4. General Waiver and Release.
(a) As partial consideration for the right to participate in the First Merger as a Company Stockholder (as defined in the Merger Agreement) and receive Merger Consideration, the Company Stockholder, on behalf of itself and any of its heirs, executors, beneficiaries, administrators, equityholders, partners, trustees, successors, assigns and controlled Affiliates, as applicable (each, a “Releasor”), hereby forever, unconditionally and irrevocably acquits, remises, discharges and releases, effective as of the Closing, the Group Companies and their respective Affiliates (including Parent and the Surviving Company, after the Closing), each of their respective officers, directors, equityholders, employees, partners, trustees and Representatives, and each predecessor, successor and assign of any of the foregoing (collectively, the “Company Released Parties”), from any and all claims, obligations, liabilities, charges, demands and causes of action of every kind and character, whether accrued or fixed, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, suspected or unsuspected or determined or determinable, and whether at law or in equity, which any Releasor now has, ever had or may have against or with the Company Released Parties, or any of them, in any capacity, whether directly or derivatively through another Person, for, upon, or by reason of any matter, cause or thing, whatsoever, on or at any time prior to the Closing, relating to the Company Stockholder’s relationship as an equityholder of, or service provider to, the Group Companies and agrees not to bring or threaten to bring or otherwise join in any Action against the Company Released Parties, or any of them, for, upon, or by reason of any matter, cause or thing, whatsoever, on or at any time prior to the Closing relating to the Company Stockholder’s relationship as an equityholder of, or service provider to, the Group Companies; provided, however, that to the extent applicable to each Releasor, the claims, obligations, liabilities, charges, demands and causes of action released pursuant to this Section 4(a) (collectively, the “Released Claims”) does not apply to the following: (i) regular salary and vacation that is accrued and earned but unpaid by any Group Company at the Closing; (ii) any unreimbursed travel or other expenses and advances that are reimbursable under the current policies of the Group Companies; (iii) any benefits that are accrued, vested and earned but unpaid at the Closing under any employee benefit plan of the Group Companies or any rights under health insurance plans or retirement plans sponsored by any Group Company; (iv) any rights to indemnification, exculpation and/or advancement of expenses pursuant to the Governing Documents of any Group Company, indemnification agreements with any Group Company or any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies with respect to actions taken or not taken by such Releasor in his or her capacity as an officer or director of a Group Company; or (v) any rights of the Releasors under this Agreement, the Merger Agreement and Ancillary Agreements. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company Stockholder, on behalf of itself and each Releasor, understands and agrees that the claims released in this Section 4(a) include not only claims presently known but also include all unknown or unanticipated claims, obligations, liabilities, charges, demands and causes of action of every kind and character that would otherwise come within the scope of the Released Claims and the Company Stockholder, on behalf of itself and each Releasor, knowingly and voluntarily waives and releases any and all rights and benefits he, she or it may now have, or in the future may have, under Section 1542 of the California Civil Code (or any analogous Law of any other jurisdiction), which reads as follows (“Section 1542”):
“A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.”
The Company Stockholder, on behalf of itself and each Releasor, understands that Section 1542, or an analogous Law of any other jurisdiction, gives the Company Stockholder the right not to release existing claims of which the Company Stockholder is not aware, unless the Company Stockholder voluntarily chooses to waive this right. Having been so apprised, the Company Stockholder, on behalf of itself and each Releasor, nevertheless hereby voluntarily elects to and does waive the rights described in Section 1542, or such other analogous Law, and elects to assume all risks for claims that exist or existed in
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