Coleman Second Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of December 19, 2023, by and between Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. and Brian D. Coleman
Exhibit 10.2
Execution Version
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Second Amended and Restated Employment Agreement (Agreement) is between Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (CCOH and such entity together with all past, present, and future parents, divisions, operating companies, subsidiaries, and affiliates are referred to collectively herein as Company) and Brian Coleman (Employee). Effective as of December 19, 2023 (the Effective Date), this Agreement supersedes and replaces in its entirety that certain Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between Company and Employee, effective as of April 1, 2023 (the Prior Agreement). For the avoidance of doubt, prior to the Effective Date, the Prior Agreement applies (including to any termination of employment that occurs before the Effective Date, which termination will cause this Agreement to be null and void and of no effect).
1. TERM OF EMPLOYMENT
This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall end on March 1, 2024 (the Transition Date), unless otherwise terminated earlier in accordance with Section 8 (the Employment Period). Following the Employment Period, in connection with a strategic CFO transition, Employees employment with the Company will terminate and Employee will resign as an officer and from any other position with the Company. Following the Employment Period, unless otherwise terminated earlier in accordance with Section 8, CCOH and Employee shall enter into a consulting agreement, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the Consulting Agreement).
2. TITLE AND EXCLUSIVE SERVICES
(a) Title and Duties. Until the Transition Date, Employee will continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer of CCOH, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and perform job duties that are usual and customary for the Chief Financial Officer position, based primarily out of the Companys corporate offices in San Antonio, Texas.
(b) Exclusive Services. Employee shall not be employed or render services elsewhere during the Employment Period; provided, however, that Employee may participate in professional, civic or charitable organizations so long as such participation is unpaid and does not interfere with the performance of Employees duties or would constitute a breach of Employees obligations under Sections 4, 5, 6 or 7 of this Agreement.
(c) Pre-Conditions. Employee affirms that no obligation exists with any prior employer or entity which would prevent full performance of this Agreement, or subject Company to any claim with respect to Companys employment of Employee.
3. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
(a) Base Salary. Employee shall be paid an annualized salary of Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000.00) (the Base Salary) during the period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the Transition Date. The Base Salary shall be payable in accordance with the Companys regular payroll practices and pursuant to Company policy, which may be amended from time to time and shall not be decreased during the Employment Period.
(b) Vacation. Employee is eligible for twenty (20) vacation days per calendar year, prorated as necessary, and subject to the Companys applicable policies.
(c) Annual Bonus. Eligibility for an annual bonus (Annual Bonus) is based on financial and performance criteria established by the Compensation Committee of CCOH and approved in the annual budget, pursuant to the terms of the applicable bonus plan which operates at the discretion of Company and its Board of Directors, and is not a guarantee of compensation. The payment of any Annual Bonus shall be no later than March 15 each calendar year following the year in which the Annual Bonus was earned, within the short-term deferral period under the Internal Revenue Code Section 409A and the applicable regulations thereunder (Section 409A). Employees Annual Bonus target shall be one hundred percent (100%) of Employees annual Base Salary and shall be prorated based on the number of days Employee is employed during the calendar year.
(d) Annual Long Term Incentive. Employee has already received Employees long-term incentive award in respect of fiscal year 2023. Employee will not be eligible for an annual Long Term Incentive opportunity in fiscal year 2024.
(e) Benefits. During the Employment Period, Employee will be eligible to participate in various benefit programs provided by Company on the same terms and conditions as they are made available to other similarly situated employees.
(f) Expenses. Company will reimburse Employee for business expenses, consistent with past practices pursuant to Company policy. Any reimbursement that would constitute nonqualified deferred compensation shall be paid pursuant to Section 409A.
(g) Travel. Employee is authorized to fly business class for any business-related flight that is three (3) hours or more.
(h) Compensation pursuant to this Section 3 shall in all cases be less applicable payroll taxes and other deductions.
4. NONDISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
(a) Company has provided and will continue to provide to Employee confidential information and trade secrets including but not limited to Companys permits, landlord and property owner information, marketing plans, growth strategies, target lists, performance goals, operational strategies, specialized training expertise, employee development, engineering information, sales information, terms of negotiated leases, client and customer lists, contracts, representation agreements, pricing information, production and cost data, fee information, strategic business plans, budgets, financial statements, technological initiatives, proprietary research or software purchased or developed by Company, information about employees obtained by virtue of an employees job responsibilities and other information Company treats as confidential or proprietary (collectively the Confidential Information). Confidential Information shall not include any data or information which has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by Company (except where such disclosure has been made by Employee without authorization) or that has been independently developed and disclosed to the general public by others, or otherwise entered the public domain through lawful means. Employee acknowledges that such Confidential Information is proprietary and agrees not to disclose it to anyone outside Company except to the extent that: (i) it is necessary in connection with performing Employees duties; or (ii) Employee is required by court order to disclose the Confidential Information, provided that Employee shall promptly inform Company, shall cooperate with Company to obtain a protective order or otherwise restrict disclosure, and shall only disclose Confidential Information to the minimum extent necessary to comply with the court order. Employee agrees to never use trade secrets in competing, directly or indirectly, with Company. When employment ends, Employee will immediately return all Confidential Information to Company.
(b) Employee understands, agrees and acknowledges that the provisions in this Agreement do not prohibit or restrict Employee from communicating with the DOJ, SEC, DOL, NLRB, EEOC or any other governmental authority, exercising Employees rights, if any, under the National Labor Relations Act to engage in protected concerted activity, making a report in good faith and with a reasonable belief of any violations of law or regulation to a governmental authority, cooperating with or participating in a legal proceeding relating to such violations including providing documents or other information, or making any other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of any applicable law, rule or regulation. Employee is hereby provided notice that under the 2016 Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA): (1) no individual will be held criminally or civilly liable under Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret (as defined in the Economic Espionage Act) that: (a) is made in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and made solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or, (b) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal so that it is not made public; and, (2) an individual who pursues a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of the law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual files any document containing the trade secret under seal, and does not disclose the trade secret, except as permitted by court order.
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(c) The terms of this Section 4 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason. Further, this Section 4 shall not be applied to interfere with Employees rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
5. NON-INTERFERENCE WITH COMPANY EMPLOYEES
(a) To further preserve Companys Confidential Information, goodwill and legitimate business interests, during employment and for the greater of (x) twelve (12) months after Employees employment with the Company ends, and (y) the term of the Consulting Agreement (the Non-Interference Period), Employee will not, directly or indirectly, hire, engage or solicit any current employee of Company with whom Employee, within the twelve (12) months prior to Employees termination, had contact, supervised or received Confidential Information about, to provide services elsewhere or cease providing services to Company.
(b) The terms of this Section 5 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason.
6. NON-SOLICITATION OF CLIENTS
(a) To further preserve Companys Confidential Information, goodwill and legitimate business interests, for the greater of (x) twelve (12) months after Employees employment with the Company ends, and (y) the term of the Consulting Agreement (the Non-Solicitation Period), Employee will not, directly or indirectly, solicit Companys clients, governmental or quasi-governmental organizations or their affiliated agencies, or property owners/tenants, licensors, or property managers with whom Employee, within the twelve (12) months prior to Employees termination, engaged, had contact or received Confidential Information about (Restricted Clients). For the purposes of this Section 6, solicit shall mean (i) inducing or attempting to induce Restricted Clients to diminish or cease doing business with Company; (ii) inducing or attempting to induce Restricted Clients to advertise with or do business with a Competitor (as defined below); or (iii) inducing or attempting to induce Restricted Clients to enter into any transaction which would have an adverse effect on Company.
(b) The terms of this Section 6 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason.
7. NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENT
(a) To further preserve Companys Confidential Information, goodwill, specialized training expertise, and legitimate business interests, Employee agrees that during Employees employment with the Company and for the greater of (x) twelve (12) months after Employees employment with the Company ends, and (y) the term of the Consulting Agreement (the Non-Compete Period), Employee will not perform, directly or indirectly, the same or similar services provided by Employee for Company, or in a capacity that would otherwise likely result in the use or disclosure of Confidential Information, for any entity engaged in a business in which Company is engaged (including such business that is in the research, development or implementation stages), and with which Employee participated at the time of Employees termination or within the twelve (12) months prior to Employees termination or about which Employee received Confidential Information (each such entity, a Competitor), including, but not limited to: JC Decaux Corporation; Titan Media Company; Reagan Outdoor; Fairway Outdoor; Adams Outdoor; Outfront Media or Lamar Advertising Company, in any geographic region in which Employee has or had duties or in which Company does business and about which Employee has received Confidential Information and with which Employee participated at the time of Employees termination or within the twelve (12) months prior to Employees termination (the Non-Compete Area).
(b) The terms of this Section 7 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason.
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8. TERMINATION
This Agreement and/or Employees employment may be terminated at any time by mutual written agreement, signed by Employee and Company and approved by a representative of Companys Legal Department, or as set forth below:
(a) Death. The date of Employees death shall be the termination date.
(b) Disability. Company may terminate this Agreement and/or Employees employment if Employee is unable to perform the essential functions of Employees full-time position for more than one hundred eighty (180) days in any twelve (12)-month period, subject to applicable law.
(c) Termination By Company. Company may terminate employment with or without Cause. Cause means:
(i) willful misconduct, including, without limitation, violation of sexual or other harassment policy, misappropriation of or material misrepresentation regarding property of Company, other than customary and de minimis use of Company property for personal purposes, as determined in the reasonable discretion of Company;
(ii) willful and repeated non-performance of duties (other than by reason of disability);
(iii) willful and repeated failure to follow lawful directives;
(iv) a felony conviction, a plea of nolo contendere to a felony by Employee, or other conduct by Employee that has or would result in material injury to Companys reputation, including conviction of fraud, theft, embezzlement, or a crime involving moral turpitude;
(v) a material breach of this Agreement; or
(vi) a significant violation of Companys employment and management policies made known to Employee on Companys intranet website or otherwise.
If Company elects to terminate for Cause under (c)(ii), (iii), (v) or (vi), Employee shall have fifteen (15) days to cure to the reasonable satisfaction of Company after written notice by Company specifying the alleged conduct giving rise to Cause within thirty (30) days of learning of the alleged conduct, except where such cause, by its nature, is not curable as determined by Company or the termination is based upon a recurrence of an act previously cured by Employee.
(d) Termination By Employee for Good Cause. Employee may terminate Employees employment at any time for Good Cause, which is: (i) a change in reporting lines such that Employee is no longer directly reporting to the CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.; (ii) a relocation of Employees offices outside a fifty (50)-mile radius from the San Antonio metropolitan area; (iii) Companys continued failure to comply with a material term of this Agreement after written notice by Employee specifying the alleged failure; (iv) a substantial and unusual increase in responsibilities and authority without an offer of additional reasonable compensation as determined by Company in light of compensation for similarly situated employees; (v) a substantial and unusual reduction in responsibilities or authority; or (vi) a reduction in Employees Base Salary or Annual Bonus target. If Employee elects to terminate Employees employment for Good Cause, Employee must provide Company written notice within thirty (30) days, after which Company shall have thirty (30) days to cure. If Company has not cured and Employee elects to terminate Employees employment, Employee must do so within ten (10) days after the end of the cure period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties agree that the changes in Employees title, duties and compensation reflected by this Agreement will not in any event constitute Good Cause.
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9. COMPENSATION UPON TERMINATION
(a) Death. Company shall, within thirty (30) days of the date of Employees death, pay to Employees designee or, if no person is designated, to Employees estate, Employees accrued and unpaid Base Salary and any earned but unpaid Annual Bonus for the year prior to the year in which termination occurs (Prior Year Bonus), if any, through the date of termination, and any business expenses incurred by Employee but not yet reimbursed by Company, and any other payments required to be paid or provided under applicable employee benefit plans or equity plans or equity award agreements, which shall be paid or provided in accordance with the terms of such plans, agreements and/or policies (less applicable payroll taxes and other deductions) (collectively the Accrued Obligations).
(b) Disability. Company shall, within thirty (30) days, pay all Accrued Obligations.
(c) Termination by Company for Cause. Company shall, within thirty (30) days, pay to Employee Employees accrued and unpaid Base Salary through the termination date and any payments required under applicable employee benefit plans.
(d) Termination by Company Without Cause/Termination by Employee for Good Cause/Termination on the Transition Date.
(i) If Company terminates employment without Cause, if Employee terminates for Good Cause, or if Employees employment terminates on the Transition Date in accordance with Section 1, Company will pay all Accrued Obligations.
(ii) In addition, if Employee signs a Severance Agreement and General Release of claims in a form satisfactory to Company (the Release) and Employee does not revoke such Release within any time period revocation is permitted by the Releases terms:
(1) Company will pay Employee, in periodic payments in accordance with ordinary payroll practices and deductions, Employees current Base Salary (for the avoidance of doubt, utilizing the Base Salary in effect as of the Effective Date for this purpose) for twelve (12) months (such period, the Company Termination Severance Pay Period and such payments, the Company Termination Severance Payments).
(2) Employee shall remain eligible for a pro-rata portion of the Annual Bonus for the year in which such termination occurs, calculated based upon actual performance and pro-rated to reflect Employees period of employment during the performance period through the date of termination; provided further that calculation and payment of the bonus, if any, will be made pursuant to the plan in effect during the termination year.
(3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any equity award agreements between the Company and Employee (except in circumstances where treatment more favorable to Employee is provided in any such equity award agreement):
a. In the event CCOH and Employee do not enter into the Consulting Agreement, (x) any unvested CCOH equity awards granted prior to April 1, 2023 shall vest in full on the date of termination; (y) any unvested time-vesting equity awards granted after April 1, 2023 which are scheduled to vest within the twelve (12) month period following the date of termination shall vest in full on the date of termination pursuant to this Section 9(d); and (z) any outstanding and unvested performance stock units granted after April 1, 2023 will vest as follows: (i) one-third (1/3) of the target number of shares underlying the performance stock units are eligible to vest if the date of termination is before the date which is two (2) years prior to the Vesting Date (as defined in the applicable award agreement), (ii) two-thirds (2/3) of the target number of shares underlying the performance stock units are eligible to vest if the date of termination is on or
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after the date which is two (2) years prior to the Vesting Date but before the date which is one (1) year prior to the Vesting Date, and (iii) one hundred percent (100%) of the target number of shares underlying the performance stock units are eligible to vest if the date of termination is on or after the date which is one (1) year prior to the Vesting Date. The portion of the performance stock units eligible to vest pursuant to this Section 9(d) will remain outstanding and eligible to be earned at the end of the applicable performance period based on the relative total shareholder return performance (or other applicable performance metric) as outlined in the applicable award agreement and, if earned, will then be distributed to Employee within sixty (60) days.
b. In the event CCOH and Employee enter into the Consulting Agreement, Employees unvested CCOH equity awards shall remain outstanding and eligible to vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable award agreement and CCOHs 2012 Second Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan during the period Employee provides services to CCOH pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, and Employees CCOH equity awards that remain unvested following termination of Employees consulting services pursuant to the Consulting Agreement shall vest in accordance with Section 4 of the Consulting Agreement.
The Release shall be provided to Employee on or before Employees termination date and must be executed by Employee and irrevocable by the thirtieth (30th) day following the termination date. The payments and benefits described above shall be provided to Employee (or shall begin to be provided to Employee, as applicable) no later than the second regularly scheduled payroll date following the date that the Release is effective and irrevocable, subject to Section 18 below; provided, however, in the event that the period in which Employee has to review and execute the Release begins in one tax year and ends in a later tax year, the payments and benefits described above shall be provided to Employee (or shall begin to be provided to Employee, as applicable) in the later tax year.
(e) Employment by Competitor During Severance Pay Period.
(i) If Employee is in breach of any post-employment obligations or covenants, or if Employee is hired or engaged in any capacity by any Competitor of Company, in Companys sole discretion, in any location during any Severance Pay Period, Severance Payments shall cease. The foregoing shall not affect Companys right to enforce the Non-Compete Period pursuant to Section 7. Employee acknowledges that each individual Severance Payment received is adequate and independent consideration to support Employees Release, as each is something of value to which Employee would not have otherwise been entitled at termination had Employee not executed a Release and such Release had not become irrevocable.
10. [Reserved.]
11. OWNERSHIP OF MATERIALS
(a) Employee agrees that all inventions, improvements, discoveries, designs, technology, and works of authorship (including but not limited to computer software) made, created, conceived, or reduced to practice by Employee, whether alone or in cooperation with others, during employment, together with all patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and other intellectual property rights related to any of the foregoing throughout the world, are among other things works made for hire (the Works) and at all times are owned exclusively by Company, and in any event, Employee hereby assigns all ownership in such rights to Company. Employee understands that the Works may be modified or altered and expressly waives any rights of attribution or integrity or other rights in the nature of moral right (droit morale) for all uses of the Works. Employee agrees to provide written notification to Company of any Works covered by this Agreement, execute any documents, testify in any legal proceedings, and do all things necessary or desirable to secure Companys rights to the foregoing, including without limitation executing inventors declarations and assignment forms, even if no longer employed by Company. Employee agrees that Employee shall have no right to reproduce, distribute copies of, perform publicly, display publicly, or prepare derivative works based
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upon the Works. Employee hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company as Employees agent and attorney-in-fact, to act for and on Employees behalf regarding obtaining and enforcing any intellectual property rights that were created by Employee during employment and related to the performance of Employees job. Employee agrees not to incorporate any intellectual property created by Employee prior to Employees employment, or created by any third party, into any Company work product. This Agreement does not apply to an invention for which no equipment, supplies, facility, or trade secret information of Company was used and which invention was developed entirely on Employees own time, so long as the invention does not: (i) relate directly to the business of the Company; (ii) relate to the Companys actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development, or (iii) result from any work performed by Employee for Company.
(b) The terms of this Section 11 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason.
12. PARTIES BENEFITED; ASSIGNMENTS
This Agreement shall be binding upon Employee, Employees heirs and Employees personal representative or representatives, and upon Company and its respective successors and assigns. Employee hereby consents to the Agreement being enforced by any successor or assign of the Company without the need for further notice to or consent by Employee. Neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder may be assigned by Employee, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.
13. GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas and Employee expressly consents to the personal jurisdiction of the Texas state and federal courts for any lawsuit relating to this Agreement.
14. LITIGATION AND REGULATORY COOPERATION
During and after employment, Employee shall reasonably cooperate in the defense or prosecution of claims, investigations, or other actions which relate to events or occurrences during employment. Employees cooperation shall include being available to prepare for discovery or trial and to act as a witness. Company will pay an hourly rate (based on Base Salary as of the last day of employment) for cooperation that occurs after employment, and reimburse for reasonable expenses, including travel expenses, reasonable attorneys fees and costs.
15. INDEMNIFICATION
Company shall defend and indemnify Employee for acts committed in the course and scope of employment. Employee shall indemnify Company for claims of any type concerning Employees conduct outside the scope of employment, subject to any limitations under applicable law and the Companys governance documents, or the breach by Employee of this Agreement.
16. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
(a) Arbitration. This Agreement is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. and evidences a transaction involving commerce. This Dispute Resolution Section (Arbitration Agreement) applies to any dispute arising out of or related to Employees employment with Company or termination of employment. Nothing contained in this Arbitration Agreement shall be construed to prevent or excuse Employee from using the Companys existing internal procedures for resolution of complaints, and this Arbitration Agreement is not intended to be a substitute for the use of such procedures. Except as it otherwise provides, this Arbitration Agreement is intended to apply to the resolution of disputes that otherwise would be resolved in a court of law, and therefore requires all such disputes to be resolved only by an arbitrator through final and binding arbitration and not by way of court or jury trial. Such disputes include without limitation disputes between Employee and Company arising out of or relating to interpretation or application of this Agreement, including the enforceability, revocability or validity of the Agreement or any portion of the Agreement. The Arbitration Agreement also applies, without limitation, to disputes between Employee and Company regarding the employment relationship, trade secrets, unfair competition, compensation, breaks and rest periods, termination, or harassment and claims arising under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans With Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and state statutes, if any, addressing the same or similar subject matters, and all other state statutory and common law claims.
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(b) The following claims are excluded from this Arbitration Agreement: workers compensation, state disability insurance, unemployment insurance claims, and claims for benefits under employee benefit plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that contain an appeal procedure or other exclusive and/or binding dispute resolution procedure in the respective plan. Disputes that may not be subject to pre-dispute arbitration agreements as provided by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203) are also excluded from the coverage of this Arbitration Agreement. Nothing in this Arbitration Agreement prevents Employee from making a report to or filing a claim or charge with a government agency, including without limitation the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, National Labor Relations Board, or Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Nothing in this Arbitration Agreement prevents the investigation by a government agency of any report, claim or charge otherwise covered by this Agreement. This Arbitration Agreement also does not prevent federal administrative agencies from adjudicating claims and awarding remedies based on those claims, even if the claims would otherwise be covered by this Arbitration Agreement. Nothing in this Arbitration Agreement shall be deemed to preclude or excuse a party from bringing an administrative claim before any agency in order to fulfill the partys obligation to exhaust administrative remedies before making a claim in arbitration. The Company will not retaliate against Employee for filing a claim with an administrative agency or for exercising rights (individually or in concert with others) under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
(c) An arbitrator (the Arbitrator) shall be selected by mutual agreement of the Company and the Employee. Unless the Employee and Company mutually agree otherwise, the Arbitrator shall be an attorney licensed to practice in the location where the arbitration proceeding will be conducted or a retired federal or state judicial officer who presided in the jurisdiction where the arbitration will be conducted. If for any reason the parties cannot agree to an Arbitrator, either party may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction with authority over the location where the arbitration will be conducted for appointment of a neutral Arbitrator. The court shall then appoint an Arbitrator, who shall act under this Arbitration Agreement with the same force and effect as if the parties had selected the Arbitrator by mutual agreement. The location of the arbitration proceeding shall be no more than forty-five (45) miles from the place where the Employee last worked for the Company, unless each party to the arbitration agrees in writing otherwise.
(d) A demand for arbitration must be in writing and delivered by hand or first class mail to the other party within the applicable statute of limitations period. Any demand for arbitration made to the Company shall be provided to the Companys Legal Department, 4830 North Loop 1604 West, Suite 111, San Antonio, Texas 78249. The Arbitrator shall resolve all disputes regarding the timeliness or propriety of the demand for arbitration.
(e) In arbitration, the parties will have the right to conduct adequate civil discovery, bring dispositive motions, and present witnesses and evidence as needed to present their cases and defenses, and any disputes in this regard shall be resolved by the Arbitrator. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure shall govern any depositions or discovery efforts, and the arbitrator shall apply the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when resolving any discovery disputes.
(f) Class Action Waiver. In the event of any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of employment with, or otherwise relating to Employees relationship with Company, claims may only be brought by Employee or by Company in the Employees individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or other joint proceeding. In that regard, Employee specifically agrees not to file, initiate directly or indirectly, join or participate in any class, collective, or other representative proceeding against Company and its respective directors, officers, agents, representatives and employees. If a class, collective, or other representative proceeding is filed purporting to include Employee, Employee shall promptly take all steps to refrain from opting in or to opt-out and will otherwise exclude Employee from the proceeding, as applicable. Claims covered by this waiver may not be joined or consolidated with claims of other individuals without the consent of both Company and Employee. Notwithstanding any other clause contained in this Agreement, the preceding Class Action Waiver shall not be severable from this Arbitration Agreement in any case in which the dispute to be arbitrated is brought as
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a class, collective or representative action. Although an employee will not be retaliated against, disciplined or threatened with discipline as a result of Employees exercising rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act by the filing of or participation in a class, collective or representative action in any forum, the Company may lawfully seek enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement and the Class Action Waiver under the Federal Arbitration Act and seek dismissal of such class, collective or representative actions or claims. Notwithstanding any other clause contained in this Arbitration Agreement, any claim that all or part of the Class Action Waiver is unenforceable, unconscionable, void or voidable may be determined only by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator.
(g) Each party will pay the fees for its own attorneys, subject to any remedies to which that party may later be entitled under applicable law. However, in all cases where required by law, the Company will pay the Arbitrators and arbitration fees. If under applicable law the Company is not required to pay all of the Arbitrators and/or arbitration fees, such fee(s) will be apportioned between the parties by the Arbitrator in accordance with applicable law.
(h) Within thirty (30) days of the close of the arbitration hearing, any party will have the right to prepare, serve on the other party and file with the Arbitrator a brief. The Arbitrator may award any party any remedy to which that party is entitled under applicable law, but such remedies shall be limited to those that would be available to a party in a court of law for the claims presented to and decided by the Arbitrator. The Arbitrator will issue a decision or award in writing, stating the essential findings of fact and conclusions of law. Except as may be permitted or required by law, neither a party nor an Arbitrator may disclose the existence, content, or results of any arbitration hereunder without the prior written consent of all parties. A court of competent jurisdiction shall have the authority to enter a judgment upon the award made pursuant to the arbitration.
(i) Injunctive Relief. A party may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for temporary or preliminary injunctive relief in connection with an arbitrable controversy, but only upon the ground that the award to which that party may be entitled may be rendered ineffectual without such provisional relief.
(j) This Section 16 is the full and complete agreement relating to the formal resolution of employment-related disputes. In the event any portion of this Section 16 is deemed unenforceable and except as set forth in Section 16(f), the remainder of this Agreement will be enforceable.
(k) This Section 16 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason.
Employee Initials: /s/ BC Company Initials: /s/ SW_
17. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF EMPLOYEE
Employee represents that Employee is under no contractual or other restriction inconsistent with the execution of this Agreement, the performance of Employees duties hereunder, or the rights of Company. Employee represents that Employee is under no disability that prevents Employee from performing the essential functions of Employees position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
18. SECTION 409A COMPLIANCE
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, no severance payments or benefits to be paid or provided to Employee, if any, under this Agreement that, when considered together with any other severance payments or separation benefits, are considered deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code and the final regulations and any guidance promulgated thereunder (together, the Deferred Payments) will be paid or provided until Employee has a separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A. Similarly, no severance payable to Employee, if any, under this Agreement that otherwise would be exempt from Section 409A pursuant to Section 1.409A-1(b)(9) of the Treasury Regulations will be payable until Employee has a separation from service within the meaning of Section 409A and Section 1.409A-1(h) of the Treasury Regulations.
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(b) It is intended that none of the severance payments or benefits under this Agreement will constitute Deferred Payments but rather will be exempt from Section 409A as a payment that would fall within the short-term deferral period as described in paragraph (d) below or resulting from an involuntary separation from service as described in paragraph (e) below. In no event will Employee have discretion to determine the taxable year of payment of any Deferred Payment or payment made upon a separation from service. Any severance payments or benefits payable pursuant to this Agreement will be payable as provided in Section 9(d).
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if Employee is a specified employee within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of Employees separation from service (other than due to death), then the Deferred Payments, if any, that are payable within the first six (6) months following Employees separation from service, will become payable on the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of Employees separation from service. All subsequent Deferred Payments, if any, will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule applicable to each payment or benefit. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event of Employees death following Employees separation from service, but before the six (6) month anniversary of the separation from service, then any payments delayed in accordance with this paragraph will be payable in a lump sum as soon as administratively practicable after the date of Employees death and all other Deferred Payments will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule applicable to each payment or benefit. Each payment and benefit payable under this Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment under Section 1.409A-2(b) of the Treasury Regulations.
(d) Any amount paid under this Agreement that satisfies the requirements of the short-term deferral rule set forth in Section 1.409A-1(b)(4) of the Treasury Regulations will not constitute Deferred Payments for purposes of paragraph (a) above.
(e) Any amount paid under this Agreement that qualifies as a payment made as a result of an involuntary separation from service pursuant to Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) of the Treasury Regulations that does not exceed the Section 409A Limit (as defined below) will not constitute Deferred Payments for purposes of paragraph (a) above.
(f) The foregoing provisions are intended to comply with or be exempt from the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the payments and benefits to be provided under the Agreement will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply or be exempt. Company and Employee agree to work together in good faith to consider amendments to this Agreement and to take such reasonable actions which are necessary, appropriate or desirable to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition before actual payment to Employee under Section 409A. In no event will Company reimburse Employee for any taxes that may be imposed on Employee as a result of Section 409A. For purposes of this Agreement, Section 409A Limit will mean the lesser of two (2) times: (i) Employees annualized compensation based upon the annual rate of pay paid to Employee during Companys taxable year preceding Companys taxable year of Employees termination of employment as determined under Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii)(A)(1) of the Treasury Regulations and any Internal Revenue Service guidance issued with respect thereto; or (ii) the maximum amount that may be taken into account under a qualified plan pursuant to Section 401(a)(17) of the Code for the year in which Employees employment is terminated.
19. MISCELLANEOUS
This Agreement contains the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof for the period defined and, upon its Effective Date, supersedes and nullifies all prior or contemporaneous conversations, negotiations, or agreements (oral or written) regarding the subject matter of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the Prior Agreement. To the extent this Agreement has been executed prior to its Effective Date and other agreements are in place as of the date of execution, such other agreements remain in place until the Effective Date has been reached, and the terms of this Agreement shall not be in effect unless and until the Effective Date has been reached. This Agreement may not be modified or amended except in writing signed by Employee and Company, and approved by a representative of Companys Legal Department. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, a counterpart transmitted via electronic means, and all executed counterparts, when taken together, shall constitute sufficient proof of the parties entry into this Agreement. The parties agree to execute any further or future documents which may be necessary to allow the full performance of this Agreement. The failure of a party to require performance
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of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect the right of such party to later enforce any provision. A waiver of the breach of any term or condition of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other term or condition. If any provision of this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held unenforceable, such unenforceability shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof, except as specifically noted in this Agreement, or the application of such provisions to other persons or circumstances, all of which shall be enforced to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law. Company and Employee agree that the restrictions contained in Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11 are material terms of this Agreement, reasonable in scope and duration and are necessary to protect Companys Confidential Information, goodwill, specialized training expertise, and legitimate business interests. If any restrictive covenant is held to be unenforceable because of the scope, duration or geographic area, the parties agree that the court or arbitrator may reduce the scope, duration, or geographic area, and in its reduced form, such provision shall be enforceable. Should Employee violate the provisions of Sections 5, 6, or 7, then in addition to all other remedies available to Company, the duration of these covenants shall be extended for the period of time when Employee began such violation until Employee permanently ceases such violation. Employee agrees that no bond will be required if an injunction is sought to enforce any of the covenants previously set forth herein. To the extent any subsequent agreement, plan or document applying or pertaining to Employee contains restrictive covenants of a similar nature and subject as those contained in Sections 5, 6 and/or 7 of this Agreement, Company and Employee agree that the terms of this Agreement shall prevail and control over such agreement, plan or document. The headings in this Agreement are inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not control the meaning of any provision hereof. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to control or modify which entity (among the Companys family of entities) is the Employees legal employer for purposes of any laws or regulations governing the employment relationship. Employee acknowledges receipt of Companys Employee Guide, Code of Conduct and other Company policies, including the Companys clawback policy (available on the Companys intranet website), and agrees to review and abide by their terms, which along with any other policy referenced in this Agreement may be amended from time to time at Companys discretion. Employee understands that Company policies do not constitute a contract between Employee and Company. Any conflict between such policies and this Agreement shall be resolved in favor of this Agreement.
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Upon full execution by all parties, this Agreement shall be effective on the Effective Date in Section 1.
EMPLOYEE: | ||
/s/ Brian Coleman | ||
Brian Coleman | ||
Date: | 12/19/2023 | |
COMPANY: | ||
/s/ Scott Wells | ||
Scott Wells | ||
Chief Executive Officer | ||
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. | ||
Date: | 12/19/2023 |