If any portion of the payments which the Employee has the right to receive from the Company, or any affiliated entity or successor, hereunder would constitute “excess parachute payments” (as defined in Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code) subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, such excess parachute payments shall be reduced to the largest amount that will result in no portion of such excess parachute payments being subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Employee will not be entitled to any benefits or other entitlements under this section unless a Change of Control actually occurs. Any amounts payable pursuant to this Section 10 shall not duplicate amounts payable under Section 9 and vice versa.
Section 11.
Agreement Not to Compete or Solicit
(a)
Covenant Not to Compete. The Employee hereby covenants and agrees that at no time during the Term of Employment nor for a period of twenty-four (24) months immediately following the termination of the Employee’s employment will he for himself or on behalf of any other person, partnership, company or corporation, directly or indirectly, acquire any financial or beneficial interest in (except as provided in the next sentence), provide consulting or other services to, be employed by, or own, manage, operate or control any entity engaged in the archival data management software business similar to the business engaged in by the Company or its subsidiaries at the time of such termination of employment. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the Employee will not be prohibited from owning less than one percent (1%) of any publicly traded corporation, whether or not such corporation is in competition with the Company.
(b)
Non-Solicitation. The Employee hereby covenants and agrees that, at all times during the Term of Employment and for a period of twenty-four (24) months immediately following the termination thereof, the Employee will not directly or indirectly (through an entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Employee) employ or seek to employ any person or entity employed at that time by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or otherwise encourage or entice such person or entity to leave such employment.
(c)
Company Breach. Should the Company materially breach its payment obligations to the Employee under this Agreement, the Employee’s obligations under this Section 11 shall thereupon terminate. The foregoing remedy available to the Employee will not be deemed to limit or prevent the exercise by the Employee of any or all further rights and remedies which may be available to the Employee hereunder or at law or in equity.
Section 12.
Confidential Information
The Employee agrees to keep secret and retain in the strictest confidence all confidential matters which relate to the Company or any affiliate of the Company, including, without limitation, customer lists, client lists, trade secrets, pricing policies and other business affairs of the Company and any affiliate of the Company learned by him from the Company or any such affiliate or otherwise before or after the date of this Agreement, and not to disclose any such confidential matter to anyone outside the Company, or any of its affiliates, whether during or after his period of service with the Company, except as may be required in the course of a legal or governmental proceeding. Upon request by the Company, the Employee agrees to deliver promptly to the Company upon termination of his services for the Company, or at any time thereafter as the Company may request, all Company or affiliate memoranda, notes, records, reports, manuals, drawings, designs, computer files in any media and other documents (and all copies thereof) relating to the Company’s or any affiliate’s business and all property of the Company or any affiliate associated therewith, which he may then possess or have under his control.
Section 13.
Remedy
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(a)
Should the Employee engage in or perform, either directly or indirectly, any of the acts prohibited by Sections 11 or 12 hereof, it is agreed that any and all severance payments and related benefits hereunder shall immediately terminate and the Company will also be entitled to full injunctive relief, to be issued by any competent court of equity, enjoining and restraining the Employee and each and every other person, firm, organization, association, or corporation concerned therein, from the continuance of such violative acts. The foregoing remedies available to the Company will not be deemed to limit or prevent the exercise by the Company of any or all further rights and remedies which may be available to the Company hereunder or at law or in equity.
(b)
The Employee acknowledges and agrees that the covenants contained in this Agreement are fair and reasonable in light of the consideration paid hereunder, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any particular provision, or part of any provision, of this Agreement will not affect the other provisions or parts hereof. If any provision hereof is determined to be invalid or unenforceable and if any such provision will be so determined to be invalid or unenforceable by reason of the duration or geographical scope of the covenants contained therein, such duration or geographical scope, or both, will be reduced to a duration or geographical scope solely to the extent necessary to cure such invalidity.
Section 14.
Successors and Assigns
This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Employee, his heirs, executors, administrators and beneficiaries, and the Company and its successors and assigns.
Section 15.
Governing Law
This Agreement will be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, without reference to rules relating to conflicts of law.
Section 16.
Entire Agreement
This Agreement constitutes the full and complete understanding and agreement of the parties and supersedes all prior understandings and agreements as to employment of the Employee, including but not limited to the former Employment Agreement dated November 1991, as amended, and the temporary salary adjustment letter dated December 14, 2006. This Agreement cannot be amended, changed, modified or terminated without the written consent of the parties hereto.
Section 17.
Waiver of Breach
The waiver of either party of a breach of any term of this Agreement will not operate nor be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach thereof.
Section 18.
Notices
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Any notice, report, request or other communication given under this Agreement will be written and will be effective upon delivery when delivered personally, by overnight courier or by fax. Unless otherwise notified by any of the parties, notices will be sent to the parties as follows: (i) if to the Employee, at the address set forth in the Company’s records, and (ii) if to the Company, to AXS-One Inc., 301 Route 17 North, Rutherford, NJ 07070, Attention: Chief Executive Officer.
Section 19.
Severability
If any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement will be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any applicable law, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein will not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
Section 20.
Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which will be deemed to be an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of signatures by facsimile or electronic image shall be valid for all purposes hereunder.
Section 21.
Temporary Salary Adjustment
This Agreement is subject to the temporary salary adjustment rider attached hereto asExhibit A, and notwithstanding any other provision contained in this Agreement, the implementation of the provisions of such salary adjustment rider shall not be deemed Good Reason or a breach of this Agreement in any respect.
[signature page follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
The Company:
AXS-ONE INC.
By:/s/ William P. Lyons___________________
Name: William P. Lyons
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Employee:
/s/ Elias Typaldos_________________________
Elias Typaldos
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Exhibit A
Temporary Salary Adjustment Rider
Employee agrees to a reduction in his annual base salary for the calendar year 2007 from $300,000 to $250,000. Salary payments will continue to be made on the 15th and last day of each month in accordance with the Company’s ordinary payroll practices. Effective January 1, 2008, assuming the Employee remains in the Company’s employ, the Employee’s annual salary will revert to the annual rate of $300,000, unless mutually agreed otherwise.
Additionally, in the event there is a Change of Control during calendar year 2007, the Employee’s annual base salary will thereupon revert to the current rate of $300,000. Should the Employee’s employment relationship with the Company terminate during calendar year 2007 under circumstances whereby the Employee would be entitled to payments set forth in Sections 9 or 10 of the Agreement, such payments will be calculated at the Employee’s annual salary rate of $300,000.
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