9.2 Obligations to the Employer. If a Participant becomes entitled to a Distribution under the Plan, and, if, at the time of the Distribution, such Participant has outstanding any debt, obligation or other liability representing an amount owed to any Employer, then the Employer may offset such amounts owing to it or any other Employer against the amount of any Distribution. Such determination shall be made by the Committee. Any election by the Committee not to reduce any Distribution payable to a Participant shall not constitute a waiver of any claim for any outstanding debt, obligation, or other liability representing an amount owed to the Employer.
9.3 Nonassignability. Neither a Participant nor any other person shall have any right to commute, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, anticipate, mortgage or otherwise encumber, transfer, hypothecate or convey in advance of actual receipt the amounts, if any, payable hereunder, or any part thereof, which are, and all rights to which are, expressly declared to be unassignable and nontransferable. No part of a Distribution, prior to actual Distribution, shall be subject to seizure or sequestration for the payment of any debts, judgments, alimony or separate maintenance owed by a Participant or any other person, nor shall it be transferable by operation of law in the event of the Participant’s or any other persons bankruptcy or insolvency, except as set forth in Section 9.2 above.
9.4 Employment or Future Pay or Compensation Not Guaranteed. Nothing contained in this Plan nor any action taken hereunder shall be construed as a contract of employment or as giving any Participant or any former Participant any right to be retained in the employ of an Employer or receive or continue to receive any rate of pay or other compensation, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of an Employer to terminate the Participant’s employment at any time without assigning a reason therefore.
9.5 Gender, Singular and Plural. All pronouns and any variations thereof shall be deemed to refer to the masculine, feminine, or neuter, as the identity of the person or persons may require. As the context may require, the singular may be read as the plural and the plural as the singular.
9.6 Captions. The captions to the articles, sections, and paragraphs of this Plan are for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of its provisions.
9.7 Applicable Law. This Plan shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
9.8 Validity. In the event any provision of the Plan is held invalid, void, or unenforceable, the same shall not affect, in any respect whatsoever, the validity of any other provision of the Plan.
9.9 Notice. Any notice or filing required or permitted to be given to the Committee shall be sufficient if in writing and hand delivered, or sent by registered or certified mail, to the principal office of Newell, directed to the attention of the Committee. Such notice shall be deemed given as of the date of delivery or, if delivery is made by mail, as of the date shown on the postmark on the receipt for registration or certification.
9.10 Compliance. No Distribution shall be made hereunder except in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (including, without limitation, withholding tax requirements), any listing agreement with any stock exchange to which Newell is a party, and the rules of all domestic stock exchanges on which Newell’s shares of capital stock may be listed. The Committee shall have the right to rely on an opinion of its or Newell’s counsel as to such compliance. No Distribution shall be made hereunder unless the Employer has obtained such consent or approval as the Employer may deem advisable from regulatory bodies having jurisdiction over such matters.
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