11. Minimum Vesting Period.
All Awards shall be subject to a minimum vesting schedule of at least twelve (12) months following the date of grant of the Award (including performance-based Awards, which shall be subject to a minimum performance period of at least twelve (12) months), subject to accelerated vesting in the Committee’s discretion in the event of the death, Disability, Retirement or Qualifying Termination of the Participant or a Change in Control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the restrictions in the preceding sentence shall not be applicable to grants of up to 5% of the number of Shares available for Awards on the effective date of the Plan. The Committee may, in its sole discretion, waive the vesting restrictions and any other conditions set forth in any Award Agreement under such terms and conditions as the Committee shall deem appropriate, subject to the minimum vesting period requirements in the prior sentence.
12. Termination of Employment and Change in Control.
Except as may otherwise be set forth in an Award Agreement, individual employment agreement between a Participant and the Company or a Related Company or a severance or other plan adopted by the Company or a Related Company pertaining to a Participant, Schedule A and Schedule B, attached hereto, establish the effects of a Participant’s termination of employment, other changes of employment or employer status, and a Change in Control, with respect to outstanding Options, SARs, Restricted Stock, and Restricted Stock Units, and such Schedules are hereby incorporated by reference. The Committee may approve Awards containing terms and conditions different from, or in addition to, those set forth in Schedule A and Schedule B. The effects of a termination of employment and/or a Change in Control with respect to Incentive Bonuses shall be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. In the case of leaves of absence, Employees will not be deemed to have terminated employment unless the Committee, in its sole discretion, determines otherwise.
13. Transferability of Awards; Non-Assignability; No-Hedging.
No Award (or any rights and obligations thereunder) granted to any person under the Plan may be sold, exchanged, transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise disposed of or hedged, in any manner (including through the use of any cash-settled instrument), whether voluntarily or involuntarily and whether by operation of law or otherwise, other than (i) by will, (ii) by the laws of descent and distribution or (iii) to any trust established solely for the benefit of the applicable Participant or any spouse, children or grandchildren of such Participant, and all such Awards (and any rights thereunder) will be exercisable during the life of the Participant only by the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative. Any sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, or other disposition in violation of the provisions of this Paragraph 13 will be null and void and any Award which is hedged in any manner will immediately be forfeited. All of the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Award Agreements will be binding upon any permitted successors and assigns. After the Shares subject to an Award have been issued, or in the case of Restricted Stock Awards, after the issued Shares have vested, the holder of such Shares is free to assign, hypothecate, donate, encumber or otherwise dispose of any interest in such Shares provided that any such actions are in compliance with the provisions herein, the terms of the Company’s trading policies as may be in effect from time to time and applicable law.
14. Adjustments.
In the event of any merger, reorganization, consolidation, combination of shares or spin-offs, recapitalization, dividend or distribution (whether in cash, shares or other property, other than a regular cash dividend), stock split, reverse stock split, or other change in corporate structure affecting the Shares or the value thereof or otherwise, the Committee or the Board of Directors shall make such adjustment and other substitutions, if any, as it may deem equitable and appropriate, including such adjustments in the number, class and kind of securities that may be delivered under the Plan, the number of Shares subject to any outstanding Award and the Option or exercise price, if any, thereof. Any such adjustment may provide for the elimination of any fractional Shares that might otherwise become subject to any Award without payment therefore.
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