Beneficient (BENF) 8-K Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

Exhibit 10.9

FORM OF

BENEFICIENT LEGACY HOLDER LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

THIS BENEFICIENT LEGACY HOLDER LOCK-UP AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of June 7, 2023, by and between (i) Beneficient (the “Company”) and (ii) the undersigned (“Holder”). Any capitalized term used but not defined in this Agreement will have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Business Combination Agreement, as hereinafter defined.

WHEREAS, (i) Avalon Acquisition, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Avalon”), (ii) The Beneficient Company Group, L.P. (“BCG”), (iii) Beneficient Merger Sub I, Inc., a Delaware corporation and direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub I”), and (iv) Beneficient Merger Sub II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and direct, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub II”) have entered into that certain Business Combination Agreement (as amended from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, the “Business Combination Agreement”), pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, among other matters, following the consummation of the Initial Recapitalization, Conversion and Contribution, (i) Merger Sub I shall, at the Avalon Merger Effective Time, be merged with and into Avalon, with Avalon continuing as the surviving entity in connection therewith, and as a result of which, (x) Avalon shall become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company and (y) each issued and outstanding share of Avalon Common Stock immediately prior to the Avalon Merger Effective Time shall no longer be outstanding and shall automatically be cancelled, in exchange for the right of the holder thereof to receive Company Class A Common Shares, all upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Business Combination Agreement and in accordance with the provisions of applicable law and (ii) following consummation of the Avalon Merger, the surviving company of the Avalon Merger will merge with and into Merger Sub II, with Merger Sub II surviving;

WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, Holder is a holder of certain BCG Partnership Units which, upon consummation of the Conversion, shall automatically be converted into Company Common Shares as more thoroughly described in the Plan of Conversion; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement, and in view of the valuable consideration or benefits to be received by Holder by virtue thereof or thereunder, the parties desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which all of the Company Common Shares received by Holder in connection with the Conversion or any securities convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for or that represent the right to receive Company Common Shares now owned or hereafter acquired by the Holder (all such securities, together with any securities paid as dividends or distributions with respect to such securities or into which such securities are exchanged or converted, the “Restricted Securities”), shall become subject to limitations on disposition as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, which are incorporated in this Agreement as if fully set forth below, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereby agree as follows:

1. Lock-Up Provisions.

(a) Holder hereby agrees not to, during the period (the “Lock-Up Period”) commencing from the Closing and ending on the earlier of (x) six (6) months of the date of the Closing, (y) the date after the 150th day following the Closing on which the closing price of the Company Common Shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, share consolidations, subdivisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Closing, and (z) the date after the Closing on which the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction with an unaffiliated third party that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their equity

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holdings in Company for cash, securities or other property: (i) lend, offer, pledge, hypothecate, encumber, donate, assign, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, establish or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Securities, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Restricted Securities, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such Restricted Securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing, whether any such transaction described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of Restricted Securities or other securities, in cash or otherwise (any of the foregoing described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Prohibited Transfer”). The foregoing sentence shall not apply to the transfer of any or all of the Restricted Securities owned by Holder (I) by gift, will or intestate succession upon the death of Holder, (II) to any Permitted Transferee (as defined below), (III) pursuant to a court order or settlement agreement related to the distribution of assets in connection with the dissolution of marriage or civil union or pursuant to a domestic relations order, (IV) to the Company in accordance with the requirements of the Plan of Conversion, the Business Combination Agreement or the organizational documents of the Company, as amended, (V) required by virtue of the laws of the State of Nevada, (VI) of up to 250 Restricted Securities or (VII) to pay any taxes in respect of the settlement of equity awards; provided, however, that in any of the cases of clauses (I), (II) or (III) it shall be a condition to such transfer that the transferee executes and delivers to the Company an agreement stating that the transferee is receiving and holding the Restricted Securities subject to the provisions of this Agreement applicable to Holder, and there shall be no further transfer of such Restricted Securities except in accordance with this Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the term “Permitted Transferee” shall mean: (A) the members of Holder’s immediate family (for purposes of this Agreement, “immediate family” shall mean with respect to any natural person, any of the following: such person’s spouse, the siblings of such person and his or her spouse, and the direct descendants and ascendants (including adopted and step children and parents) of such person and his or her spouses and siblings), (B) any trust or charitable organization for the direct or indirect benefit of Holder or the immediate family of Holder (which for avoidance of doubt, such Permitted Transferee that is a charitable organization shall not be required to execute any lock-up agreement), (C) if Holder is a trust, the trustor or beneficiary of such trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust, (D) if Holder is an entity, as a distribution to limited partners, shareholders, members of, or owners of similar equity interests in Holder upon the liquidation and dissolution of Holder or, (E) to any affiliate of Holder. Holder further agrees to execute such agreements as may be reasonably requested by the Company that are consistent with the foregoing or that are necessary to give further effect thereto.

(b) If any Prohibited Transfer is made or attempted contrary to the provisions of this Agreement, such purported Prohibited Transfer shall be null and void ab initio, and the Company shall refuse to recognize any such purported transferee of the Restricted Securities as one of its equity holders for any purpose. In order to enforce this Section 1, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Restricted Securities of Holder (and Permitted Transferees and assigns thereof) until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

(c) During the Lock-Up Period, each certificate evidencing any Restricted Securities shall be stamped or otherwise imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form, in addition to any other applicable legends:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SET FORTH IN A LOCK-UP AGREEMENT, DATED AS OF JUNE 7, 2023, BY AND AMONG THE ISSUER OF SUCH SECURITIES (THE “ISSUER”), A CERTAIN REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ISSUER NAMED THEREIN AND THE ISSUER’S SECURITY HOLDER NAMED THEREIN, AS AMENDED. A COPY OF SUCH LOCK-UP AGREEMENT WILL BE FURNISHED WITHOUT CHARGE BY THE ISSUER TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST.”

(d) For the avoidance of any doubt, Holder shall retain all of its rights as a shareholder of the Company during the Lock-Up Period, including the right to vote any Restricted Securities, but subject to the obligations under the Business Combination Agreement.

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2. Miscellaneous.

(a)    Termination of Business Combination Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon Holder upon Holder’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, but this Agreement shall only become effective upon the Closing. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that the Business Combination Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms prior to the Closing, this Agreement shall automatically terminate and become null and void, and the parties shall not have any rights or obligations hereunder.

(b)    Binding Effect; Assignment. This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. This Agreement and all obligations of Holder are personal to Holder and may not be transferred or delegated by Holder at any time, except as expressly permitted under Section 1 above. The Company may freely assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement, in whole or in part, to any successor entity (whether by merger, consolidation, equity sale, asset sale or otherwise) or Affiliate without obtaining the consent or approval of Holder.

(c)    Third Parties. Nothing expressed or implied in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any Person, other than the parties hereto, any right or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.

(d)    Governing Law; Jurisdiction. This Agreement, and all claims or causes of action based upon, arising out of, or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of [Delaware], without giving effect to principles or rules of conflict of laws to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of Laws of another jurisdiction. Any Action based upon, arising out of or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be brought in federal and state courts located in the State of Delaware, and each of the parties hereto irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of each such court in any such Action, waives any objection it may now or hereafter have to personal jurisdiction, venue or to convenience of forum, agrees that all claims in respect of the Action shall be heard and determined only in any such court, and agrees not to bring any Action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any other court. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to affect the right of any Party to serve process in any manner permitted by Law or to commence legal proceedings or otherwise proceed against any other Party in any other jurisdiction, in each case, to enforce judgments obtained in any Action brought pursuant to this Section 2(d). Each party irrevocably consents to the service of the summons and complaint and any other process in any other action or proceeding relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, on behalf of itself, or its property, by personal delivery of copies of such process to such party at the applicable address set forth in Section 2(g).

(e)    WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

(f)    Interpretation. The captions in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be considered a part of or affect the construction or interpretation of any provision of this Agreement. Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (i) words of any gender include each other gender, (ii) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively, (iii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby,” “hereto” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement, (iv) the terms “Article”, “Section”, “Schedule”, “Exhibit” and “Annex” refer to the specified Article, Section, Schedule, Exhibit or Annex of or to this Agreement unless otherwise specified, (v) the word “including” shall mean “including without limitation,” (vi) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive, and (vii) the phrase “to the extent” means the degree to which a thing extends (rather than if). The parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. Consequently, in the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.

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(g) Notices. All notices and other communications among the parties shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) when delivered in person, (ii) when delivered after posting in the United States mail having been sent registered or certified mail return receipt requested, postage prepaid, (iii) when delivered by FedEx or other nationally recognized overnight delivery service or (iv) when e-mailed during normal business hours (and otherwise as of the immediately following Business Day), addressed as follows:

If to the Company, to:	with a copy (which will not constitute notice) to:
Beneficient 325 N Saint Paul St., Suite 4850 Dallas, Texas 75201 Attn: General Counsel Email: LegalNotices@beneficient.com	Haynes and Boone, LLP 2323 Victory Ave., Suite 700 Dallas, TX 75219 Attn: Matthew L. Fry Telephone No.: 214-651-5443 Email: matt.fry@haynesboone.com

If to Holder, to: the address set forth below Holder’s name on the signature page to this Agreement.

(h) Amendments and Waivers. Any term of this Agreement may be amended and the observance of any term of this Agreement may be waived (either generally or in a particular instance, and either retroactively or prospectively) only with the written consent of the Company and Holder. No failure or delay by a party in exercising any right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof. No waivers of or exceptions to any term, condition, or provision of this Agreement, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be or construed as a further or continuing waiver of any such term, condition, or provision.

(i) Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, the other provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The parties hereto further agree that if any provision contained herein is, to any extent, held invalid or unenforceable in any respect under the Laws governing this Agreement, they shall take any actions necessary to render the remaining provisions of this Agreement valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by Law and, to the extent necessary, shall amend or otherwise modify this Agreement to replace any provision contained herein that is held invalid or unenforceable with a valid and enforceable provision giving effect to the intent of the parties hereto.

(j) Specific Performance. Holder acknowledges that its obligations under this Agreement are unique, recognizes and affirms that in the event of a breach of this Agreement by Holder, money damages will be inadequate and the Company) will have no adequate remedy at law, and agrees that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed by Holder in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Accordingly, the Company shall be entitled to an injunction or restraining order to prevent breaches of this Agreement by Holder and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, without the requirement to post any bond or other security or to prove that money damages would be inadequate, this being in addition to any other right or remedy to which such party may be entitled under this Agreement, at law or in equity.

(k) Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any other agreements, whether written or oral, that may have been made or entered into by or among any of the parties hereto relating to the transactions contemplated hereby; provided, that, for the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall not affect the rights and obligations of the parties under the Business Combination Agreement or any Transaction Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall limit any of the rights or remedies of the Company or any of the obligations of Holder under any other agreement between Holder and the Company or any certificate or instrument executed by Holder in favor of the Company, and nothing in any other agreement, certificate or instrument shall limit any of the rights or remedies of the Company or any of the obligations of Holder under this Agreement.

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(l) Further Assurances. From time to time, at another party’s request and without further consideration (but at the requesting party’s reasonable cost and expense), each party shall execute and deliver such additional documents and take all such further action as may be reasonably necessary to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(m) Counterparts; Facsimile. This Agreement may also be executed and delivered by facsimile signature or by email in portable document format in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

{Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank; Signature Pages Follow}

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

The Company:
BENEFICIENT
By:
Name:	James G. Silk
Title:	Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer

Signature Page

to Beneficient Legacy Holder Lock-Up Agreement

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Lock-Up Agreement as of the date first written above.

Holder:

HOLDER NAME:

By:

Name:

Title:

Address for Notice:

Address:

Facsimile No.:

Telephone No.:

Email:

Signature Page

to Beneficient Legacy Holder Lock-Up Agreement