assets from Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of Company immediately before such acquisition(s).
A transaction shall not constitute a Change in Control if: (a) its sole purpose is to change the state of Company’s incorporation; or (b) its sole purpose is to create a holding
company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held Company’s securities immediately before such transaction.
“Code” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(d).
“Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Company Business” shall mean the business of developing, designing and manufacturing battery-electric vehicles under 10,001 GVW.
“Confidential Information” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(a).
“D&O Insurance Policy” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(g).
“Disability” shall mean that Executive is unable to effectively perform the essential functions of her job by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for not less than 90 consecutive days or 125 non-consecutive days, in either case during any 12-month period (unless a longer period is required under applicable law, then during such longer period), and in any case as determined in good faith by an independent doctor selected in good faith by the Board of Directors and mutually acceptable to Executive.
“Effective Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Executive” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Employment Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 1.
“GC” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 1.
“Good Reason” is defined as the occurrence of any of the following: (i) a breach of this Agreement by Company (including without limitation any of the indemnification provisions); (ii) a material reduction in Executive’s Base Salary or Annual Bonus, (iii) a material change in the geographic location where Executive must perform services; or (iv) Executive has a material reduction in position, status, duties or responsibilities, or is assigned duties materially inconsistent with her position (including without limitation if Executive ceases to be the GC of a public company which is the ultimate parent of the Company). If Executive wishes to terminate her employment for Good Reason, he shall first give Company 30 days prior written notice of the circumstances constituting Good Reason and an opportunity to cure, and such notice must be given to Company within 30 days of Executive becoming aware of such circumstances.
“Initial Equity Awards” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(f).
“Inventions and Innovations” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6.
“Minimum Payments” shall mean, as applicable, the following amounts:
(i)Executive’s earned but unpaid Annual Base Salary for the period ending on the Termination Date, with such payments to be made in accordance with Section 3(a);
(ii)Executive’s accrued but unpaid vacation days for the period ending on the Termination Date; and
(iii)Executive’s unreimbursed business expenses and all other items earned and owed to Executive through and including, the Termination Date.
“Person” shall mean any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated association, corporation, limited liability company, entity or governmental entity (whether federal, state, county, city or otherwise and including any instrumentality, division, agency or department thereof).
“Restricted Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).
“Subsidiary” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association or business entity of which: (i) if a corporation, a majority of the total voting power of shares of stock entitled (irrespective of whether, at the time, stock of any other class or classes of such corporation shall have or might have voting power by reason of the happening 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 that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof; or (ii) if a partnership, limited liability company, association or other business entity, either (A) a majority of partnership or other similar ownership interests thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof or (B) that Person is a general partner, managing member, manager or managing director of such partnership, limited liability company, or other business entity. For purposes hereof and unless otherwise indicated, the term “Subsidiary” refers to a Subsidiary of Company.
“Termination Date” shall mean the date of termination of Executive’s employment as determined in accordance with Section 3.
“Termination Upon Change of Control” means:
(i)any termination of the employment of Executive by Company without Cause during the period commencing on or after the date that Company enters into a definitive agreement that results in a Change of Control (even though still subject to approval by Company’s stockholders and other conditions and contingencies, but provided that the Change of Control actually occurs) and ending on the date which is 12 months following the Change of Control; or
(ii)any resignation by Executive for Good Reason where (i) such Good Reason occurs during the period commencing on or after the date that Company enters into a definitive agreement that results in a Change of Control (even though still subject to approval by Company’s stockholders and other conditions and contingencies, but provided that the Change of Control actually occurs) and ending on the date which is 12 months following the Change of
Control, and (ii) such resignation occurs at or after such Change of Control and in any event within six months following the occurrence of such Good Reason.
(iii)Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Termination Upon Change of Control” shall not include any termination of the employment of Executive: (1) by Company for Cause; (2) by Company as a result of the Disability of Executive; (3) as a result of the death of Executive; or (4) as a result of the voluntary termination of employment by Executive for any reason other than Good Reason.
If to Company to:
Lordstown Motors Corp.
2300 Hallock Young Road, S.W.
Lordstown, OH 44481
Attention: General Counsel
If to Executive, to:
The address on file with the Company’s Human Resources department or to such other address as either party may furnish to the other in writing, except that notices of changes of address shall be effective only upon receipt.
[Signature page follows.]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first set forth above.
COMPANY:
LORDSTOWN MOTORS CORP.
By:/s/ Daniel Ninivaggi__________
Name: Daniel Ninivaggi
Its:Chief Executive Officer
EXECUTIVE:
/s/ Melissa Leonard
Melissa Leonard