shall not be terminated and the transferee or surviving company shall be bound by the provisions of this Agreement. The parties understand that the obligations of the Executive are personal and may not be assigned by him.
16. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the Executive and the Company with respect to employment of the Executive and supersedes any and all prior understandings, written or oral, except for the Confidentiality Agreement, the Plans and agreements that have been executed or are to be executed in connection with any Award Shares or other equity interests awarded to the Executive during the course of his employment. This Agreement may not be amended, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing, specifically identified as an amendment to this Agreement, and signed by all parties. By entering into this Agreement, the Executive certifies and acknowledges that he has carefully read all of the provisions of this Agreement and that he voluntarily and knowingly enters into said Agreement.
17. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be deemed severable from the remainder of this Agreement, and the remaining provisions contained in this Agreement shall be construed to preserve to the maximum permissible extent the intent and purposes of this Agreement.
18. Tax Consequences. Company will have no obligation to any Person entitled to the benefits of this Agreement with respect to any tax obligation any such Person incurs as a result of or attributable to this Agreement, including all supplemental agreements and employee benefits plans incorporated by reference therein, or arising from any payments made or to be made under this Agreement or thereunder.
19. Governing Law and Submission to Jurisdiction. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of law thereof.
20. Notices. Any notice provided for in this Agreement shall be provided in writing. Notices shall be effective from the date of service, if served personally on the party to whom notice is to be given, or on the second day after mailing, if mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid. Notices shall be properly addressed to the parties at their respective addresses or to such other address as either party may later specify by notice to the other.
21. ARBITRATION. The parties agree that, except as discussed in this Agreement, any controversy, claim or dispute arising out of or relating to this agreement or the breach thereof, or arising out of or relating to the employment of the Executive, or the termination thereof, including any statutory or common law claims under federal, state, or local law, including all laws prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, shall be resolved by arbitration before a single arbitrator in Fairfax County, Virginia in accordance with the Employment Dispute Resolution Rules of the American Arbitration Association. The parties agree that any award rendered by the arbitrator shall be final and binding, and that judgment upon the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The parties further acknowledge and agree that, due to the nature of the
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confidential information, trade secrets, and intellectual property belonging to the company to which the executive has or will be given access, and the likelihood of significant harm that the Company would suffer in the event that such information was disclosed to third parties, nothing in this paragraph shall preclude the Company from going to court to seek injunctive relief to prevent the Executive from violating the obligations established in Sections 7 through 9 of this agreement. This agreement to arbitrate does not include claims that, by law, may not be subject to mandatory arbitration.
(a) Corporate Acts. In his/her capacity as a director, manager, officer, or employee of the Company or serving or having served any other entity as a director, manager, officer, or the Executive at the Company’s request, the Executive shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company to the fullest extent allowed by law, the Company’s charter and by-laws, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, expenses (including legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which the Executive may be involved, or threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise by reason of the Executive’s status, which relate to or arise out of the Company, their assets, business or affairs, if in each of the foregoing cases, (i) the Executive acted in good faith and in a manner the Executive believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the Executive’s conduct was unlawful, and (ii) the Executive’s conduct did not constitute gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct (and the Company shall also advance expenses as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, provided the Executive provides an undertaking to repay advances if it is ultimately determined that Executive is not entitled to indemnification). The Company shall advance all expenses incurred by the Executive in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of any civil or criminal action or proceeding referenced in this Section 22, including but not necessarily limited to legal counsel, expert witnesses or other litigation-related expenses. The Executive shall be entitled to coverage under the Company’s directors and officers liability insurance policy in effect at any time in the future to no lesser extent than any other officers or directors of the Company. After the Executive is no longer employed by the Company, the Company shall keep in effect the provisions of this Section 22, which provision shall not be amended except as required by applicable law or except to make changes permitted by law that would enlarge the right of indemnification of the Executive. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the provisions of this Section 22 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the termination of the Employment Period for any reason.
(b) Personal Guarantees. The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Executive for any liability incurred by him/her by reason of his/her execution of any personal guarantee for the Company’s benefit (including but not limited to personal guarantees in connection with office or equipment leases, commercial loans or promissory notes).
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(c) The indemnification provision of this Section 22 shall be in addition to any other liability the Company otherwise may have to the Executive to indemnify him for his conduct in connection with his efforts on the Company’s behalf.
(a) No delay or omission by the Company in exercising any right under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of that or any other right. A waiver or consent given by the Company on any one occasion shall be effective only in that instance and shall not be construed as a bar or waiver of any right on any other occasion.
(b) The captions of the sections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and in no way define, limit or affect the scope or substance of any section of this Agreement.
(c) The language in all parts of this Agreement will be construed, in all cases, according to its fair meaning, and not for or against either party hereto. The parties acknowledge that each party and its counsel have reviewed and revised this Agreement and that the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party will not be employed in the interpretation of this Agreement.
(d) The obligations of Company under this Agreement, including its obligation to pay the compensation provided for in this Agreement, are contingent upon the Executive’s performance of the Executive’s obligations under this Agreement.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Agreement to be duly executed and delivered, by its authorized officers or individually, on the date first set forth above in the opening paragraph of this Agreement.
| /s/Jeffrey W. Epstein |
| Executive | |