SEVERANCE AGREEMENT

Exhibit 10.6

SEVERANCE AGREEMENT

THIS SEVERANCE AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into this _____ day of _________ 20___ (the “Effective Date”), by and between CTI BioPharma Corp., a Washington corporation (the “Company”), and [______________] (the “Executive”).

RECITALS

THE PARTIES ENTER THIS AGREEMENT on the basis of the following facts, understandings and intentions:

A.      The Executive is currently employed with the Company, and the Company desires to provide severance benefits to the Executive in the event the Executive’s employment with the Company terminates under certain circumstances, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

B.      This Agreement shall be effective immediately and shall supersede and negate all previous agreements and understandings with respect to the subject matter hereof (including, without limitation, the Severance Agreement by and between the Company and the Executive dated [________________] (the “Prior Severance Agreement”)) except as expressly noted herein.

AGREEMENT

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the above recitals incorporated herein and the mutual covenants and promises contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby expressly acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

(a)     The Company shall pay the Executive (or, in the event of his death, the Executive’s estate) any Accrued Obligations (as such term is defined in Section 2);

(b)     If the Executive’s employment with the Company terminates as a result of an Involuntary Termination (as such term is defined in Section 2), the Executive shall be entitled to the following benefits:

(i)      The Company shall pay the Executive (in addition to the Accrued Obligations), subject to tax withholding and other authorized deductions, an amount equal to (i) one and one-half (1.5) times the Executive’s base salary at the annualized rate in effect on the Severance Date, plus (ii) the greater of the average of the Executive’s annual bonuses for the three years preceding the year in which the Severance Date occurs or thirty percent (30%) of the Executive’s base salary at the annualized rate in effect on the Severance Date.  Such amount is referred to hereinafter as the “Severance Benefit.”  Subject to Section 17(b), the Company shall pay the Severance Benefit to the Executive in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices over a period of eighteen (18) consecutive months, with the first such installment payable on (or within ten (10) days following) the sixtieth (60th) day following the Executive’s Separation from Service (as such term is defined in Section 2).

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(ii)      The Company will pay or reimburse the Executive for his premiums charged to continue medical coverage pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”), at the same or reasonably equivalent medical coverage under the group medical program available to the Company’s employees generally for the Executive (and, if applicable, the Executive’s spouse and eligible dependents) as in effect immediately prior to the Severance Date, to the extent that the Executive elects such continued coverage; provided that the Company’s obligation to make any payment or reimbursement pursuant to this clause (ii) shall, subject to Section 17(b), commence with continuation coverage for the month following the month in which the Executive’s Separation from Service occurs and shall cease with continuation coverage for the eighteenth (18^th) month following the month in which the Executive’s Separation from Service occurs (or, if earlier, shall cease upon the first to occur of the Executive’s death, the date the Executive becomes eligible for coverage under the health plan of a future employer, or the date the Company ceases to offer group medical coverage to its active executive employees or the Company is otherwise under no obligation to offer COBRA continuation coverage to the Executive).  To the extent the Executive elects COBRA coverage, he shall notify the Company in writing of such election prior to such coverage taking effect and complete any other continuation coverage enrollment procedures the Company may then have in place.  The Company’s obligation to pay or reimburse for premiums pursuant to this clause does not apply to: (i) any coverage that the Company (or one of its affiliates) is not required to offer the Executive pursuant to COBRA; (ii) dental, vision, or other non-medical coverage; and (iii) to any executive-level (or similar) coverage that is not available to the Company’s employees generally.

(iii)      The Company will pay or reimburse the Executive for premiums charged to continue life insurance coverage for the Executive, to the extent such coverage was in effect and paid for by the Company on the Severance Date, for a period of eighteen (18) months following the Severance Date.  

(iv)      Any stock options or equity or equity-related compensation or grants (to the extent outstanding and not otherwise vested as of the Severance Date) shall become fully exercisable and vested immediately prior to such termination (with the vesting of any grants that include performance-based vesting criteria to be determined as if all performance conditions under the award were met in full on the Severance Date).  Except as provided in this Section 1.1(b)(iv), the effect of a termination of the Executive’s employment on the Executive’s equity-based awards (including any limited period to exercise any stock options) shall be determined under the terms of the applicable award agreement.

(c)     Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.1, if the Executive breaches any of his obligations under his Employee Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement (or any similar or successor agreement) with the Company (the “Proprietary Information Agreement”) or the Release (defined below) at any time, from and after the date of such breach and not in any way in limitation of any right or remedy otherwise available to the Company, the Executive will no longer be entitled to, and the Company will no longer be obligated to pay, any remaining unpaid portion of the Severance Benefit or provide any of the other payments or benefits set forth in Section 1.1(b); provided that, if the Executive provides the Release, in no event shall the Executive be entitled to benefits pursuant to Section 1.1(b) of less than $5,000 (or the amount of such benefits, if less than $5,000), which amount the parties agree is good and adequate consideration, in and of itself, for the Release.

(d)     The foregoing provisions of this Section 1.1 shall not affect: (i) the Executive’s receipt of benefits otherwise due terminated employees under group insurance coverage consistent with the terms of the applicable Company welfare benefit plan; (ii) the Executive’s rights under COBRA; or (iii) the Executive’s receipt of benefits otherwise due in accordance with the terms of the Company’s 401(k) plan (if any).

(a)     This Section 1.2 shall apply notwithstanding anything else contained in this Agreement or any stock option or other equity-based award agreement to the contrary.  As a condition precedent to any Company obligation to the Executive pursuant to Section 1.1(b) or any other obligation to accelerate vesting of any equity-based award in connection with the termination of the Executive’s employment, the Executive shall provide the Company with a valid, executed general release agreement in a form acceptable to the Company (the “Release”), and such Release shall have not been revoked by the Executive pursuant to any revocation rights afforded by applicable law.  The Company shall provide the final form of Release to the Executive not later than seven (7) days following the Severance Date, and the Executive shall be required to execute and return the Release to the Company within twenty-one (21) days (or forty-five (45) days if such longer period of time is required to make the Release maximally enforceable under applicable law) after the Company provides the form of Release to the Executive.  

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(b)     The Executive agrees that the payments and benefits contemplated by Section 1.1 shall constitute the exclusive and sole remedy for any termination of his employment and the Executive covenants not to assert or pursue any other remedies, at law or in equity, with respect to any termination of employment.  The Company and the Executive acknowledge and agree that there is no duty of the Executive to mitigate damages under this Agreement.  All amounts paid to the Executive pursuant to Section 1.1 shall be paid without regard to whether the Executive has taken or takes actions to mitigate damages.  The Executive hereby irrevocably resigns, on the Severance Date, from the Company and any affiliate of the Company, as an officer and director of the Company and any affiliate, and as a fiduciary of any benefit plan of the Company or any affiliate of the Company (in each case, to the extent the Executive then has any such position), and from each and every other position that the Executive may then otherwise hold with the Company or any of its affiliates.  The Executive agrees to promptly execute and provide to the Company any further documentation, as requested by the Company (whether before or after the Severance Date), to confirm such resignations.

(a)     “Accrued Obligations” means (i) any of the Executive’s base salary from the Company that had accrued but had not been paid (including accrued and unpaid vacation time, subject to the Company’s vacation policies in effect from time to time) on or before the Severance Date; and (ii) any reimbursement due to the Executive for expenses reasonably incurred by the Executive on or before the Severance Date and documented and pre-approved, to the extent applicable, in accordance with the Company’s expense reimbursement policies in effect at the applicable time.

(b)      “Cause” means any of the following: (i) gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of the Executive’s duties to the Company after written notice to the Executive and the failure to cure same within ten (10) days after receipt of written notice; (ii) the Executive’s refusal or failure to act in accordance with any lawful specific direction or order of the Board or any executive of the Company to which the Executive reports after written notice to the Executive of such refusal or failure and failure to cure the same within ten (10) days after receipt of written notice; (iii) the Executive’s commission of any act of fraud with respect to the Company; (iv) the Executive’s material breach of any written agreement or material policy of the Company after written notice to the Executive of such breach and failure to cure, if curable, the same within ten (10) days after receipt of written notice; (v) the Executive’s conviction of, or plea of nolo contendre to, a crime which adversely affects the Company’s business or reputation, in each case as determined by the Board; and (vi) the Executive’s substantial failure to perform a material duty to the Company.

(c)     “Disability” means a physical or mental impairment which, as reasonably determined by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), renders the Executive unable to perform the essential functions of his employment with the Company, even with reasonable accommodation that does not impose an undue hardship on the Company, for more than 90 days in any 180-day period, unless a longer period is required by federal or state law, in which case that longer period would apply.

(d)     “Good Reason” means the occurrence (without the Executive’s consent) of any one or more of the following conditions: (i) a material reduction in the Executive’s responsibilities, authority, titles or offices resulting in material diminution of his position, excluding for this purpose an isolated, insubstantial, inadvertent action not taken in bad faith; (ii) a reduction of more than ten percent (10%) of the Executive’s Base Salary, other than as a part of an across-the-board salary reduction applicable to executive officers of the Company; (iii) relocation of Executive’s primary place of business for the performance of his duties to a location which is more than fifty (50) miles from its prior location; or (iv) a material breach by the Company of this Agreement; provided, however, that any such condition or conditions, as applicable, shall not constitute Good Reason unless both (x) the Executive provides written notice to the Company of the condition claimed to constitute Good Reason within sixty (60) days of the initial existence of such condition(s) (such notice to be delivered in accordance with Section 14), and (y) the Company fails to remedy such condition(s) within thirty (30) days of receiving such written notice thereof; and provided, further, that in all events the termination of the Executive’s employment with the Company shall not constitute a termination for Good Reason unless such termination occurs not more than one hundred and twenty (120) days following the initial existence of the condition claimed to constitute Good Reason.

(e)     “Involuntary Termination” shall mean (i) a termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company without Cause (and other than due to Executive’s death or in connection with a good faith determination by the Board that the Executive has a Disability), or (ii) a resignation by the Executive for Good Reason.

(f)     As used herein, a “Separation from Service” occurs when the Executive dies, retires, or otherwise has a termination of employment with the Company that constitutes a “separation from service” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h)(1), without regard to the optional alternative definitions available thereunder.

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(a)     Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, the Company may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to this Agreement such federal, state and local income, employment, or other taxes as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.

(b)     Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent that the payments and benefits provided under this Agreement and benefits provided to, or for the benefit of, Executive under any other Company plan or agreement, including, for certainty, the Severance Benefits, (such payments or benefits are collectively referred to as the “Benefits”) would be subject to the excise tax (the “Excise Tax”) imposed under Section 4999 of the Code, the Benefits shall be reduced (but not below zero) if and to the extent that a reduction in the Benefits would result in Executive retaining a larger amount, on an after-tax basis (taking into account federal, state and local income taxes and the Excise Tax), than if Executive received all of the Benefits (such reduced amount if referred to hereinafter as the “Limited Benefit Amount”).  Unless the Executive shall have given prior written notice specifying a different order to the Company to effectuate the Limited Benefit Amount, any such notice consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code to avoid the imputation of any tax, penalty or interest thereunder, the Company shall reduce or eliminate the Benefits by first reducing or eliminating those payments or benefits which are not payable in cash and then by reducing or eliminating cash payments, in each case in reverse order beginning with payments or benefits which are to be paid the farthest in time from the determination by the Accountants described below.  Any notice given by Executive pursuant to the preceding sentence shall take precedence over the provisions of any other plan, arrangement or agreement governing Executive’s rights and entitlements to any benefits or compensation.  A determination as to whether the Benefits shall be reduced to the Limited Benefit Amount pursuant to this Agreement and the amount of such Limited Benefit Amount shall be made in writing by the Company’s independent public accountants (the “Accountants”), whose determination shall be conclusive and binding upon Executive and the Company for all purposes.  The Accountants shall provide such determination, together with detailed supporting calculations and documentation to the Company and Executive within ten (10) business days of the date of termination of the Executive’s employment, if applicable, or such other time as requested by the Company or Executive (provided Executive reasonably believes that any of the Benefits may be subject to the Excise Tax), and if the Accountants determine that no Excise Tax is payable by Executive with respect to any Benefits, it shall furnish Executive with an opinion reasonably acceptable to Executive that no Excise Tax will be imposed with respect to any such Benefits.  For purposes of making the calculations required by this Section, the Accountants may make reasonable assumptions and approximations concerning applicable taxes and may rely on interpretations of the Code for which there is a “substantial authority” tax reporting position.  The Company and Executive will furnish to the Accountants such information and documents as the Accountants may reasonably request in order to make a determination under this Section.  The Company will bear all costs the Accountants may reasonably incur in connection with any calculations contemplated by this Section.

(a)     In the event any amount is payable pursuant to this Agreement following the Executive’s death, payment shall be made to the Executive’s estate.

(b)     This Agreement is personal to the Executive and without the prior written consent of the Company shall not be assignable by the Executive otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.  This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Executive’s legal representatives.

(c)     This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns.  Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, the Company will require any successor (whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company to assume expressly and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform it if no such succession had taken place.  As used in this Agreement, “Company” shall mean the Company as hereinbefore defined and any successor or assignee, as applicable, which assumes and agrees to perform this Agreement by operation of law or otherwise.

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if to the Company:

with a copies to:

if to the Executive, to the address most recently on file in the payroll records of the Company.

(a)     It is intended that any amounts payable under this Agreement shall either be exempt from or comply with Section 409A of the Code (including the Treasury regulations and other published guidance relating thereto) (“Code Section 409A”) so as not to subject the Executive to payment of any additional tax, penalty or interest imposed under Code Section 409A.  The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and interpreted to avoid the imputation of any such additional tax, penalty or interest under Code Section 409A yet preserve (to the nearest extent reasonably possible) the intended benefit payable to the Executive.

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(b)     If the Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(i) as of the date of the Executive’s Separation from Service, the Executive shall not be entitled to any payment or benefit pursuant to Section 1.1(b) until the earlier of (i) the date which is six (6) months after his or her Separation from Service for any reason other than death, or (ii) the date of the Executive’s death.  The provisions of this Section 17(b) shall only apply if, and to the extent, required to avoid the imputation of any tax, penalty or interest pursuant to Code Section 409A.  Any amounts otherwise payable to the Executive upon or in the six (6) month period following the Executive’s Separation from Service that are not so paid by reason of this Section 17(b) shall be paid (without interest) as soon as practicable (and in all events within thirty (30) days) after the date that is six (6) months after the Executive’s Separation from Service (or, if earlier, as soon as practicable, and in all events within thirty (30) days, after the date of the Executive’s death).

(c)     To the extent that any benefits or reimbursements pursuant to Section 1.1(b)(ii) or (iii) are taxable to the Executive, any reimbursement payment due to the Executive pursuant to such provision shall be paid to the Executive on or before the last day of the Executive’s taxable year following the taxable year in which the related expense was incurred.  The benefits and reimbursements pursuant to such provision are not subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit and the amount of such benefits and reimbursements that the Executive receives in one taxable year shall not affect the amount of such benefits or reimbursements that the Executive receives in any other taxable year.  The Executive agrees to promptly submit to the Company receipts and any other documentation reasonably required to substantiate any such benefits and reimbursements in order to facilitate the timely payment or reimbursement of the same.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Executive have executed this Agreement as of the Effective Date.

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