Form of Senior Vice President Employment Agreement with attached Schedule of Senior Vice President-level Executive Officers who have executed an employment agreement in such form
Exhibit 10.2
[Form of Senior Vice President Employment Agreement]
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”), effective [Date] (“Effective Date”), is made and entered into by and between DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION (the “Company”), and [Name of Senior Vice President] (“Employee”).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ or cause any wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company to employ Employee upon the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth, and Employee desires to accept such employment;
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises, the mutual promises, covenants and agreements contained herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
e.Resignation of All Positions. Upon termination of Employee’s employment hereunder, regardless of the reason for the termination or whether the employment relationship is terminated by Employee or by the Company, Employee shall be deemed to have resigned from all positions that Employee holds as an officer or, to the extent applicable, as a member of the board of directors (or a committee thereof) or any similar governing body of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, effective as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment, unless the Board waives this provision in whole or in part prior to the effective date of such termination of employment.
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c.Any material violation by Employee of the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (or the equivalent code in place at the time);
d.Other than as required by law, the carrying out by Employee of any activity, or Employee making any public statement which prejudices or reduces the good name and standing of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or would bring any one of these into public contempt or ridicule;
e.Attendance by Employee at work in a state of intoxication or Employee otherwise being found in possession at Employee’s place of work or on any Company property of any prohibited drug or substance, possession of which would amount to a criminal offense, or any other violation of the Company’s drug and alcohol policy;
f.Any assault or other act of violence by Employee;
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g.Conviction of or plea of guilty or nolo contendre to (A) any felony whatsoever or (B) any misdemeanor that would preclude employment by the Company or the Subsidiary, as applicable, under the Company’s or, if applicable, Subsidiary’s hiring policy; or
A termination for Cause shall be effective when the Company or, if applicable, the Subsidiary has given Employee written notice of its or of the Subsidiary’s intention to terminate for Cause, describing those acts or omissions that are believed to constitute Cause, and has given Employee ten (10) days to respond.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, no termination of employment by Employee shall be for Good Reason unless Employee shall have delivered to the Company and, if applicable, the Subsidiary notice of the event or circumstance alleged to constitute Good Reason within thirty
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(30) days of Employee’s knowledge of such event or circumstance and the Company or the Subsidiary, as applicable, shall have failed to cure such event or circumstance within thirty (30) days following its receipt of such notice. In addition, such termination of employment must have become effective no later than ninety (90) days following the date on which Employee shall have delivered notice to the Company and, if applicable, the Subsidiary of the event or circumstances alleged to constitute Good Reason. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 11(c), Good Reason shall not include Employee’s death, Disability or Termination for Cause or Employee’s termination for any reason other than Good Reason as defined above.
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All payments and benefits otherwise provided to Employee pursuant to this Section 12 shall be forfeited if a copy of the Release attached hereto executed by Employee is not provided to the Company and, if applicable, the Subsidiary within twenty-one (21) days after Employee’s termination date (unless otherwise required by law) or if the Release is revoked; and no payment or benefit hereunder shall be provided to Employee prior to the Company’s and, if applicable, the Subsidiary’s receipt of the Release and the expiration of the period of revocation provided in the Release. In no event shall Employee have a right to any duplicate severance or benefits.
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d.To the extent permitted by applicable law, in the event that the Company or the Subsidiary, as applicable, reasonably believes that Employee engaged in conduct during his or her employment that would have resulted in his or her termination for Cause as defined under Section 8, any unpaid amounts under Section 12 of this Agreement may be forfeited and the Company or the Subsidiary, as applicable, may seek to recover such portion of any amounts paid under Section 12.
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If to the Company to:Dollar General Corporation
Attn: General Counsel
100 Mission Ridge
Goodlettsville, TN 37072-2171
Facsimile: [(615) 855-8578 or ###-###-####]
If to the Subsidiary to:[name of Subsidiary]
c/o Dollar General Corporation
Attn: General Counsel
100 Mission Ridge
Goodlettsville, TN 37072-2171
Facsimile: [(615) 855-8578 or ###-###-####]
If to Employee to:(Last address of Employee known to the Company
unless otherwise directed in writing by Employee)
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25.Arbitration. Unless a dispute between the Company and Employee (referred to in this Section as the “Parties”) under this Agreement is excluded from being determined by arbitration under applicable law (see below), any dispute among the Parties hereto arising out of, or relating to, this
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Agreement which cannot be settled amicably by the parties, shall be finally, exclusively and conclusively settled by mandatory arbitration and be further subject to the following provisions:
a.The arbitration will be filed with the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). The arbitration will be conducted by a single arbitrator and will be subject to the Federal Rules of Procedure and Evidence. AAA’s Employment Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures will only apply if not inconsistent with the Federal Rules of Procedure and Evidence;
b.The arbitration will be conducted within the time or limitations period required by the asserted claim(s). In addition, any administrative prerequisites associated with the asserted claim(s) (e.g., notices, filing of administrative charges, or obtaining “right to sue” notices from government agencies) must be satisfied;
c.The arbitration shall take place in Nashville, Tennessee, unless otherwise mutually agreed by the Parties;
d.The arbitration will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §1 et seq. (the “FAA”);
e.The Parties waive any and all rights to a judge or jury trial and/or administrative hearing of their disputes and agree to resolve such disputes only through final and binding individual arbitration to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law;
f.Disputes excluded (“Excluded Disputes”) from arbitration under this Section 25 include: (i) claims for workers’ compensation, state disability insurance, unemployment insurance benefits, or other health or welfare benefits under government-administered programs; (ii) claims constituting sexual harassment or sexual assault disputes as defined by the FAA; (iii) claims for which this provision would be invalid or prohibited as a matter of federal law, or state or local law that is not preempted by federal law; (iv) disputes that may not be subject to a pre-dispute arbitration agreement as provided by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203); (v) claims which are legally prohibited from being adjudicated in arbitration; (vi) disputes arising or related to the applicability, interpretation, enforceability, scope and/or severability of this Section 25, including whether such provisions are governed by the FAA, which must be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction in Davidson County, Tennessee, or a district court in the U.S. District for the Middle District of Tennessee; and (vii) any disputes as to whether any claims
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or disputes are Excluded Disputes, which must be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction in Davidson County, Tennessee, or a district court in the U.S. District for the Middle District of Tennessee;
g.The Parties agree and stipulate that: (i) all claims that relate to a sexual harassment or sexual assault dispute, as defined in the FAA, shall be filed as (or if not filed as, severed into) a separate case from all other claims; (ii) those claims that do not relate to a sexual harassment or sexual assault dispute and are subject to arbitration under this Section 25 shall be governed by and proceed with individual arbitration, it being the express intent of the Parties to allow for individual arbitration of claims to the maximum extent possible; and (iii) if a Party brings claims subject to arbitration and claims that are not subject to arbitration, the latter shall be stayed until the former are fully arbitrated;
h.The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding upon all Parties hereto and shall be rendered pursuant to a written decision, which contains a detailed recital of the arbitrator’s reasoning. Judgment upon the award rendered may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction in Davidson County, Tennessee, or a district court in the U.S. District for the Middle District of Tennessee;
i.Each Party shall bear its own legal fees and expenses, unless otherwise determined by the arbitrator, and each Party shall bear an equal portion of the arbitrator’s and arbitral forum’s fees.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 25, Employee acknowledges and agrees that the Company, its subsidiaries and any of their respective affiliates shall be entitled to injunctive or other relief in order to enforce the covenant not to compete, covenant not to solicit and/or confidentiality, publicity and materials covenants as set forth in Sections 14 through 20 and Section 22 of this Agreement.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed, or caused their duly authorized representative to execute this Agreement to be effective as of the Effective Date.
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Date: | |
| DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION | |
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| | | By: | |
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| | | Name: | |
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| | | Title: | |
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| “EMPLOYEE” |
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Date | | | |
| | | [Name of Employee] |
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Addendum to Employment Agreement
RELEASE AGREEMENT
[Name] (“Employee’) has been notified by DOLLAR GENERAL CORPORATION, and its successor or assigns (the “Company”) that Employee’s employment with the Company shall cease on [Date] (“Separation Date”).
WHEREAS, Employee and the Company have previously entered into an Employment Agreement with the Company, effective [Date] (the “Agreement”), in which the form of this Release Agreement (the “Release”) is incorporated by reference;
WHEREAS, in order to receive the severance benefits outlined in Section 12(b) of the Agreement (the “Severance Benefits”), Employee desires and agrees to resolve all claims arising from Employee’s employment and termination of employment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and other payments and benefits that have been paid or will be paid pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the adequacy of which Employee acknowledges, the Employee intends to be legally bound and hereby covenants and agrees as follows:
1.Claims Released by Employee. In exchange for the Severance Benefits, Employee hereby voluntarily and irrevocably waives, releases, dismisses with prejudice, and withdraws all claims, legal rights, complaints, suits, promises, agreements, or demands of any kind whatsoever (whether known or unknown at the time of execution) which Employee ever had, may have, or now has against Company and other current or former subsidiaries or affiliates of the Company and their past, present and future officers, directors, employees, agents, insurers and attorneys (collectively, the “Releasees”), including but not limited to those arising from or relating to (directly or indirectly) Employee’s employment or the termination or cessation of employment or any other events that have occurred as of the date this Release is effective, including but not limited to:
a. | claims for alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Family |
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and Medical Leave Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, the National Labor Relations Act, the Labor Management Relations Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Executive Order 11246, Executive Order 11141, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Employee retirement Income Security act, and other similar, state or local laws;
b. | claims for alleged violations of any other federal, state or local statute, regulation, ordinance or executive order; |
c. | claims for lost or unpaid wages, compensation, or benefits; defamation; intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress; assault; battery; wrongful or constructive discharge: negligent hiring, retention or supervision; fraud; misrepresentation; conversion; tortious interference; breach of contract; or breach of fiduciary duty; |
d. | claims to vacation or paid time off or compensation or benefits under any agreement, bonus, severance, commission, workforce reduction, early retirement, outplacement, or any other similar type plan sponsored by the Company; or |
e. any other claims under state or local law arising in tort or contract.
2.Claims not Released by Employee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Employee is not releasing claims for any of the following:
a. | benefits under any of the Company’s retirement, deferred compensation or other similar plans that are vested, unpaid, and for which the Employee is eligible as of the date this Release is effective; |
b. | rights pursuant to the terms of any stock incentive plan or the terms of any agreements in connection with grants of stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units, or other equity awards.” |
c. | benefits under the Tennessee Employment Security Law or the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (“COBRA”) or the right to compensation for future medical or permanent disability benefits under the Tennessee Workers’ Compensation |
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law or similar state laws (however, as noted below, Employee acknowledges and represents that Employee has notified the Company of any alleged workplace injury);
d.rights Employee may have to enforce the terms of this Release;
e.claims that cannot be released as a matter of law;
f.events that occur after the date this Release is effective; and
g. | any claims Employee has for liability coverage and/or costs of defense pursuant to liability insurance and/or indemnification rights for acts and omissions occurring during Employee’s employment with the Company, including but not limited to any Directors & Officers and general liability insurance or indemnification rights. |
3.Settlement, Accord, Satisfaction and Covenant Not to Sue. Employee acknowledges and agrees that this Release constitutes a full settlement, accord and satisfaction of all claims covered by the release provisions of Section 1. Except as provided in Section 2, Employee promises not to sue or file any complaint or claim against any of the Releasees in any court based on any alleged right, claim, act, or omission arising or occurring before the date this Release is effective whether known or unknown at the time of execution.
4.No Obligation for Continuing Benefits. Employee further understands and acknowledges that nothing in this Release is intended to or shall be construed to require the Company to institute or continue in effect any particular plan or benefit sponsored by the Company, and that the Company has the right to amend or terminate any of its benefit programs at any time in accordance with the procedures set forth in such plans. Employee also understands and acknowledges that any continuing obligation under a Company benefit plan, program or arrangement or pursuant to any Company policy or any provision regarding recoupment of compensation paid to Employee by the Company is not altered by this Release and nothing herein is intended to nor shall be construed otherwise.
5.Government Investigations and Proceedings. Nothing in this Release shall be construed to prohibit Employee from filing a charge with or participating in any investigation or proceeding conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, or any other federal, state, or local governmental agency or commission (collectively, “Government Agency”). However, Employee waives the right to receive future monetary recovery directly from the Company or the Releasees, including payments by
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the Company that result from any complaints or charges that Employee files with any Government Agency or that are filed on Employee’s behalf, but Employee understands that this Agreement does not impact Employee’s ability to receive and retain an award from a government-administered whistleblower award program for providing information directly to a Government Agency.
6.No Assignment of Claim. Employee represents that Employee has not assigned or transferred, or purported to assign or transfer, any claims released in Section 1, including each subpart, to any third party prior to the date this Release is effective.
7.Employee Representations. In addition to the complete and general release of claims set forth in Section 1, Employee also represents and warrants as follows:
a. | Employee possesses the full authority to covenant, agree, and otherwise execute this Release; |
b. | Employee has the capacity to enter into this Release and that Employee is voluntarily and willingly consenting to this Release. |
c. | The Company has made no representations or promises to Employee on subjects not covered in the Agreement and Release. |
d. | Employee has not suffered any workplace injuries that Employee has not previously reported to the Company and/or previously presented to the Company by way of a written claim for workers compensation benefits. |
8.Payment to Estate. In the event Employee receives or becomes eligible to receive payments or benefits under the Agreement and has executed this Release (which has become effective), but dies before receipt of, or during the period in which, any payments or benefits are owed under the Agreement, Employee agrees that Employee’s spouse or estate, as the case may be, is entitled to receive the payments or benefits owed under the terms of Agreement and in exchange for this Release. The Company may require proof of entitlement to any individual(s) who claim to be owed under this provision of the Release.
9.Publicity; Non-Disparagement. Except as otherwise required by law and as provided in the Agreement, Employee agrees not to defame, disparage, slander, discredit, malign, ridicule or denigrate the Company or any of the Releasees either verbally or in writing, including on any social media
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platform. Employee further agrees to refrain from directly or indirectly making any public statement that reflects negatively or adversely upon the Company, its business, or the Releasees, whether or not the Employee believes the content of such statement to be true or whether or not it is in fact true.
10.No Admission Of Liability. This Release shall not in any way be construed as an admission by the Company of any improper actions, wrongdoing, liability, or other violation of the law whatsoever and each specifically disclaims any liability, wrongdoing, improper actions or violation of the law against the other or any other person.
11. Miscellaneous.
a. | Governing Law, Arbitration. Employee agrees that the terms of this Release are governed by, and shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to principles of conflict of laws, as applied to contracts entered into and performed entirely within the state. All disputes arising under or related to this Release will be governed by the provisions of Section 25 of the Agreement, which shall be fully applicable to disputes under or about the Release. |
b.Severability. Employee understands and agrees that should any provision or term of this Release be declared or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void, or unenforceable, such provision or term shall be severed and the remainder of the provisions and terms of the Release shall remain in full force and effect, provided, however, that if Section 1 of this Release is determined by a court to be unenforceable, this Release shall be voidable at the sole option of the Company.
c. | Entire Agreement. This Release, together with the surviving provisions of the Agreement as set forth in Section 24 (i) relating to Employee’s continuing obligations under the Agreement, shall constitute the full and complete agreement between the Employee and Company concerning its subject matter and fully supersedes and replaces all prior discussions, agreements or understandings between the Employee and the Company concerning the subject matter hereof. |
d. | Successors and Assigns. The Employee agrees that this Release shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company and its subsidiaries, and affiliates and their respective predecessors, successors, and assigns. This Release shall also be binding upon and insure to the benefit of Employee and Employee’s heirs, administrators, |
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representatives, and executors. Employee may not assign Employee’s rights or obligations under this Release.
e. | Modification and Waiver. No provision of this Release may be modified or waived except through a written instrument signed by Employee and an authorized officer of the Company, which writing shall specifically reference this Release and the provision which the Employee and the Company intend to modify or waive. No waiver any term or provision of this Release or of any default hereunder shall affect the Employee or the Company’s rights thereafter to enforce such term or provision or to exercise any right or remedy in the event of any other default, whether or not similar. |
12.Voluntary Execution. Employee warrants, represents and agrees that Employee has been encouraged in writing to seek advice regarding this Release from an attorney and tax advisor prior to signing it; that this Release represents written notice to do so; that Employee has been given the opportunity and sufficient time to seek such advice; and that Employee fully understands the meaning and contents of this Release. Employee further represents and warrants that Employee was not coerced, threatened or otherwise forced to sign this Release, and that Employee’s signature appearing hereinafter is voluntary and genuine. In signing this Release, Employee does not rely on nor has Employee relied on any representation or statement, written or oral, not specifically set forth in this Release by the Company or by any of the Company’s agents, representatives, or attorneys with regard to the subject matter, basis, or effect of this Release or otherwise. Employee understands that Employee may take up to twenty-one (21) days (or, in the case of an exit incentive or other employment termination program offered to a group or class of employees, up to forty-five (45) days) to consider whether to enter into this Release. Employee acknowledges that this Release is given solely in exchange for the consideration set forth in Section 1 hereof and that Employee would not be entitled to such consideration in the absence of signing and not revoking this Release. No change to the Release, material or otherwise, shall re-start the 21-day [or 45-day] period.
13.Ability to Revoke Agreement. Employee understands that this Release may be revoked by Employee by notifying the Company in writing of such revocation within seven (7) days of Employee’s execution of this Release and that this Release is not effective until the expiration of such seven (7) day period. If Employee chooses to revoke this Release, Employee must provide written notification of the revocation to [NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION] and such notice must be received by the close of business on the seventh day following the date Employee signed the Release in order for the revocation to be effective. Employee understands that upon the expiration of such seven (7) day
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period this Release will be binding upon Employee and Employee’s heirs, administrators, representatives, executors, successors and assigns and will be irrevocable.
I understand that by signing this Release, I am giving up rights I may have. I understand that I do not have to sign this Release.
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| “EMPLOYEE” |
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SCHEDULE TO EXHIBIT
This Schedule of Senior Vice President-level Executive Officers who have executed an employment agreement in the form of Senior Vice President Employment Agreement is included pursuant to Instruction 2 of Item 601(a) of Regulation S-K for the purposes of setting forth the material details in which the specific agreement differs from the form agreement filed herewith as Exhibit 10.2.
Name of Executive Officer |
| Title |
| Base Salary |
| Effective Date |
Anita C. Elliott | | Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer | | $510,000 | | April 1, 2024 |
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