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EXHIBIT 10.22
SEVERANCE AGREEMENT
THIS SEVERANCE AGREEMENT (this "AGREEMENT"), is made this 1st day of
April, 1997, by and between ENCORE(R) ORTHOPEDICS, INC., a Texas corporation,
with its principal office located at 9800 Metric Blvd., Austin, Texas 78758,
(the "COMPANY"), and KATHY WIEDERKEHR, an individual resident at 11501 Cherry
Hearst, Austin, Texas 78750 (the "EMPLOYEE" or the "EXECUTIVE").
WITNESSETH
WHEREAS, the Employee is employed by the Company as its Director -
Human Resources pursuant to an employment agreement dated April 1, 1997 (such
employment agreement as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time and
any successor agreement being referred to as the "EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT"); and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the "BOARD") has
approved the Chief Executive Officer of the Company entering into severance
agreements with key executives of the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Employee is a key executive of the Company and has been
selected by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to be offered a
severance agreement; and
WHEREAS, the Board believes that if the Company should receive or
learn of any proposal from a third person concerning a possible business
combination with the Company, or an acquisition of equity securities or a
substantial portion of the assets of the Company, it is important that the
Company should be able to rely upon the Executive to continue in her position
and that the Board and the Chief Executive Officer should be able to receive
and rely upon her advice as to the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders, without concern that the Executive might be distracted by any
personal uncertainties and risks created by such a proposal; and
WHEREAS, should the Company receive any such proposals, in addition to
the Executive's regular duties, he may be called upon to assist in the
assessment of such proposal, to advise management and the Board whether such
proposals would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders,
and to take such other actions as the Board may determine to be appropriate;
and
WHEREAS, the Company wishes to be assured that it will have the
continued dedication of the Executive and the availability of her advice and
counsel despite the possibility, threat or occurrence of a bid to take over
control of the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Company wishes to induce the Executive to remain in the
employment of the Company under such circumstances; and
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WHEREAS, the Executive is willing to give the Company such assurances
and to enter into the other covenants contained in this Agreement; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the mutual
promises and covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings
set forth below:
(a) "CAUSE" shall have the same meaning as "discharge for
cause" as defined in Section 1.5.2 of the Employment Agreement as well
as include the repeated violation by the Executive of her obligations
under this Agreement which are demonstrably willful and deliberate on
the part of the Executive and which are not redeemed in a reasonable
period of time after receipt of written notice from the Company.
(b) "CHANGE IN CONTROL" means any of the following events:
(i) the acquisition by any person, including a
"group" as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, of beneficial ownership of shares of
capital stock or other voting securities of the Company that
have thirty-three and one third percent (33 1/3%) or more of
either (A) the then outstanding shares of the Company's
common stock or (B) the combined voting power of the
Company's then outstanding voting securities that are
entitled to vote generally for the election of the Board;
(ii) the sale or other disposition by the Company to
an unrelated third party of all or substantially all of the
Company's assets;
(iii) the consummation of a reorganization, merger,
or consolidation involving the Company if as a result of such
transaction persons who were shareholders of the Company
immediately before the reorganization, merger or
consolidation do not immediately thereafter own, directly or
indirectly, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined
voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the
reorganized, merged or consolidated Company that are entitled
to vote generally for the election of the board of such
entity; or
(iv) the failure for any reason of individuals who
constitute the Incumbent Board to continue to constitute at
least a majority of the Board.
(d) "DISABILITY" means the total and permanent inability of
the Executive due to illness, accident or other physical or mental
incapacity to perform the usual duties of her employment under the
Employment Agreement for a substantially continuous period of one
hundred eighty (180) days, as determined by a physician selected by
the Company and
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acceptable to the Executive or the Executive's legal representative
(which agreement as to acceptability will not be unreasonably
withheld).
(e) "GOOD REASON" means any of the following:
(i) the assignment to the Executive of any duties
inconsistent in any respect with the Executive's position
(including status, offices, titles and reporting
requirements), authority, duties or responsibilities
contemplated by the Employment Agreement, or any other action
by the Company which results in a diminution in such
position, authority, duties or responsibilities, excluding
for this purpose an isolated, insubstantial and inadvertent
action that is not taken in bad faith and that is remedied by
the Company promptly after receipt of notice thereof from the
Executive;
(ii) the reduction in the overall level of the
Executive's compensation or benefits;
(iii) the Company's requiring the Executive to be based
at any office or location other than the Company's executive
offices in the Austin, Texas SMSA, except for travel
reasonably required in the performance of the Executive's
responsibilities;
(iv) any significant increase in the travel requirements
of the Executive's position; for the purposes of this clause
(iv) a "significant" increase would include any circumstances
under which the Executive is or will be required, during any
six-month period, to spend more than twice the number of
nights away from home as were necessary during the previous
six-month period; or
(v) an inability on the part of the Executive to carry
out the duties of her position in good faith as a result of a
major disagreement between the Executive and other executives
of the Company who have been appointed after a Change of
Control concerning strategic or policy issues affecting the
Company or its business as a whole.
(f) "INCUMBENT BOARD" means those individuals who are members
of the Board on the date of this Agreement and any person who
subsequently becomes a member of the Board and whose election, or
whose nomination for election by the Company shareholders, was
approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then
comprising the Incumbent Board.
2. TERMINATION PAYMENTS.
(a) Termination of employment. If any Change of Control of the
Company occurs after the date of this Agreement and subsequently,
on or before the third
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anniversary of such Change of Control, the Executive's employment by
the Company or its successor in interest is terminated
(i) by the Company or its successor in interest for
any reason other than (A) for Cause, or (B) because of the
Executive's death or Disability, or
(ii) by the Executive for Good Reason,
(a "TERMINATION EVENT") then the Executive will be entitled to
receive, and the Company will pay or provide, the benefits set forth
in subsection (b) below.
(b) Severance benefits. Upon the occurrence of a Termination
Event described in subsection (a) above then, in addition to the
performance of its obligations under the Employment Agreement but in
the case of amounts payable under clauses (i) and (ii) without
duplication of any similar payments then due and payable under the
Employment Agreement:
(i) The Company will pay to the Executive within
thirty (30) days after the Termination Event an amount equal
to the sum of:
(A) her highest full base annual salary in
effect within one (1) year of the
Termination Event, plus
(B) the amount of any bonus, payable in cash
only notwithstanding the terms of any bonus
plan, with respect to any year that has then
ended which was or would have accrued to the
Executive under any bonus plan then in
effect but which has not yet been paid to
her, plus
(C) an amount, payable in cash only
notwithstanding the terms of any bonus plan,
equal to the product of (aa) the average of
the bonus paid or payable to the Executive
for the two preceding years (whether same
was paid in cash or its equivalent value)
multiplied by (bb) a fraction of which the
numerator is the number of weeks that have
elapsed in the then current year through the
date of termination and the denominator is
52, plus
(D) an amount equal to the product of (aa) the
number of unused vacation days accrued by
the Executive through the date of
termination multiplied by (bb) a fraction
the numerator of which is the Executive's
highest base salary in effect within one (1)
year of the Termination Event and the
denominator of which is 250;
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(ii) The Company will contribute in cash to any
retirement or saving plan in which the Executive is
participating, within thirty (30) days after the date of
termination, the maximum amount which the Company is
permitted to contribute based on the payments made pursuant
to paragraph (i) above and, at the Executive's election, will
buy back the stock held by the Executive in any such plan at
its then fair market value, depositing said value in cash
into said plan;
(iii) The Company will pay in cash to the Executive
within thirty (30) days after the date of termination a
severance payment in an amount equal to the sum of
(A) three hundred percent (300%) of her full
base annual salary at the highest rate in
effect within one (1) year of the
Termination Event, plus
(B) three hundred percent (300%) of the average
bonus paid or payable to her for the two (2)
preceding years (whether same was paid in
cash or its equivalent value);
provided that if the amount payable by the Company to the
Executive under this clause (iii), without regard to any
other payments or benefits payable to the Executive under
this Agreement or the Employment Agreement, would constitute
an "excess parachute payment" for the purposes of Sections
280G and 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code then the amount
payable by the Company under this Section 2b as a severance
benefit will be "grossed up" by the amount necessary in order
to reimburse Executive for any taxes due as a result of such
an "excess parachute payment" as per section 6 hereof.
(iv) The Company will amend or revise all stock
option plans and restricted stock awards to which the
Executive is a party, or grant appropriate waivers of any
restrictions contained in such plans and awards, so as to
remove all restrictions upon the exercise by the Executive of
such options or upon the ability of the Executive to sell any
shares of stock that are subject to any such options or
awards. As part of such amendments or revisions, the Company
will accelerate the vesting period for Executive to an
immediate one hundred (100%) and shall allow the Executive
the option to exercise her options or stock awards either
within ninety (90) days of her effective termination date and
such option remain as an incentive stock option or before the
termination of the original option or stock award period and
have such options be converted automatically into
non-qualified stock options for purposes of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(v) The Company will prepay in full if at all possible,
and if not possible, ensure to the satisfaction of Executive
maintenance in full force and effect for the benefit of the
Executive and her spouse and dependents (if covered prior to
the date of termination) in each case for a period from the
date of termination until
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the later of the death of the Executive or her spouse, during
their period of their eligibility, all employee life, health,
accident, disability, medical and other employee welfare
benefits plans provided by the Company in which the Executive
or her spouse or her dependents are participating at the time
of the Executive's termination under the same terms and
conditions as then in effect; provided, that if the
Executive's or her spouse's or her dependents continued
participation is not permitted under the general terms of
such plans, the Company shall arrange to provide
substantially similar benefits;
(vi) The Company will maintain for the benefit of
the Executive such policy of liability insurance, providing
protection to her as an officer, director, agent or employee
of the Company or its subsidiaries, as may from time to time
be purchased by the Company for officers and directors
generally as authorized by or in furtherance of the
indemnification provisions contained in the Company's bylaws.
Neither the insurance nor the Executive's right to
indemnification thereunder may be canceled by the Company
without her permission for a period of five years following
the date of termination under this Agreement; provided,
however, that the Company may obtain a substitute insurance
policy as long as the rights of indemnity to the Executive
are at least equivalent to the most favorable rights provided
under the policy in effect immediately prior to the date of
termination.
(c) The Executive shall have no duty to mitigate, whether by
seeking other employment or otherwise, any loss or damage suffered by
her as a result of any failure by the Company to make any payment, or
provide any benefit, to her under this Section 2.
(d) Effective as of March 25, 1999:
(i) the provisions of Section 2(b)(iii) shall be
amended so that the language "three hundred percent (300%)"
shall read "one hundred percent (100%)" in each place where
such language appears in that Section;
(ii) the provisions of Section 2(b)(v) shall be
amended to provide that the insurance coverage to be provided
to Employee, Employee's spouse and to Employee's dependents
(if covered prior to the date of termination) under such
provision shall be for coverage from a period from the date
of the termination until five (5) years after the date of
termination; and
(iii) the provisions of Section 2(b) (vi) shall be
amended to provide that the liability insurance to be
provided under such provision shall be provided for the
benefit of the Employee for a period of five (5) years from
the date of the termination of the Employee's relationship
with the Company.
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3. AGREEMENTS OF EXECUTIVE.
The Executive covenants and agrees as follows:
(a) Provision of services when Change of Control is
threatened. If any person begins a tender or exchange offer for voting
securities of the Company, or circulates a proxy to shareholders of
the Company or takes any other action for the purposes of effecting a
Change of Control of the Company, then notwithstanding the terms of
the Employment Agreement or any other agreement between the Executive
and the Company the Executive will not voluntarily leave the
employment of the Company and will render the services contemplated in
the recitals to this Agreement until either (i) such person has
abandoned or terminated his efforts to effect a Change of Control or
(ii) three months have elapsed since the date on which a Change of
Control has occurred.
(b) Noncompetition. Without limiting the terms of any
similar provision in the Employment Agreement or any other agreement
between the Executive and the Company, if the Executive's employment
with the Company is terminated under any circumstances that entitle
the Executive to receive the payments and other benefits provided in
Section 2, then for a period of one year (or six (6) months should
Executive make the election in the last sentence of Section 2.1 of the
Employment Agreement) from the Termination Event the Executive will
not:
(i) have any interest in, whether as proprietor,
officer, director or otherwise (but excluding an interest by
way of employment only),
(ii) act as an agent, broker or distributor for, or as
an adviser or consultant to,
(iii) be employed in any senior managerial or executive
position by any corporation, partnership, limited liability
company or other business organization in which he has
responsibility for,
any business (regardless of the form in which such business is
conducted) which is engaged, or which he reasonably expects to become
engaged, in the business of designing, manufacturing, distributing or
selling artificial joints and limbs and other orthopedic implant
devices in the United States; provided that the ownership by the
Executive of not more than two percent (2%) of the shares of any
publicly traded corporation or twenty percent (20%) of a privately
held company shall not constitute a violation of this subsection (b).
(c) Publications by Executive. Without limiting the terms of
any similar provision in the Employment Agreement or any other
agreement between the Executive and the Company, if the Executive's
employment with the Company is terminated under any circumstances that
entitle the Executive to receive the payments and other benefits
provided in Section 2, then
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(i) the Executive will refrain from making any
disparaging comments about the Company or any of its
affiliates, and
(ii) for a period of one (1) year from the Termination
Event the Executive will not without the prior written
permission of the Company write or publish, or assist in the
writing or publication of, any books, articles or other
materials that would adversely affect the interests of the
Company or its affiliates.
(d) Remedies. The Executive acknowledges that any violation
of this Section may cause irreparable harm to the Company, and that
damages are not an adequate remedy, and the Executive therefore agrees
that the Company shall be entitled to an injunction by any appropriate
court in the appropriate jurisdiction, enjoining, prohibiting and
restraining the Executive from the continuance of any such violation,
in addition to any monetary damages which might occur by reason of the
violation of this Agreement.
(e) Independent. The covenants set forth in the foregoing
subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) shall be deemed and shall be
construed as separate and independent covenants, and should any part
or provision of such covenants be held invalid, void or unenforceable
by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity, voidness, or
unenforceability shall in no way render invalid, void, or
unenforceable any other part or provision thereof or any separate
covenant not declared invalid, void, or unenforceable. This Agreement
shall in that case be construed as if the void, invalid or
unenforceable provisions were omitted.
4. NOTICE OF TERMINATION.
Any termination of the Executive's employment by the Company or its
successor in interest or by the Executive shall be communicated by a written
notice of termination to the other party, and shall specify the provision of
this Agreement relied upon and shall set forth in reasonable detail the
circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination. The date of
termination shall be the date on which the notice of termination is delivered
if by the Executive or thirty (30) days after the date of the notice of
termination if given by the Company. All applicable benefits to Executive
hereunder shall be triggered if said notice of termination is given within the
three (3)-year period specified in Section 2(a) hereof.
5. LITIGATION EXPENSES.
The Company shall pay reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred by
the Executive as a result of her seeking to obtain or enforce any right or
benefit provided by this Agreement, promptly and from time to time, at her
request as such fees and expenses are incurred.
6. EXCESS PARACHUTE PAYMENTS.
(a) If any federal excise tax is imposed under Section 4999
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (an "EXCISE TAX") on
the Executive with respect to
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any payments or benefits provided under Section 2, the Company hereby
agrees, subject to the exceptions and limitations set forth below, to
pay the Executive such additional amount (the "ADDITIONAL AMOUNT") as
is necessary to cause the Executive to realize the same net amount
after the imposition of all federal income tax, estate tax and Excise
Tax imposed on payments and benefits under Section 2 (and on such
Additional Amount payable under this Section 6) that he would have
realized had such federal income tax, estate tax, and Excise Tax not
been imposed upon her with respect to such payments and benefits under
Section 2 and this Section 6; provided, however, that no such
Additional Amount shall be due with respect to
(i) any penalties, interest, or similar charges, if any,
assessed with respect to or arising out of any income tax,
estate tax, or Excise Tax due unless the Company delays the
payment contemplated herein to the Executive or
(ii) any income tax or estate tax which would be owing
by the Executive in the absence of the imposition of the
Excise Tax.
(b) The Company shall have the right to contest, but the
Executive shall have no duty to contest, the assessment of any such
taxes, but in any event, the Executive agrees to cooperate in any
contest the Company chooses to make provided the Company shall pay the
costs of any such contest.
7. ASSIGNMENT; SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST.
(a) General. Except with the prior written consent of the
Executive,
(i) no assignment by operation of law or otherwise by
the Company of any of its rights and obligations under this
Agreement may be made other than to an entity in common
control with or a successor to all or a substantial portion
of the business of the Company (but then only if such entity
assumes by operation of law or by specific assumption
executed by the transferee and delivered to the Executive all
obligations and liabilities of the Company under this
Agreement);
(ii) no transfer by operation of law or otherwise by
the Company of all or a substantial part of its business or
assets shall be made unless the obligations and liabilities
of the Company under this Agreement are assumed in connection
with such transfer either by operation of law or by specific
assumption executed by the transferee and delivered to the
Executive; and
(iii) in any such event the Company shall remain liable
for the performance of all of its obligations under this
Agreement (which liability shall be a primary obligation for
full and prompt performance rather than a secondary guarantee
of collectibility of damages).
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Except for any transfer or assignment of rights under this Agreement,
in whole or in part, upon the death of the Executive to her heirs,
devisees, legatees or beneficiaries or except with the prior written
consent of the Company, no assignment or transfer by operation of law
or otherwise may be made by the Executive of any of her rights under
this Agreement.
(b) Binding Nature. This Agreement shall be binding upon the
parties to this Agreement and their respective legal representatives,
heirs, devisees, legatees, beneficiaries and successors and assigns;
shall inure to the benefit of the parties to this Agreement and their
respective permitted legal representatives, heirs, devisees, legatees,
beneficiaries and other permitted successors and assigns (and to or
for the benefit of no other person or entity, whether an employee or
otherwise, whatsoever); and any reference to a party to this Agreement
shall also be a reference to a permitted successor or assign.
8. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) This Agreement may not be varied, altered, or changed
except by instrument in writing executed by the parties hereto. The
failure of any party to this Agreement at any time or times to require
performance of any provision of this Agreement shall in no manner
affect the right to enforce the same. No waiver by any party to this
Agreement of any provision (or of a breach of any provision) of this
Agreement, whether by conduct or otherwise, in any one or more
instances shall be deemed or construed either as a further or
continuing waiver of any such provision or breach or as a waiver of
any other provision (or of a breach of any other provision) of this
Agreement.
(b) Wherever possible each provision of this Agreement shall
be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid but if any
one or more of the provisions of this Agreement shall be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable in any respect for any reason, the validity,
legality or enforceability of any such provisions in every other
respect and of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be
impaired.
(c) This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of Texas (without giving effect
to any choice of law provisions) and enforceable in a court of
competent jurisdiction in Travis County, Texas.
(d) This Agreement and any benefits accruing to Executive
hereunder shall be supplemental and additional to any and all benefits
accruing to Executive pursuant to the Employment Agreement and any and
all Stock Option or Stock Award Plans applicable to Executive.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Agreement to be
executed by its duly authorized officer and the Executive has hereunto set her
hand as of the date and year first written above.
COMPANY
ENCORE ORTHOPEDICS, INC.
By: /s/ NICK CINDRICH
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Nick Cindrich, Chief Executive Officer
EXECUTIVE
/s/ KATHY WIEDERKEHR
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KATHY WIEDERKEHR
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