Form of Underwriting Agreement
Contract Categories:
Business Finance
- Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 3 exhibit11-sx1a1.htm EX-1.1 Document
Exhibit 1.1
CAVA Group, Inc.
[l] Shares of Common Stock
Underwriting Agreement
[l], 2023
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Jefferies LLC
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
c/o Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
CAVA Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), an aggregate of [l] shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company (the “Underwritten Shares”). In addition, the Company proposes to issue and sell, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional [l] shares of Common Stock (the “Option Shares”). The Underwritten Shares and the Option Shares are herein referred to as the “Shares”. The shares of Common Stock of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sale of the Shares are referred to herein as the “Stock”.
An Underwriter selected by the Company (the “Directed Share Underwriter”) and the Company have agreed to reserve up to [l] Shares of the Shares to be purchased by the Directed Share Underwriter under this Agreement, for sale to certain tiers of eligible CAVA Rewards members, certain suppliers of the Company, certain individuals identified by the Company’s executive team and other certain individuals affiliated with the Company (collectively,
“Participants”), as set forth in the Prospectus (as hereinafter defined) under the heading “Underwriting” (the “Directed Share Program”). The Shares to be sold by the Directed Share Underwriter and its affiliates pursuant to the Directed Share Program are referred to hereinafter as the “Directed Shares”. Any Directed Shares not confirmed orally or electronically by designated means for purchase by any Participant by 7:00 A.M., New York City time on the business day following the date on which this Agreement is executed will be offered to the public by the Underwriters as set forth in the Prospectus.
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Shares, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-272068), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before effectiveness, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Shares. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
At or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively with the pricing information set forth on Annex A, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”): a Preliminary Prospectus dated [l], 2023 and each “free-writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex A hereto.
“Applicable Time” means [l] P.M., New York City time, on [l], 2023.
2. Purchase of the Shares.
(a) On the basis of representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Underwritten Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this underwriting agreement (this “Agreement”), and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase at a purchase price per share of $[l] (the
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“Purchase Price”) from the Company the respective number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto.
In addition, on the basis of representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Option Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and the Underwriters, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from the Company the Option Shares at the Purchase Price less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Shares but not payable on the Option Shares.
If any Option Shares are to be purchased, the number of Option Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter from the Company shall be the number of Option Shares which bears the same ratio to the aggregate number of Option Shares being purchased as the number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such number increased as set forth in Section 10 hereof) bears to the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares being purchased from the Company by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate any fractional Shares as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make. No Option Shares shall be sold and delivered unless the Underwritten Shares previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered.
The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase Option Shares at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice from the Representatives to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Shares are to be delivered and paid for, which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two business days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein unless the date is the same as the Closing Date.
(b) The Company understands that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Shares, and initially to offer the Shares on the terms set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell Shares to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter.
(c) Payment for the Shares shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the accounts specified by the Company, to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, in the case of the Underwritten Shares, at the offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, One Manhattan West, 395 9th Avenue, New York, New York 10001 at 10:00 A.M. New York City time on [l], 2023, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day
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thereafter, as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing or, in the case of the Option Shares, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters’ election to purchase such Option Shares. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Shares is referred to herein as the “Closing Date”, and the time and date for such payment for the Option Shares, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to as the “Additional Closing Date”.
Payment for the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Shares duly paid by the Company. Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
(d) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Representatives and the other Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter are advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company shall consult with their own advisors concerning such matters and each shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter shall have any responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Representatives and the other Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Representatives and the other Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus included in the Pricing Disclosure Package, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act.
(b) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the
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Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Pricing Disclosure Package, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Shares (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or any document that complies with Rule 135 under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex A hereto, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time period specified in Rule 433) filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered prior to delivery of, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.
(d) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written
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communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on either Section 5(d) of, or Rule 163B under, the Securities Act.
(e) Testing-the-Waters Materials. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communications, other than the Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC, and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications by virtue of a writing substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. The Company has not distributed or approved for distribution any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Annex B hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication prepared or authorized by the Company and listed on Annex B hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Testing-the-Waters Communications, the Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Testing-the-Waters Communication, Pricing Disclosure Package and Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.
(f) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering of the Shares has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, and did not, as of the applicable effective date, and will not as of the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement
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thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus (including any amendment or supplement thereto, as applicable) will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.
(g) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby; the other financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby; and all disclosures included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of Commission) comply in all material respects with Regulation G of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.
(h) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of stock options described as outstanding in, and the grant of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans described in, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), any material change in short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to involve a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its
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subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any material loss or interference with its business and that is either from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except in each case of clauses (i) through (iii) as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(i) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its significant subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and in good standing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or lease their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so organized, existing, qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect, or any development involving a prospective material adverse effect, on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement.
(j) Capitalization. The Company, on a consolidated basis, has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and, except for the pre-emptive rights that shall be terminated in connection with the offering contemplated hereby as set forth in the Fifth Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated as of March 26, 2021, by and among CAVA Group, Inc. and the other parties named therein (the “IRA”), are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except as set forth in the IRA, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all
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material respects to the description thereof contained in the section titled “Description of Capital Stock” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party (other than as described in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, including liens securing the Credit Facility, dated as of March 11, 2022, between the Company and JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (the “Credit Facility”) (described under the heading “Description of Certain Indebtedness”)).
(k) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Company Stock Plans”), except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans and all applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, and (iv) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company.
(l) Due Authorization. The Company has full corporate right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all corporate action required to be taken by the Company for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
(m) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(n) The Shares. The Shares to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued and delivered and paid for as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, will be fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the section titled “Description of Capital Stock” in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to any
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preemptive or similar rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied or that will terminate by its terms upon the closing of the offering of Shares contemplated hereby.
(o) Description of the Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(p) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) in violation of any applicable law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, having jurisdiction over the Company, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company, the issuance by the Company of the Shares to be issued upon the exercise of the Options (as hereinafter defined) and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, result in the termination, modification or acceleration of, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any property, right or asset of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation of any applicable law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Company and its subsidiaries, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the
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Company of this Agreement, the issuance by the Company of the Shares to be issued upon the exercise of the Options (as defined below) and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications (i) as shall have been obtained or made prior to the Closing Date or Additional Closing Date, as applicable, (ii) as may be required by FINRA and under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or (iii) as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to materially adversely affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(s) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, claims, suits, arbitrations, or proceedings (“Actions”) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, that if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such Actions are, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending Actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(t) Independent Accountants. Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have audited certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(u) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims, defects and imperfections of title, except those that (i) secure the Credit Facility together with any other documents, agreements or instruments delivered in connection therewith, (ii) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (iii) would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(v) Intellectual Property. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries own or have the right to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, domain names and other source indicators, copyrights and copyrightable works, know-how, trade secrets and all other worldwide intellectual property and intangible proprietary rights (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) used in the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted; (ii) the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ current conduct of their respective businesses does not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property of any person or entity; (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received any written notice of any claim relating to Intellectual Property in the past three (3) years; and (iv) the Intellectual Property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries is not being infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated by any person or entity.
(w) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers, or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, other affiliates of the Company, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the Pricing Disclosure Package.
(x) Investment Company Act. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof received by the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be required to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).
(y) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have paid all federal, state, local and foreign taxes and filed all tax returns required to be paid or filed through the date hereof, except for any taxes which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP; and except as otherwise disclosed in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there is no tax deficiency that has been asserted in writing against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets, except for such deficiencies as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(z) Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, sub-licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in
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each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not be reasonably expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization or has any reason to believe that any such license, sub-license, certificate, permit or authorization will not be renewed in the ordinary course, except where such notice would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) No Labor Disputes. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, (i) no labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of cancellation or termination with respect to any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party.
(bb) Certain Environmental Matters. (i) The Company and its subsidiaries (x) are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws (including common law), rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, judgments, decrees, orders and other legally enforceable requirements relating to pollution or the protection of human health or safety, the environment, natural resources, hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (y) have received and are in compliance with all, and have not violated any, permits, licenses, certificates or other governmental authorizations or approvals required of them under any Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (z) have not received notice of any actual or alleged liability or obligation under or relating to, or any actual or alleged violation of, any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matter as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) (x) there is no proceeding that is pending, or that is known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceeding regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $300,000 or more will be imposed, (y) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws, or liabilities or other obligations under Environmental Laws or concerning hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, that
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could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (z) none of the Company or its subsidiaries anticipates any material capital expenditures that it will incur to comply with any Environmental Laws.
(cc) Compliance with ERISA. (i) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any entity, whether or not incorporated, that is under common control with the Company within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA or any entity that would be regarded as a single employer with the Company under Section 414(b),(c),(m) or (o) of the Code) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (iv) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) and no Plan that is a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA is in “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Sections 304 and 305 of ERISA) (v) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (vi) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations promulgated thereunder) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (vii) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification; (viii) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); and (ix) none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (A) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its Controlled Group affiliates in the current fiscal year of the Company and its Controlled Group affiliates compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company’s and its Controlled Group affiliates’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (B) a material increase in the Company and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715-60) compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year, except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (i) through (ix) hereof, as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(dd) Disclosure Controls. The Company maintains an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(ee) Accounting Controls. The Company maintains systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) sufficient to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company maintains internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. There are no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls (it being understood that this subsection shall not require the Company to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) as of an earlier date than it would otherwise be required to so comply under applicable law).
(ff) Insurance. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole are insured against such losses and risks as is customary in the business in which they are engaged or as required by law; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received written notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that material capital improvements or other material expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers, in each case, to the extent such coverage is necessary to continue its business.
(gg) Cybersecurity; Data Protection. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases owned or controlled by the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Company Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform as required in connection with, the operation of the businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, and are free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. Except as would not
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reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained industry-standard controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all Company Systems and data stored therein (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Private Data”)), and there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to such Company Systems and Private Data, nor are there any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance with (i) all applicable laws or statutes, (ii) all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority and (iii) all internal policies and contractual obligations, in each case, relating to the protection of Company Systems and Private Data from unauthorized or illegal use, access, destruction, disclosure, misappropriation or modification (collectively, the “Company Security and Privacy Obligations”). Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, there is no investigation, action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or threatened alleging non-compliance by the Company or its subsidiaries with any of the Company Security and Privacy Obligations.
(hh) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has in the last five years (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or unlawful benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries.
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(ii) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(jj) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors or officers, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any economic, financial, or trade sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other applicable sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is itself the subject or the target of comprehensive Sanctions (currently, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and the non-government controlled areas of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria) (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or knowingly indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or the target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country, in each case to the extent that would, at the time of such dealings or transactions, be prohibited for any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) required to comply with Sanctions.
(kk) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no subsidiary of the
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Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock or similar ownership interest, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
(ll) No Broker’s Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
(mm) No Registration Rights. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company.
(nn) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares.
(oo) Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
(pp) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included in any of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
(qq) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(rr) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company has taken all necessary action such that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will be in material compliance with all provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with which the Company is required to comply as of such time, and is taking steps to ensure that it will be in
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compliance with other provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which will become applicable to the Company subsequent to such time.
(ss) Status under the Securities Act. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
(tt) No Ratings. There are (and prior to the Closing Date, will be) no debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act.
(uu) Directed Share Program. The Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses comply in all material respects, and any further amendments or supplements thereto will comply in all material respects, with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses are distributed in connection with the Directed Share Program. No license, consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, other than those obtained, is required under the securities laws and regulations in any jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered, except for the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act. The Company has not offered, or caused the underwriters to offer, Shares to any person pursuant to the Directed Share Program with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company, or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products.
(vv) The holders of (i) shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (such shares of Common Stock or other such securities, collectively, the “Securities”) that are a party to the IRA and (ii) any Securities that are, pursuant to an option award, (A) issuable pursuant to an award granted prior to the date of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or (B) issued pursuant to any employee benefit plan in effect on the date hereof and described in the Pricing Disclosure Package are, in each case, bound by market standoff provisions that impose restrictions on transfer (subject to certain exceptions set forth in such provisions) with respect to such holder’s Securities during the Restricted Period (“Market Standoff Provisions”) that are enforceable by the Company. Each such Market Standoff Provision is in full force and effect as of the date hereof and shall remain in full force and effect during the Restricted Period except as set forth in Section 4(h) hereof; this provision shall not prevent the Company from lifting previously imposed stop transfer instructions or
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effecting a release, waiver or amendment of such Market Stand-Off Provisions to permit a transfer of securities that would be permissible with respect to such holders under the terms of a lock-up agreement substantially in the form attached as Exhibit D hereto.
4. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the second business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Delivery of Copies. Upon the written request of the Representatives, the Company will deliver, without charge, to each Underwriter (A) an electronic conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), an electronic copy of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus). As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Shares is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Shares by any Underwriter or dealer.
(c) Amendments or Supplements, Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably and timely object by written notice (which may be by electronic mail) to the Company.
(d) Notice to the Representatives. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly, and confirm such advice in writing (which may be by electronic mail), (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective; (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (iii) when any supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed or distributed; (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission
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relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information including, but not limited to, any request for information concerning any Testing-the-Waters Communication; (v) of the issuance by the Commission or any other governmental or regulatory authority of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, or, the initiation or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (vi) of the occurrence of any event within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or, to the Company’s knowledge, the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or suspending any such qualification of the Shares and, if any such order is issued, will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters in accordance with paragraph (c) above, such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with law, the Company will promptly notify the
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Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters in accordance with paragraph (c) above such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with law.
(f) Blue Sky Compliance. If required by applicable law, the Company will qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Shares; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(g) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement (which need not be audited) that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement, provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such statement to its security holders and the Representatives to the extent such statement is filed with the Commission.
(h) Clear Market. For a period of 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), the Company will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or submit to, or file with, the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to undertake any of the foregoing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC, other than as set out in the paragraph below.
The restrictions described above do not apply to:
(i) the Shares to be issued and sold hereunder;
(ii) the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange of
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convertible or exchangeable securities or the exercise of warrants or options (including net exercise, conversion or settlement and in respect of tax withholding payments due upon the exercise of options or the vesting of equity-based awards) or the settlement of RSUs (including net settlement and in respect of tax withholding payments), in each case as described in the Prospectus;
(iii) grants of stock options, stock awards, restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards and the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Stock (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to the Company’s employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants pursuant to the terms of an equity compensation plan as described in the Prospectus;
(iv) the issuance of up to 7.5% of the outstanding shares of Stock, or securities convertible into, exercisable for, or which are otherwise exchangeable for, Stock, immediately following the Closing Date, in acquisitions, joint ventures, business combinations, commercial relationships or other similar strategic transactions, provided that such recipients enter into a lock-up agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC;
(v) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, provided that such plan does not provide for the transfer of shares of common stock during the Restricted Period and the establishment of such plan does not require or otherwise result in any public filing or other public announcement or such plan during the Restricted Period;
(vi) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 relating to securities granted or to be granted pursuant to any equity compensation plan or arrangement described in the Prospectus or any assumed benefit plan pursuant to an acquisition or similar strategic transaction; or
(vii) any non-public preparations related to the private demand, private request for or private exercise of, any right with respect to, or any non-public action in preparation of, a registration of securities by the Company under the Securities Act; provided that (i) no transfers of such securities registered pursuant to the exercise of any such right shall be made, and no registration statement shall be publicly filed under the Securities Act, during the Restricted Period (it being understood and agreed that the confidential submission of such registration statement shall be permitted), (ii) the Company shall notify J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC at least five business days prior to the confidential submission of any registration statement with the Commission and (iii) for the avoidance of doubt, no press release shall be issued in connection with the registration by the Company of any such securities (including in connection with the confidential submission of any registration statement with the Commission) during the Restricted Period.
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The Company also agrees not to accelerate the vesting of any stock options, stock awards, restricted stock or RSUs prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period, except to the extent such recipients have entered into an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit D. In addition, during the Restricted Period, the Company agrees to (i) enforce the Market Standoff Provisions and any similar transfer restrictions contained in any agreement between the Company and any of its security holders, including, without limitation, through the issuance of stop transfer instructions to the Company’s transfer agent and equity plan administrator with respect to any transaction that would constitute a breach of, or default under, such transfer restrictions and (ii) not release, amend or waive any Market Standoff Provisions or any similar transfer restrictions with respect to any such holder without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC, provided that this provision shall not prevent the Company from lifting previously imposed stop transfer instructions or effecting a release, waiver or amendment of such Market Stand-Off Provisions to permit a transfer of securities that would be permissible with respect to such holders under the terms of a lock-up agreement substantially in the form attached as Exhibit D hereto; provided further that:
(i) if such holder is a present or former employee, consultant or independent contractor of the Company (excluding (A) any executive officer, director or the chief accounting officer of the Company and (B) any employee of the Company that beneficially owns (in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commission), together with such employee’s direct or indirect affiliates, more than 1.00% of the Common Stock, which percentage shall be calculated based on the number of such employee’s Securities as of the date of the Prospectus and rounded down to the nearest whole share), such employee, consultant or independent contractor stockholder (each, an “Employee Stockholder”) may sell, beginning at the commencement of trading on the first Trading Day on which the Common Stock is traded on the Exchange (the “First Trading Day”), a number of shares of Common Stock not in excess of 20% of the Securities owned by such Employee Stockholder on the date of the Prospectus that are subject to Market Standoff Provisions (excluding any unvested stock options or restricted stock units issued by the Company (collectively, “Excluded Securities”) as of the date of the Prospectus); and
(ii) any holder (excluding (A) any executive officer, director or the chief accounting officer of the Company and (B) any holder affiliated with a director on the board of directors of the Company) (each, a “Second Release Stockholder”) may sell, beginning at the commencement of the second Trading Day after the Company publicly announces its earnings by filing with the Commission a Form 8-K (which for this purpose shall not include “flash” numbers or preliminary, partial earnings) for the first completed quarterly period (the “First Post-Offering Earnings Release”) following the most recent period for which financial statements are included in the Prospectus, a number of shares of Common Stock not in excess of 20% of the Securities owned by such Second Release Stockholder as of the date of the Prospectus that are subject to Market
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Standoff Provisions (excluding any Excluded Securities as of the date of the Prospectus); provided that the last reported closing price of the Common Stock on the Exchange is at least 30.0% greater than the initial public offering price per share set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus for any 10 Trading Days out of the 15-consecutive full Trading Day period ending on and including the first full Trading Day immediately following the First Post-Offering Earnings Release. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall a Second Release Stockholder be permitted to sell any Securities pursuant to this clause (ii) until at least 90 days after the date of the Prospectus.
The Employee Stockholders and Second Release Stockholders are intended third-party beneficiaries of the foregoing proviso. For purposes of this Section 4(h), a “Trading Day” is a day on which the Exchange is open for the buying and selling of securities.
If J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a Lock-Up Agreement described in Section 6(m) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares to be sold by it hereunder as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds.”
(j) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries or affiliates will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Stock.
(k) Exchange Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”).
(l) Reports. During a period of two years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of the Shares, and copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system; provided the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and financial statements to the Representatives to the extent they are filed on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system.
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(m) Record Retention. During a period of two years from the effective date of the Registration Statement, the Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(n) Filings. The Company will file with the Commission such reports as may be required by Rule 463 under the Securities Act.
(o) Directed Share Program. The Company will comply in all material respects with all applicable securities and other laws, rules and regulations in each jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.
(p) Emerging Growth Company. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 4(h) hereof.
5. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby severally represents and agrees that:
(a) It has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex A or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show approved in writing in advance by the Company), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”).
(b) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, use any free writing prospectus that contains the final terms of the Shares unless such terms have previously been included in a free writing prospectus filed with the Commission.
(c) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
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6. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Shares on the Closing Date or the Option Shares on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder in all material respects (except where the Company’s covenants and other obligations (including any representations and warranties made by the Company as a condition) are already qualified as to materiality, in all respects) and to the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Applicable Time and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded any debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined under Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of any such debt securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).
(d) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(h) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Representatives is so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
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(e) Officer’s Certificate. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, a certificate of the chief financial officer or chief accounting officer of the Company and one additional senior executive officer of the Company who is reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives (i) confirming that such officers have carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, to the knowledge of such officers, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Sections 3(b), 3(c) and 3(f) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects (or, where such representation and warranty is already qualified as to materiality, in all respects) and that the Company has complied in all material respects with all agreements and satisfied in all material respects all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) above.
(f) Comfort Letters; CFO Certificates. (i) On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, Deloitte & Touche LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a “cut-off” date no more than two business days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(ii) On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, of its chief financial officer with respect to certain financial data contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, providing “management comfort” with respect to such information, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(g) Opinion of the Chief Legal Officer of the Company. Robert Bertram, the Chief Legal Officer of the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, his written opinion, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(h) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the
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Representatives, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Annex D-1 hereto.
(i) Opinion and Negative Assurance Letter of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and negative assurance letter, addressed to the Underwriters, of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(j) No Legal Impediment to Issuance and/or Sale. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Shares by the Company; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the issuance or sale of the Shares.
(k) Good Standing. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, reasonably satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company in Delaware and, to the extent reasonably requested by the Representatives, certain subsidiaries in their respective jurisdictions of organization, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(l) Exchange Listing. The Shares to be delivered on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance.
(m) Lock-up Agreements. The “lock-up” agreements (collectively, the “Lock-Up Agreements”), each substantially in the form of Exhibit D hereto, between J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company, relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(n) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
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All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, reasonable and documented legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, promptly after such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication prepared or authorized by the Company, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”) or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in paragraph (b) below.
(b) Indemnification of the Company by the Underwriters. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement, affiliates and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing
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Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any road show or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the third paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” and the information contained in the fifteenth and sixteenth paragraphs relating to price stabilization, short positions, and penalty bids under the caption “Underwriting”.
(c) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to the preceding paragraphs of this Section 7, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 7 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 7. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall be entitled to participate therein, and to the extent it wishes, jointly with any other Indemnifying Person similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person to represent the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section that the Indemnifying Person may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding promptly and, after notice from the Indemnifying Person to such Indemnified Person of its election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall not be liable to such Indemnified Person under paragraphs (a) or (b) above, as the case may be, for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case, subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with the defense thereof, other than reasonable costs of investigation. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded, based on the advice of counsel, that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any
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impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel that is required to effectively defend against any such proceeding) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed promptly. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by the Representatives and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement, affiliates and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), but if settled with such consent, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses) received by the Company from the sale of the Shares and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Shares. The
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relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(e) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to paragraph (d) above were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any reasonable and documented legal or other expenses reasonably incurred and documented by such Indemnified Person in connection with investigating or defending against any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Shares exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
(f) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
(g) Directed Share Program Indemnification. In connection with the offer and sale of the Directed Shares, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Directed Share Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Directed Share Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act (each a “Directed Share Underwriter Entity”) from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any reasonable and documented legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted) (i) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Participants in connection with the Directed Share Program or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (ii) caused by the failure of any Participant to pay for and
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accept delivery of Directed Shares that the Participant agreed to purchase; or (iii) related to, arising out of, or in connection with the Directed Share Program, other than losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or expenses relating thereto) that are finally judicially determined to have resulted from the bad faith or gross negligence of the Directed Share Underwriter Entities.
(h) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any Directed Share Underwriter Entity in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 7(g) above, the Directed Share Underwriter Entity seeking indemnity shall promptly notify the Company in writing and the Company, upon request of the Directed Share Underwriter Entity, shall be entitled to participate therein, and to the extent it wishes, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Directed Share Underwriter Entity to represent the Directed Share Underwriter Entity and any others the Company may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented incurred fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding, and, after notice from the Company to such Directed Share Underwriter Entity of its election to assume the defense thereof, the Company shall not be liable to such Directed Share Underwriter Entity under Section 7(g) above for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case, subsequently incurred by such Directed Share Underwriter Entity in connection with the defense thereof, other than reasonable costs of investigation. In any such proceeding, any Directed Share Underwriter Entity shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Directed Share Underwriter Entity unless (i) the Company and such Directed Share Underwriter Entity shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel, (ii) the Company has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Directed Share Underwriter Entity, (iii) the Directed Share Underwriter Entity shall have reasonably concluded, based on the advice of counsel, that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Company or (iv) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and the Directed Share Underwriter Entity and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. The Company shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of the Directed Share Underwriter Entities in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Directed Share Underwriter Entities. The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent, the Company agrees to indemnify the Directed Share Underwriter Entities from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Directed Share Underwriter (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Directed Share Underwriter Entity is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Directed Share Underwriter Entity, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional
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release of the Directed Share Underwriter Entities from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of the Directed Share Underwriter Entity.
(i) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 7(g) above is unavailable to a Directed Share Underwriter Entity or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then the Company in lieu of indemnifying the Directed Share Underwriter Entity thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the Directed Share Underwriter Entity as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (1) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Directed Share Underwriter Entities on the other hand from the offering of the Directed Shares or (2) if the allocation provided by clause 7(i)(1) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 7(i)(1) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Directed Share Underwriter Entities on the other hand in connection with any statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Directed Share Underwriter Entities on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Directed Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Directed Shares (before deducting expenses) and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Directed Share Underwriter Entities for the Directed Shares, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Directed Shares. If the loss, claim, damage or liability is caused by an untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Directed Share Underwriter Entities on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement or the omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Directed Share Underwriter Entities and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(j) The Company and the Directed Share Underwriter Entities agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to Section 7(i) above were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Directed Share Underwriter Entities were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 7(i) above. The amount paid or payable by the Directed Share Underwriter Entities as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Directed Share Underwriter Entities in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7(h) above, no Directed Share Underwriter Entity shall be required to
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contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Directed Shares distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Directed Share Underwriter Entity has otherwise been required to pay. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in Section 7(g) through 7(j) are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(k) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in paragraphs 7(g) through 7(j) shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Directed Share Underwriter Entity or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Directed Shares.
8. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above.
9. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by written notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and on or prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Shares, prior to the Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange or The Nasdaq Stock Market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
10. Defaulting Underwriter.
(a) If, on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Shares that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Shares by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Shares on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company may
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postpone the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company, or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 10, purchases Shares that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters, the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased on such date, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase on such date) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Shares to be purchased on such date, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase Shares on the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
11. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Shares and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident
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to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent accountants; (iv) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Shares under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters); (v) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vi) the costs and charges of any transfer agent and any registrar; (vii) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review, filing with, and clearance of the offering by FINRA; provided that the amount payable by the Company pursuant to clauses (iv) and (vii) with respect to counsel fees and disbursements shall not exceed $20,000); (viii) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors, including 50% of the third party costs of any private aircraft incurred by or on behalf of the Company in connection with such road show, with the Underwriters responsible for the remaining 50% of such expenses; provided, that each party shall pay all of the travel and lodging expenses incurred by them in connection with such road show (other than the third party costs of any private aircraft, which shall be paid for in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this clause (viii)); (ix) all expenses and application fees related to the listing of the Shares on the Exchange; (x) all of the fees and disbursements of counsel incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program and stamp duties, similar taxes or duties or other taxes, if any, incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that except as expressly provided in Section 7 or Section 11(b) of this Agreement, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including without limitation, fees and disbursements of their counsel other than for Blue Sky and FINRA matters to the extent expressly provided for in this Section 11(a), transfer taxes on the resale by them of any of the Shares, and any advertising expenses relating to offers of Shares that they make.
(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9(ii), (ii) the Company for any reason fails to tender the Shares for delivery to the Underwriters or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Shares for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of their counsel), other than those of a defaulting Underwriter reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby.
12. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to herein, the affiliates of each Underwriter referred to in Section 7 hereof and, solely with respect to the second proviso contained in Section
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4 hereof related to Employee Stockholders and Second Release Stockholders, the Employee Stockholders and Second Release Stockholders referred to therein. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
13. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Shares and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters or the directors, officers, controlling persons or affiliates referred to in Section 7 hereof.
14. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term “business day” means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; (c) the term “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and (d) the term “significant subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act.
15. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
16. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representatives c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) 622-8358); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk; c/o Jefferies LLC, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022 (fax: (646) 619-4437); Attention: General Counsel; and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, (fax: (646)-291-1469); Attention: General Counsel. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at 14 Ridge Square NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20016; Attention: Robert Bertram, with a copy to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, Attention: Ken Wallach and Hui Lin.
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(b) Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
(c) Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the Company and the Underwriters hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Each of the Company and the Underwriters waive any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit or proceeding in such courts. Each of the Company and the Underwriters agree that final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and each Underwriter, as applicable, and may be enforced in any court to the jurisdiction of which the Company and each Underwriter, as applicable, is subject by a suit upon such judgment.
(d) Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any right to trial by jury in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
(e) Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(i) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(ii) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 16(e):
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
(i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
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(ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Electronic signatures complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law will be deemed original signatures for purposes of this Agreement. Transmission by telecopy, electronic mail or other transmission method of an executed counterpart of this Agreement will constitute due and sufficient delivery of such counterpart.
(g) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(h) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
(i) General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
Very truly yours, | ||||||||
CAVA GROUP, INC. | ||||||||
By: | ||||||||
Name: | ||||||||
Title: |
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted: As of the date first written above | |||||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC | |||||
JEFFERIES LLC | |||||
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | |||||
Each for itself and on behalf of the | |||||
several Underwriters listed | |||||
in Schedule 1 hereto. | |||||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC | |||||
By: | |||||
Authorized Signatory | |||||
JEFFERIES LLC | |||||
By: | |||||
Authorized Signatory | |||||
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | |||||
By: | |||||
Authorized Signatory |
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule 1
Underwriter | Number of Underwritten Shares | Number of Option Shares | ||||||||||||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Jefferies LLC | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Piper Sandler & Co. | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
William Blair & Company, L.L.C. | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Capital One Securities, Inc. | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Blaylock Van, LLC | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Drexel Hamilton, LLC | [l] | [l] | ||||||||||||
Total | [l] | [l] |
Sch. 1-1
Annex A
a. Free Writing Prospectuses
[None]
b. Pricing Information Provided by Underwriters
Price per share: [l]
The number of Underwritten Shares to be sold by the Company: [l]
The number of Option Shares to be sold by the Company: [l]
Annex A-1
Annex B
Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
Testing-the-Waters Presentation, April 2023 (used April 13, 2023)
Testing-the-Waters Presentation, April 2023 (used April 24, 2023 through April 28, 2023)
Annex B-1
Annex C
[Reserved.]
Annex C-1
Annex D-1
Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Company
[To be inserted.]
Annex D-1-1
Exhibit A
In reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), CAVA Group, Inc. (the “Issuer”) hereby authorizes J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC (collectively, the “Authorized Underwriters”) and their respective affiliates and their respective employees, to engage on behalf of the Issuer in oral and written communications with potential investors that are “qualified institutional buyers”, as defined in Rule 144A under the Act, or institutions that are “accredited investors”, within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(12) or (a)(13) under the Act, to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the Issuer’s contemplated initial public offering (“Testing-the-Waters Communications”).
A “Written Testing-the Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act. Each of the Authorized Underwriters, individually and not jointly, agrees that it shall not distribute any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication that has not been approved by the Issuer, other than communications that are purely logistical in nature.
The Issuer represents that it is an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act (“Emerging Growth Company”) and agrees to reasonably promptly notify the Authorized Underwriters in writing if the Issuer hereafter ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company while this authorization is in effect. If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Issuer will promptly notify the Authorized Underwriters and, only to the extent any further testing-the-waters meetings are to be held subsequent to such time, the Issuer shall amend and supplement, at its own expense, any Written Testing-the-Waters-Communication to be used at such subsequent testing-the-water meetings to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
Nothing in this authorization is intended to limit or otherwise affect the ability of the Authorized Underwriters and their respective affiliates and their respective employees, to engage in communications in which they could otherwise lawfully engage in the absence of this authorization, including, without limitation, any written communication containing only one or more of the statements specified under Rule 134(a) under the Act. This authorization shall remain in effect until the Issuer has provided to the Authorized Underwriters a written notice revoking this authorization. All notices as described herein shall be sent by email to the attention of Brittany Collier at brittany.a.collier@jpmorgan.com and Michael Bauer at mbauer@jefferies.com, with copies to Laura Kaufmann Belkhayat at laura.kaufmann@skadden.com and Ryan Dzierniejko at ryan.dzierniejko@skadden.com.
Exhibit B
Form of Waiver of Lock-up
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
JEFFERIES LLC
CAVA Group, Inc.
Public Offering of Common Stock
[l], 2023
[Name and Address of
Executive Officer or Director
Requesting Waiver]
Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by CAVA Group, Inc. (the “Company”) of _____________ shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value (the “Common Stock”), of the Company and the lock-up letter dated _____________, 2023 (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated _____________, 2023, with respect to _____________ shares of Common Stock (the “Shares”).
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC hereby agree to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective _____________, 2023; provided, however, that such [waiver] [release] is conditioned on the Company announcing the impending [waiver] [release] by press release through a major news service at least two business days before effectiveness of such [waiver] [release]. This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].
Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.
Yours very truly, | |||||
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC | |||||
By: | |||||
Authorized Signatory | |||||
JEFFERIES LLC | |||||
By: | |||||
Authorized Signatory |
cc: | CAVA Group, Inc. |
Exhibit C
Form of Press Release
CAVA Group, Inc.
[Date]
CAVA Group, Inc. (the “Company”) announced today that J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC, certain of the lead book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of _____________ shares of common stock, are [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to _____________ shares of the Company’s common stock held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver] [release] will take effect on _____________, 2023, and the shares may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Exhibit D
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
[To be inserted]