Equity Distribution Agreement, dated July 19, 2024, by and between the Company and Noble Capital Markets, Inc

EX-10.1 3 ex10-1.htm

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

fat brands inc.

 

Shares of Class A Common Stock

and

Shares of 8.25% Series B Cumulative Preferred Stock

 

Equity Distribution Agreement

 

July 19, 2024

 

Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

150 East Palmetto Park Road, Suite 110

Boca Raton, Florida 33432

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

FAT Brands Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with Noble Capital Markets, Inc. (the “Agent”), as follows:

 

1. Issuance and Sale of Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may sell and issue through or to the Agent, acting as agent or principal, shares (the “Placement Shares”) of (i) Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Class A Common Stock”), and (ii) 8.25% Series B Cumulative Preferred Stock par, value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Series B Preferred Stock”); provided, however, that in no event shall the Company sell and issue through the Agent such number or dollar amount of Placement Shares that would (a) exceed the dollar amount of shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock registered for sale on the effective Registration Statement (as defined below) pursuant to which the offering is being made, (b) exceed the number of authorized but unissued shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock (less shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of any outstanding securities of the Company or otherwise reserved from the Company’s authorized capital stock), (c) exceed the dollar amount of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock permitted to be sold under Form S-3 (including General Instruction I.B.6 thereof, if applicable), or (d) exceed the dollar amount of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock set forth in the Prospectus Supplement (as defined below) filed by the Company pursuant to which the offering is being made (the lesser of (a), (b), (c) and (d), the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section ‎1 on the amount of Placement Shares sold and issued under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company and that the Agent shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The offer and sale of Placement Shares through the Agent will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement filed by the Company with, and which was declared effective by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), and the Prospectus Supplement filed by the Company with the Commission, although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to use the Registration Statement or the Prospectus Supplement to issue shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock.

 

 

The Company has filed or will file, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “Securities Act Regulations”), with the Commission, a registration statement on Form S-3, including a base prospectus, relating to certain securities, including the Placement Shares to be sold and issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations thereunder. The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement, which prospectus supplement relates to the Placement Shares to be sold and issued from time to time by the Company (the “Prospectus Supplement”). The Company will furnish to the Agent, for use by the Agent, copies of the base prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement, as supplemented, by the Prospectus Supplement. The Company may file one or more additional registration statements from time to time that will contain a base prospectus, which may be supplemented by a prospectus supplement, if applicable (which shall be a Prospectus Supplement), with respect to the Placement Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement(s), including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act Regulations or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B of the Securities Act Regulations, or any subsequent registration statement on Form S-3 filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act Regulations to cover any Placement Shares, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The base prospectus or base prospectuses, including all documents incorporated by reference therein, included in the Registration Statement, as it may be supplemented, as applicable, by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form in which such base prospectus or base prospectuses and/or Prospectus Supplement have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act Regulations, together with any then Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below), is herein called the “Prospectus.”

 

Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), including, unless the context otherwise requires, the documents, if any, filed as exhibits to such Incorporated Documents. Any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act on or after the most-recent effective date of the Registration Statement, or the date of such Prospectus Supplement, Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated by reference therein. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include the most recent copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system, or if applicable, the Interactive Data Electronic Application system when used by the Commission (collectively, “EDGAR”).

 

2. Placements. Each time that the Company wishes to sell and issue shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock as Placement Shares hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify the Agent by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to by the parties) of the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock to be sold and issued as Placement Shares, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock that may be sold in any one day as Placement Shares, and any minimum price below which sales may not be made (a “Placement Notice”), the form of which is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individuals from the Company set forth on Schedule 3 attached hereto (with a copy to each of the other individuals from the Company listed on such schedule), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Agent set forth on Schedule 3, as such Schedule 3 may be amended from time to time. The Placement Notice shall be effective unless and until (i) the Agent declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, (ii) the entire amount of the Placement Shares thereunder has been sold, (iii) the Company amends, supersedes, suspends or terminates the Placement Notice, or (iv) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section ‎12. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to the Agent in connection with the sale of the Placement Shares shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 2 attached hereto. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor the Agent will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to the Agent, and the Agent does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control.

 

 

3. Sale of Placement Shares by Agent. Subject to the provisions of Section ‎5(a), the Agent, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, shall use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Exchange”), to sell the Placement Shares up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice. The Agent shall provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) immediately following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Placement Shares hereunder, setting forth the number of Placement Shares sold on such day, the compensation payable by the Company to the Agent pursuant to Section 2 with respect to such sales, and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company, with an itemization of the deductions made by the Agent (as set forth in Section ‎5(b)) from the gross proceeds that it receives from such sales. Subject to the terms of the Placement Notice, the Agent may sell Placement Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act Regulations. As used herein, “Trading Day” means any day on which the Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock are traded on the Exchange.

 

4. Suspension of Sales. The Company or the Agent may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 3, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 3), suspend any sale of Placement Shares (a “Suspension”); provided, however, that such Suspension shall not affect or impair any party’s obligations with respect to any Placement Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. While a Suspension is in effect, any obligation under Sections ‎7(l), ‎7(m), and ‎7(n) with respect to the delivery of certificates, opinions, or comfort letters to the Agent, shall be waived. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section ‎4 shall be effective against any other party unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Schedule 3 hereto. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Company is in possession of material non-public information, the Company and the Agent agree that (i) no sale of Placement Shares will take place, (ii) the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement Shares, and (iii) the Agent shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement Shares.

 

5. Sale and Delivery to the Agent; Settlement.

 

(a) Sale of Placement Shares. On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, upon the Company’s delivery of a Placement Notice pursuant to Section ‎2, and unless the sale of the Placement Shares described therein has been declined, suspended, or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Agent, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, shall use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Placement Shares up to the amount specified, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of such Placement Notice. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in selling Placement Shares, (ii) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement Shares for any reason, other than a failure by the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Placement Shares as required under this Agreement, and (iii) the Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Placement Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise agreed by the Agent and the Company.

 

 

(b) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice, settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the first (1^st) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by the Agent, after deduction for (i) the Agent’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2, and (ii) any transaction fees imposed by any Governmental Authority in respect of such sales.

 

(c) Delivery of Placement Shares. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer such Placement Shares being sold by crediting the Agent’s or its designee’s account (provided the Agent shall have given the Company written notice of such designee at least one Trading Day prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System, or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Agent will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on, or prior to, the Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver Placement Shares on a Settlement Date, in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section ‎10(a) hereto, it will (i) hold the Agent harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or its transfer agent (if applicable), and (ii) pay to the Agent (without duplication) any commission, discount, or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.

 

(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Placement Shares, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Agent may request in writing at least one full Business Day before the Settlement Date. The certificates for the Placement Shares, if any, will be made available by the Company for examination and packaging by the Agent in The City of New York not later than noon (New York time) on the Business Day prior to the Settlement Date.

 

(e) Limitations on Offering Size. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement Shares if, after giving effect to the sale of such Placement Shares, the aggregate gross sales proceeds of Placement Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of (i) together with all sales of Placement Shares under this Agreement, the Maximum Amount, and (ii) the amount to be sold and issued under this Agreement authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee, and notified to the Agent in writing. In addition, under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee.

 

 

6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Agent that as of the date of this Agreement and as of each Applicable Time (as defined below) (unless such representation or warranty specifies a different time):

 

(a) Filing of the Registration Statement.

 

(i) Pursuant to the Securities Act. The Company has filed with the Commission the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-261365), including any related prospectus or prospectuses, for the registration of the sale of the Placement Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which Registration Statement was prepared by the Company in all material respects in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Securities Act (the “Securities Act Regulations”) and contains and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations. The Registration Statement and the offer and sale of the Placement Shares as contemplated hereby meet the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act and comply in all material respects with Rule 415 under the Securities Act. If the Company files any registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act Regulations, then after such filing, the term “Registration Statement” shall include such registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b). The Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission on February 8, 2022.

 

(ii) Pursuant to the Exchange Act. The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (Accession No. 001-38250) providing for the registration pursuant to Section 12(b) under the Exchange Act of the shares of Class A Common Stock, and a Form 8-A (Accession No. 001-38250) providing for the registration pursuant to Section 12(b) under the Exchange Act of the shares of Series B Preferred Stock. The registration of the shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock and the related Form 8-As have become effective under the Exchange Act on or prior to the date hereof. The Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock under the Exchange Act, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.

 

(iii) Stock Exchange Listing. The shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock have been approved for listing on the Exchange, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, delisting the shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock from the Exchange, nor has the Company received any notification that the Exchange is contemplating terminating such listing except as described in the Prospectus. The Company has submitted the Listing of Additional Shares Notification Form with the Exchange with respect to the Placement of the Placement Shares.

 

(iv) No Stop Orders, etc. Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any state regulatory authority has issued any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute, any proceedings with respect to such an order. The Company has complied with each request (if any) from the Commission for additional information.

 

(b) Disclosures in Registration Statement.

 

(i) Conformity with Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, and the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents were or are filed with the Commission under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or became or become effective under the Securities Act, as the case may be, conformed or will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable.

 

 

(ii) No Misstatement or Omission. The Registration Statement, when it became effective, and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, as of the date of the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto, conformed and will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act. At each Settlement Date, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of such date, will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act. The Registration Statement, when it became or becomes effective, did not, and will not, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus and any amendment and supplement thereto, on the date thereof and at each Applicable Time (defined below), did not or will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, or any Prospectus Supplement did not, and any further Incorporated Documents filed and incorporated by reference therein will not, when filed with the Commission, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated in such document or necessary to make the statements in such document, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The foregoing shall not apply to statements in, or omissions from, any such document made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Company by Agent specifically for use in the preparation thereof.

 

(iii) Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained or incorporated by reference therein and there are no agreements or other documents required by the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement or to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, that have not been so described or filed or incorporated by reference. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which it is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. None of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.

 

(iv) Regulations. The disclosures in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, state, local and all foreign regulation on the Placement and the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and no other such regulations are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus which are not so disclosed.

 

 

(v) No Other Distribution of Placement Materials. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the Placement other than the Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus if any, permitted under the Securities Act.

 

(c) Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.

 

(i) No Material Adverse Change. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein: (i) there has been no material adverse change in the financial position or results of operations of the Company, nor any change or development that, singularly or in the aggregate, would involve a material adverse change or a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, business, assets or prospects of the Company (a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement; and (iii) no officer or director of the Company has resigned from any position with the Company.

 

(ii) Recent Securities Transactions, etc. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not: (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its capital stock.

 

(d) Disclosures in Commission Filings. Since November 11, 2021, (i) the Company has made all filings with the Commission required under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act Regulations”), and (ii) such filings conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act Regulations.

 

(e) Independent Accountants. To the knowledge of the Company, each of Macias Gini & O’Connell, LLP and Baker Tilly US, LLP (the “Auditors”), whose reports are filed with the Commission and included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Neither Auditor has, during the periods covered by the financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act. To the knowledge of the Company, BDO USA, LLP (Fort Lauderdale), whose report is filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, is an independent public accountant as required by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

 

 

(f) Financial Statements, etc. The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, fairly present the financial position and the results of operations of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved (provided that unaudited interim financial statements are subject to year-end audit adjustments that are not expected to be material in the aggregate and do not contain all footnotes required by GAAP); and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly the information required to be stated therein. No other historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus by the Securities Act or the Securities Act Regulations. The pro forma financial statements and the related notes, if any, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus have been properly compiled and prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations, the Exchange Act or the Exchange Act Regulations and present fairly the information shown therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference therein, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission), if any, comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. Each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus discloses all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a) neither the Company nor any of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including each entity disclosed or described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as being a subsidiary of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), has incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions other than in the ordinary course of business, (b) the Company has not declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its capital stock, (c) there has not been any change in the capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or, other than in the course of business, any grants under any stock compensation plan, and (d) there has not been any Material Adverse Change in the Company’s long-term or short-term debt.

 

(g) Authorized Capital; Options, etc. The Company had, at the date or dates indicated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of the applicable date thereof, there was no stock options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized, but unissued shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock or any security convertible or exercisable into shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Class A Common Stock and/or Series B Preferred Stock or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

(h) Valid Issuance of Securities, etc.

 

(i) Outstanding Securities. All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission or similar rights with respect thereto or put rights, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or rights of participation of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The offers and sales of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock were at all relevant times either registered under the Securities Act and the applicable state securities or “blue sky” laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such Shares, exempt from such registration requirements.

 

 

(ii) Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement. The Placement Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale and, when issued and paid for, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Placement Shares are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Placement Shares has been duly and validly taken. The Placement Shares conform in all material respects to all statements with respect thereto contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

(i) Registration Rights of Third Parties. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (including any information incorporated by reference), no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Securities Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

 

(j) Validity and Binding Effect of this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized by the Company, and, when executed and delivered, will constitute, the valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

 

(k) No Conflicts, etc. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and all ancillary documents, the sale and issuance of the Placement Shares. the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a material breach of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a material default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge, mortgage, pledge, security interest, claim, equity, trust or other encumbrance, preferential arrangement, defect or restriction of any kind whatsoever or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, lease, loan agreement or any other agreement or instrument, franchise, license or permit to which the Company is a party or as to which any property of the Company is a party; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as the same may be amended or restated from time to time, the “Charter”) or the by-laws of the Company (as the same may be amended or restated from time to time); or (iii) violate any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Company as of the date hereof (including, without limitation, those promulgated by the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the “FDA”) or by any foreign, federal, state or local regulatory authority performing functions similar to those performed by the FDA).

 

(l) No Defaults; Violations. No material default exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any material license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter or by-laws, or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Company.

 

 

(m) Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.

 

(i) Conduct of Business. The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business purpose as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except where the failure to have such authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

(ii) Transactions Contemplated Herein. The Company has all corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection therewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement Shares and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by this Agreement and as contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Exchange and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

 

(n) D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s directors and officers immediately prior to the Placement (the “Insiders”), as supplemented by all information concerning the Company’s directors, officers and principal shareholders as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires to become materially inaccurate and incorrect.

 

(o) Litigation; Governmental Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against, or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any executive officer or director which has not been disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, or in connection with the Company’s supplemental listing application for the listing of the Placement Shares on the Exchange, and which is required to be disclosed.

 

(p) Good Standing. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly organized and is validly existing as an entity in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has full power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Company Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign entity in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases real property or in which the conduct of its business makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to so qualify would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

 

(q) Insurance. The Company and each of its subsidiaries carries, or is covered by, insurance from reputable insurers in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and the properties of its subsidiaries and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries; all material policies of insurance and any fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its business, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; there are no material claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any material insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Change

 

(r) Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA.

 

(i) Finder’s Fees. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Placement Shares hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its shareholders that may affect the Agent’s compensation, as determined by FINRA.

 

(ii) Payments Within Twelve Months. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA member; or (iii) any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the twelve months prior to the date of this Agreement, other than the payment to the Agent as provided hereunder in connection with the Placement.

 

(iii) Use of Proceeds. None of the net proceeds of the Placement will be paid by the Company to any participating FINRA member or its affiliates, except as specifically authorized herein.

 

(iv) FINRA Affiliation. There is no (i) officer or director of the Company, (ii) beneficial owner of 5% or more of any class of the Company’s securities or (iii) beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities which were acquired during the 180-day period immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement that is an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Placement (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of the Agent, and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of the Agent.

 

(v) Information. All information provided by the Company in its FINRA questionnaire to Agent’s Counsel specifically for use by the Agent’s counsel in connection with its Public Offering System filings (and related disclosure) with FINRA is true, correct and complete in all material respects.

 

 

(s) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. None of the Company and its Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any other person acting on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Change; (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business, operations or prospects of the Company. The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”) or employee; (iv) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA or any applicable non-U.S. anti-bribery statute or regulation; (v) made any bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment; or (vi) received notice of any investigation, proceeding or inquiry by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Company regarding any of the matters in clauses (i)-(v) above; and the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

(t) Compliance with OFAC. None of the Company and its Subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any other person acting on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries, is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), and the Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Placement hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

(u) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in either the Registration Statement or Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

 

(v) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Company (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

(w) Subsidiaries. The Company’s ownership and control of each Subsidiary is as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

(x) Related Party Transactions.

 

(i) Business Relationships. There are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

 

 

(ii) No Relationships with Customers and Suppliers. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand, and the directors, officers, 5% or greater stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates on the other hand, which is required to be described in the Prospectus or a document incorporated by reference therein and which is not so described.

 

(iii) No Unconsolidated Entities. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to, any structure finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s liquidity or the availability of or requirements for its capital resources required to be described in the Prospectus or a document incorporated by reference therein which have not been described as required.

 

(iv) No Loans or Advances to Affiliates. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees or indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company, any other affiliates of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

(y) Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Company is comprised of the persons disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board comply with the Exchange Act, the Exchange Act Regulations, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) applicable to the Company and the listing rules of the Exchange. At least one member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined under Regulation S-K and the listing rules of the Exchange. In addition, at least a majority of the persons serving on the Board of Directors qualify as “independent,” as defined under the listing rules of the Exchange.

 

(z) No Reliance. The Company has not relied upon the Agent or legal counsel for the Agent for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement Shares.

 

(aa) Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance.

 

(i) Disclosure Controls. The Company has developed and currently maintains disclosure controls and procedures that will comply with Rule 13a-15 or 15d-15 under the Exchange Act Regulations, and such controls and procedures are effective to ensure that all material information concerning the Company will be made known on a timely basis to the individuals responsible for the preparation of the Company’s Exchange Act filings and other public disclosure documents.

 

(ii) Compliance. The Company is, and at each Applicable Time will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act applicable to it, and has implemented or will implement such programs and taken reasonable steps to ensure the Company’s future compliance (not later than the relevant statutory and regulatory deadlines therefor) with all of the material provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

 

 

(bb) Accounting Controls. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined under Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act Regulations) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal controls. The Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which are known to the Company’s management and that have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’ ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud known to the Company’s management, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Prospectus, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

(cc) No Investment Company Status. The Company is not and, after giving effect to the Placement and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, will not be, required to register as an “investment company,” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

(dd) No Labor Disputes. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent.

 

 

(ee) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries owns or possesses or has valid rights to use all patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets and similar rights (“Intellectual Property Rights”) necessary for the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently carried on and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. To the knowledge of the Company, no action or use by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries necessary for the conduct of its business as currently carried on and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will involve or give rise to any infringement of, or license or similar fees (other than license or similar fees described or contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus) for, any Intellectual Property Rights of others. Except as would not reasonably be expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Change, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice alleging any such infringement of, license or similar fees for, or conflict with, any asserted Intellectual Property Rights of others, (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no infringement, misappropriation or violation by third parties of any of the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company; (iii) there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the rights of the Company in or to any such Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim, that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.35, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (iv) the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Intellectual Property Rights licensed to the Company have not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any such Intellectual Property Rights, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.35, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; (v) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates any Intellectual Property Rights or other proprietary rights of others, the Company has not received any written notice of such claim and the Company is unaware of any other facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim that would, individually or in the aggregate, together with any other claims in this Section 2.35, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change; and (vi) to the Company’s knowledge, no employee of the Company is in or has ever been in violation in any material respect of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company, or actions undertaken by the employee while employed with the Company and could reasonably be expected to result, individually or in the aggregate, in a Material Adverse Change. To the Company’s knowledge, all material technical information developed by and belonging to the Company which has not been disclosed in a filed patent application has been kept confidential. The Company is not a party to or bound by any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the Intellectual Property Rights of any other person or entity that are required to be set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and are not described therein. The Registration Statement and the Prospectus contain in all material respects the same description of the matters set forth in the preceding sentence. None of the technology employed by the Company has been obtained or is being used by the Company in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its officers, directors or employees, or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons.

 

All licenses for the use of the Intellectual Property described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are in full force and effect in all material respects and are enforceable by the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in accordance with their terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. None of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and the Company has not, and to the Company’s knowledge, no other party is in default thereunder and no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a default thereunder.

 

 

(ff) Privacy and Data Protection. The Company has operated its business in a manner compliant in all material respects with all United States federal, state, local and non-United States privacy, data security and data protection laws and regulations applicable to the Company’s collection, use, transfer, protection, disposal, disclosure, handling, storage and analysis of personal data. The Company has been and is in compliance in all material respects with internal policies and procedures designed to ensure the integrity and security of the data collected, handled or stored in connection with its business. The Company has taken commercially reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of its personally identifiable information, consumer information and other confidential information of the Company and any third parties in its possession (“Sensitive Company Data”). The tangible or digital information technology systems (including computers, screens, servers, workstations, routers, hubs, switches, networks, data communications lines, technical data and hardware), software and telecommunications systems used or held for use by the Company (the “Company IT Assets”) are in all material respects adequate and operational for, in accordance with their documentation and functional specifications, the business of the Company as now operated and as currently proposed to be conducted as described in the Company Registration Statement and in the Prospectus. The Company has used commercially reasonable efforts to establish, and has established, commercially reasonable disaster recovery and security plans, procedures and facilities for the business consistent with industry standards and practices in all material respects, including, without limitation, for the Company IT Assets and data held or used by or for the Company. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company has not suffered or incurred any security breaches, compromises or incidents with respect to any Company IT Asset or Sensitive Company Data, except where such breaches, compromises or incidents would not reasonably be expected to, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change; and there has been no unauthorized or illegal use of or access to any Company IT Asset or Sensitive Company Data by any unauthorized third party, except where such unauthorized or illegal use or access would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Change. The Company has not been required to notify any individual of any information security breach, compromise or incident involving Sensitive Company Data.

 

(gg) Taxes. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has filed all returns (as hereinafter defined) required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has paid all taxes (as hereinafter defined) shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on or assessed against the Company or such respective Subsidiary. The provisions for taxes payable, if any, shown on the financial statements filed with or as part of the Registration Statement are sufficient for all accrued and unpaid taxes, whether or not disputed, and for all periods to and including the dates of such consolidated financial statements. Except as disclosed in writing to the Agent, (i) no issues have been raised (and are currently pending) by any taxing authority in connection with any of the returns or taxes asserted as due from the Company or its Subsidiaries, and (ii) no waivers of statutes of limitation with respect to the returns or collection of taxes have been given by or requested from the Company or its Subsidiaries. The term “taxes” means all federal, state, local, foreign and other net income, gross income, gross receipts, sales, use, ad valorem, transfer, franchise, profits, license, lease, service, service use, withholding, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, property, windfall profits, customs, duties or other taxes, fees, assessments or charges of any kind whatever, together with any interest and any penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts with respect thereto. The term “returns” means all returns, declarations, reports, statements and other documents required to be filed in respect to taxes.

 

(hh) Underwriter Agreements. The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction.

 

(ii) ERISA Compliance. The Company and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company or its “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”) of which the Company is a member. No “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA). Neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any material liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and, to the knowledge of the Company, nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.

 

 

(jj) Compliance with Laws. The Company: (i) is and at all times has been in compliance with all statutes, rules, or regulations applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export storage or disposal of any product manufactured or distributed by the Company (“Applicable Laws”), except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change; (ii) has not received notices from any other Governmental Authority alleging or asserting noncompliance with any Applicable Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such Applicable Laws (“Authorizations”); (iii) possesses all material Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and are not in material violation of any term of any such Authorizations; (iv) has not received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any Governmental Authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and has no knowledge that any such Governmental Authority or third party is considering any such claim, litigation, arbitration, action, suit, investigation or proceeding; (v) has not received written notice that any Governmental Authority has taken, is taking or intends to take action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any Authorizations and has no knowledge that any such Governmental Authority is considering such action; (vi) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and correct in all material respects on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission); and (vii) has not, either voluntarily or involuntarily, initiated, conducted, or issued or caused to be initiated, conducted or issued, any recall, market withdrawal or replacement, safety alert, post-sale warning, “dear doctor” letter, or other notice or action relating to the alleged lack of safety or efficacy of any product or any alleged product defect or violation and, to the Company’s knowledge, no third party has initiated, conducted or intends to initiate any such notice or action.

 

(kk) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all foreign, federal, state and local rules, laws and regulations relating to the use, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous or toxic substances or waste and protection of health and safety or the environment which are applicable to their businesses (“Environmental Laws”), except where the failure to comply would not, singularly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances by, due to, or caused by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or may otherwise be liable) upon any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or upon any other property, in violation of any law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit or which would, under any law, statute, ordinance, rule (including rule of common law), regulation, order, judgment, decree or permit, give rise to any liability; and there has been no disposal, discharge, emission or other release of any kind onto such property or into the environment surrounding such property of any toxic or other wastes or other hazardous substances with respect to which the Company has knowledge. In the ordinary course of business, the Company and its Subsidiaries conduct periodic reviews of the effect of Environmental Laws on their business and assets, in the course of which they identify and evaluate associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or governmental permits issued thereunder, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such reviews, the Company and its Subsidiaries have reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities would not have, singularly or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Change.

 

 

(ll) Real Property. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to, or have valid rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real or personal property which are material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, claims and defects that do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any Subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such Subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

 

(mm) Contracts Affecting Capital. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships between and/or among the Company, any of its affiliates (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act Regulations) and any unconsolidated entity, including, but not limited to, any structured finance, special purpose or limited purpose entity that could reasonably be expected to materially affect the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ liquidity or the availability of or requirements for their capital resources required to be described or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus which have not been described or incorporated by reference as required.

 

(nn) Ineligible Issuer. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the Securities Act Regulations) of the Placement Shares, and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.

 

(oo) Industry Data. The statistical and market-related data included in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate or represent the Company’s good faith estimates that are made on the basis of data derived from such sources.

 

(pp) Agent Purchases. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Agent has informed the Company that the Agent may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell shares of Class A Common Stock for its own account while this Agreement is in effect, provided, that the Company shall not be deemed to have authorized or consented to any such purchases or sales by the Agent.

 

(qq) Margin Securities. The Company owns no “margin securities” as that term is defined in Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”), and none of the proceeds of the Placement will be used, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of purchasing or carrying any margin security, for the purpose of reducing or retiring any indebtedness which was originally incurred to purchase or carry any margin security or for any other purpose which might cause any of the shares of Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock to be considered a “purpose credit” within the meanings of Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board.

 

 

(rr) Exchange Act Reports. The Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(e), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (except to the extent that Section 15(d) requires reports to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act, which shall be governed by the next clause of this sentence); and the Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act since December 6, 2012, except where the failure to timely file could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Change.

 

(ss) Minute Books. The minute books of the Company have been made available to the Agent and its counsel, and such books (i) contain a complete summary of all meetings and actions of the board of directors (including each board committee) and stockholders of the Company (or analogous governing bodies and interest holders, as applicable), and each of its Subsidiaries since the time of its respective incorporation or organization through the date of the latest meeting and action, and (ii) accurately in all material respects reflect all transactions referred to in such minutes. There are no material transactions, agreements, dispositions or other actions of the Company that are not properly approved and/or accurately and fairly recorded in the minute books of the Company, as applicable.

 

(tt) Integration. Neither the Company, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would cause the Placement to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of the Securities Act that would require the registration of any such securities under the Securities Act.

 

(uu) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor, to its knowledge, any of its employees, directors or stockholders (without the consent of the Agent) has taken or shall take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under Regulation M of the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement Shares.

 

(vv) Confidentiality and Non-Competition. To the Company’s knowledge, no director, officer, key employee or consultant of the Company is subject to any confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer that could reasonably be expected to materially affect his ability to be and act in his respective capacity of the Company or be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

 

(ww) No Misstatement or Omission in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time (as defined in Section 23 below), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any incorporated document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Agent specifically for use therein.

 

(xx) Stock Transfer Taxes. On each Settlement Date, all stock transfer or other taxes (other than income taxes) which are required to be paid in connection with the sale and transfer of the Placement Shares to be sold hereunder will be, or will have been, fully paid or provided for by the Company and all laws imposing such taxes will be or will have been fully complied with in all material respects.

 

 

(yy) Cyber Security. Except as may be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) to the Company’s knowledge, there has been no material security breach or other material compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and none that would result in a legal or contractual obligation of the Company to notify any other person about such occurrence; (ii) the Company has not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or other material compromise to their IT Systems and Data; (iii) the Company is presently in compliance with all material applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of this clause (iii), individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change; and (iv) the Company has implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with the requirements set forth in the Company’s insurance policies.

 

Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and delivered to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company, as applicable, to the Agent as to the matters set forth therein.

 

7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with Agent that:

 

(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Placement Shares is required to be delivered by the Agent under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or similar rule), the Company (i) will notify the Agent promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement (other than documents incorporated by reference therein) has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective, or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus (other than documents incorporated by reference therein) has been filed, and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, in each case, that relates to the Placement of Placement Shares under this Agreement, (ii) will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Agent’s request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Agent’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement Shares by the Agent (provided, however, that the failure of the Agent to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and provided, further, however, that the only remedy the Agent shall have with respect to the failure to make such filing shall be to cease making sales under this Agreement until such amendment or supplement is filed); (iii) will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares or a security convertible into the Placement Shares (other than documents incorporated by reference therein) unless a copy thereof has been provided to Agent within a reasonable period of time before the filing and the Agent has not reasonably objected thereto within two (2) Business Days following its receipt (provided, however, that (A) the failure of the Agent to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement, and (B) the Company has no obligation to provide the Agent with any advance copy of such filing or to provide the Agent an opportunity to object to such filing, if such filing does not name the Agent, does not reference the transactions contemplated hereunder, and does not constitute a supplement to the Prospectus, and provided, further, however, that the only remedy the Agent shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to provide the Agent with any advance copy of such filing shall be to cease making sales under this Agreement), (iv) will furnish to the Agent at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (v) will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act or, in the case of any document to be incorporated by reference therein, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the Exchange Act, within the time period prescribed. The determination to file or not file any amendment or supplement with the Commission under this Section ‎7(a), based on the Company’s reasonable opinion or reasonable objections, shall be made exclusively by the Company.

 

 

(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise the Agent, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of (i) the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, (ii) the suspension of the qualification of the Placement Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or (iii) the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued. The Company will advise the Agent promptly after it receives any request by the Commission for any amendments to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplements to the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or for additional information related to the offering of the Placement Shares or related to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.

 

(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered by the Agent under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the Placement Shares, (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or similar rule), the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as in force from time to time, and will file on or before their respective due dates all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If the Company has omitted any information from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, it will use its commercially reasonable best efforts to comply with the provisions of and make all requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to Rule 430B and will notify the Agent promptly of all such filings. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Agent to suspend the offering of Placement Shares during such period, and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that the Company may delay any such amendment or supplement if, in the judgement of the Company, such delay is in the best interests of the Company.

 

(d) Listing of Placement Shares. Prior to the date of the first Placement Notice, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on the Exchange.

 

 

(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the Agent and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all documents incorporated by reference therein) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which a Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as the Agent may from time to time reasonably request, and, at the Agent’s request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to the Agent to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.

 

(f) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earning statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act.

 

(g) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”

 

(h) Notice of Other Sales. Without the prior written consent of the Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock (other than the Placement Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement), securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock, or warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock during the period beginning on the fifth (5^th) Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered to Agent hereunder and ending on the fifth (5^th) Trading Day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to such Placement Shares sold pursuant to such Placement Notice (or, if such Placement Notice has been terminated or suspended prior to the sale of all Placement Shares covered by such Placement Notice, the date of such suspension or termination); and will not directly or indirectly in any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell, or otherwise dispose of any shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock (other than the Placement Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement), securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock, or warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock prior to the termination of this Agreement; provided, however, that the foregoing restrictions will not be imposed on the Company in connection with the Company’s issuance or sale of (i) Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock, options to purchase Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock, other equity awards, or Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of options, pursuant to any equity compensation plan, employee or director stock option or benefits plan, stock ownership plan, employee stock purchase plan, or dividend reinvestment plan (but not Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock subject to a waiver to exceed plan limits in its dividend reinvestment plan) of the Company whether now in effect or hereafter implemented, (ii) Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock issuable upon conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding, and disclosed in filings by the Company available on EDGAR or otherwise in writing to the Agent, and (iii) Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock as consideration for mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or strategic alliances occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not issued for capital raising purposes.

 

(i) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during the pendency of a Placement Notice advise the Agent promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document required to be provided to the Agent pursuant to this Agreement.

 

 

(j) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agent or its representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably request.

 

(k) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company shall disclose, in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in its annual report on Form 10-K to be filed by the Company with the Commission from time to time, the number of the Placement Shares sold through the Agent under this Agreement, and the net proceeds to the Company from the sale of the Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement during the relevant quarter or, in the case of an Annual Report on Form 10-K, during the fiscal year covered by such Annual Report and the fourth quarter of such fiscal year.

 

(l) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date of the first Placement Notice and each time the Company:

 

(i) files the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares or amends or supplements (other than a prospectus supplement relating solely to an offering of securities other than the Placement Shares) the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement but not by means of incorporation of documents by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Placement Shares;

 

(ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act (including any Form 10-K/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed Form 10-K);

 

(iii) files its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; or

 

(iv) files a current report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than information “furnished” pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or to provide disclosure pursuant to Item 8.01 of Form 8-K relating to the reclassification of certain properties as discontinued operations in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144) under the Exchange Act (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) shall be a “Representation Date”);

 

the Company shall furnish the Agent (but in the case of clause (iv) above only if the Agent reasonably determines that the information contained in such Form 8-K is material) with a certificate dated such Representation Date, in the form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit ‎7(l), modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section ‎7(l) shall be automatically waived for any Representation Date occurring (A) at a time a Suspension is in effect, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of (x) the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date), and (y) the next occurring Representation Date, and (B) at a time during which no Placement Notice is pending, which waiver shall continue until the date on which the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement Shares following a Representation Date when the Company did not provide the Agent with a certificate under this Section ‎7(l), then before the Company delivers a Placement Notice or the Agent sells any Placement Shares pursuant to such Placement Notice, the Company shall provide the Agent with a certificate in conformity with this Section ‎7(l) dated as of the date that such Placement Notice is issued.

 

 

(m) Legal Opinion. (i) On or prior to the date of the first Placement Notice, and (ii) within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section ‎7(l) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agent (A) a written opinion and negative assurance letter of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (“Greenberg Traurig”) and (B) a negative assurance letter of Heuston Hennigan LLP (“Heuston Hennigan”), or in each case, such other counsel satisfactory to the Agent, addressed to the Agent, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, and substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish to the Agent more than one opinion hereunder per Representation Date; and provided, further, however, that in lieu of such opinion and/or negative assurance letters for subsequent Representation Dates, each of Greenberg Traurig and Heuston Hennigan may furnish the Agent with a respective letter (a “Reliance Letter”) to the effect that the Agent may rely on a prior opinion and/or negative assurance letter delivered under this Section ‎7(m) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such Reliance Letter (except that statements in such prior opinion and/or negative assurance letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of the date of such Reliance Letter).

 

(n) Comfort Letter. (i) On or prior to the date of the first Placement Notice, and (ii) within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section ‎7(l) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause its independent registered public accounting firm to furnish the Agent with letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, which shall meet the requirements set forth in this Section ‎7(n); provided, that if requested by the Agent, the Company shall cause a Comfort Letter to be furnished to the Agent within ten (10) Trading Days of the date of occurrence of any material transaction or event requiring the filing by the Company of a Current Report on Form 8-K containing material financial information, including the restatement of the Company’s financial statements. The Comfort Letter from the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm shall be in a form and substance satisfactory to the Agent, (A) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (B) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”), and (C) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.

 

(o) Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or would reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase Class A Common Stock or Series B Preferred Stock in violation of Regulation M, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Placement Shares other than the Agent.

 

(p) Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, required to register as an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act.

 

 

(q) No Offer to Sell. Other than any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus approved in advance by the Company and the Agent in its capacity as agent hereunder, neither the Agent nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Agent in its capacity as such) will make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Placement Shares hereunder.

 

(r) Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with the Agent, to qualify the Placement Shares for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Placement Shares to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Agent may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement Shares have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement).

 

(s) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and the Subsidiaries will maintain and keep accurate books and records reflecting their assets and maintain internal accounting controls in a manner designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and including those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company, (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, (iii) provide that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with management’s and the Company’s directors’ authorization, and (iv) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements. The Company and the Subsidiaries will maintain such controls and other procedures, including, without limitation, those required by Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the applicable regulations thereunder that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to ensure that material information relating to the Company or the Subsidiaries is made known to them by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which such periodic reports are being prepared.

 

(t) Secretary’s Certificate; Further Documentation. On or prior to the date of the first Placement Notice, the Company shall deliver to the Agent a certificate of the Secretary of the Company and attested to by an executive officer of the Company, dated as of such date, certifying as to (i) the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, (ii) the Bylaws of the Company, (iii) the resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the issuance of the Placement Shares, and (iv) the incumbency of the officers duly authorized to execute this Agreement and the other documents contemplated by this Agreement. Within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Agent such further information, certificates and documents as the Agent may reasonably request.

 

 

(u) Renewal of Registration Statement. If, immediately prior to the third anniversary of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement (the “Renewal Date”), any of the Placement Shares remain unsold and this Agreement has not been terminated, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Date, file a new shelf registration statement or, if applicable, an automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock that may be offered and sold pursuant to this Agreement (which shall include a prospectus reflecting the amount of Placement Shares that may be offered and sold pursuant to this Agreement), in a form satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, and, if such registration statement is not an automatic shelf registration statement, will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Date. The Company will take all other commercially reasonable actions necessary or appropriate to permit the public offer and sale of the Placement Shares to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement and this Agreement. From and after the effective date thereof, references herein to the “Registration Statement” shall include such new shelf registration statement or such new automatic shelf registration statement, as the case may be.

 

8. Payment of Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, including any fees required by the Commission, and the printing or electronic delivery of the Prospectus as originally filed and of each amendment and supplement thereto, in such number as the Agent shall reasonably deem necessary, (ii) the printing and delivery to the Agent of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Shares, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates, if any, for the Placement Shares to the Agent, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any capital duties, stamp duties or other duties or taxes payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement Shares to the Agent, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (v) the fees and expenses of the Agent’s counsel in an amount equal to $50,000 prior to the execution of this Agreement; (vi) the fees and expenses of the Agent, including, but not limited to, the fees and expenses of the counsel to the Agent, payable upon the execution of this Agreement, in an amount equal to $50,000 (in addition, the Company shall reimburse the Agent upon request for such costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement in an amount not to exceed $10,000 on a quarterly basis for the first three quarters of each year, $15,000 for the fourth quarter of each year and $30,000 in connection with any filing of any additional prospectus or prospectus supplement which constitutes a Prospectus Supplement), (vii) the qualification or exemption of the Placement Shares under state securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section ‎7(r), including filing fees, but excluding fees of the Agent’s counsel, (viii) the printing and delivery to the Agent of copies of any Permitted Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto in such number as the Agent shall reasonably deem necessary, (ix) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Agent of copies of the blue sky survey, (x) the fees and expenses of the transfer agent and registrar for the Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, (xi) the filing and other fees incident to any review by FINRA of the terms of the sale of the Placement Shares, and (xii) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Placement Shares on the Exchange.

 

 

9. Conditions to Agent’s Obligations. The obligations of the Agent hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by the Agent of a due diligence review satisfactory to it in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by the Agent in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:

 

(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall have become effective and shall be available for the sale of all Placement Shares contemplated to be sold and issued by any Placement Notice.

 

(b) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state Governmental Authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (if such post-effective amendments or supplements have not been filed and become effective); (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state Governmental Authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus, it will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. The Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

(d) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change in the authorized capital stock of the Company or any Material Adverse Change or any development that would reasonably be expected to cause a Material Adverse Change, or a downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities) by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), the effect of which, in the case of any such action by a rating organization described above, in the reasonable judgment of the Agent (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

 

(e) Legal Opinions. The Agent shall have received the (i) opinion and negative assurance letter of Greenberg Traurig and (ii) negative assurance letter of Heuston Hennigan required to be delivered pursuant to Section ‎7(m) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinion and/or negative assurance letters are required pursuant to Section ‎7(m).

 

 

(f) Comfort Letter. The Agent shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section ‎7(n) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section ‎7(n).

 

(g) Representation Certificate. The Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section ‎7(l) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section ‎7(l).

 

(h) Secretary’s Certificate. The Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section ‎7(t) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section ‎7(t).

 

(i) No Suspension. Trading in the Class A Common Stock shall not have been suspended on the Exchange and neither the Class A Common Stock nor the Series B Preferred Stock shall have been delisted from the Exchange.

 

(j) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section ‎7(l), the Company shall have furnished to the Agent such appropriate further information, opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as the Agent may reasonably request. All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents will be in compliance with the provisions hereof.

 

(k) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings related to the Placement Shares with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.

 

(l) Approval for Listing. The Placement Shares shall either have been (i) approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to notice of issuance, or (ii) the Company shall have filed an application for listing of the Placement Shares on the Exchange at, or prior to, the issuance of any Placement Notice and the Exchange shall have reviewed such application and not provided any objections thereto.

 

(m) FINRA. If applicable, FINRA shall have raised no objection to the terms of this offering and the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Agent as described in the Prospectus.

 

(n) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit the Agent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section ‎12(a).

 

10. Indemnification and Contribution.

 

(a) Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Agent, its affiliates and their respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the Agent or any affiliate within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act as follows:

 

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any related Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

 

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, joint or several, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Authority, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 10(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be delayed or withheld; and

 

(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any Governmental Authority, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission (whether or not a party), to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above,

 

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made solely in reliance upon and in conformity with any Agent Information (as defined below).

 

(b) Agent Indemnification. The Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever described in the indemnity contained in Section ‎10(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto), the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Agent and furnished to the Company in writing by the Agent expressly for use therein. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Agent has furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) are the statements set forth in the eighth and tenth paragraphs under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus (the “Agent Information”).

 

 

(c) Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section ‎10 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section ‎10, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section ‎10 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section ‎10 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any other legal expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action or counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, in each case, within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action; in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm (plus local counsel) admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section ‎10 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (1) includes an express and unconditional release of each indemnified party, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (2) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

 

(d) Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section ‎10(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (1) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (2) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into, and (3) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

 

 

(e) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section ‎10 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable or insufficient from the Company or the Agent, the Company and the Agent will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted) to which the Company and the Agent may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other hand. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the sale of the Placement Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by the Agent from the sale of Placement Shares on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such Placement. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Agent, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section ‎10(e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense, or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section ‎10(e) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section ‎10(e), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section ‎10(c) hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section ‎10(e), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section ‎10(e), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, any affiliates of the Agent and any officers, directors, partners, employees or agents of the Agent or any of its affiliates, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each director of the Company and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section ‎10(e), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section ‎10(e) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section ‎10(c) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section ‎10(c) hereof.

 

11. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section ‎10 and all representations and warranties of the Company herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Agent, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor, or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.

 

 

12. Termination.

 

(a) The Agent may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, as hereinafter specified at any time (1) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any change, or any development or event involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the business, properties, earnings, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, which individually or in the aggregate, in the sole judgment of the Agent is material and adverse and makes it impractical or inadvisable to market the Placement Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Placement Shares, (2) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Agent, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Placement Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Placement Shares, (3) if trading in the Class A Common Stock and Series B Preferred Stock has been suspended or limited by the Commission or the Exchange, or if trading generally on the Exchange has been suspended or limited, or minimum prices for trading have been fixed on the Exchange, (4) if any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market shall have occurred and be continuing, (5) if a major disruption of securities settlements or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred and be continuing, or (6) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either U.S. Federal or New York authorities. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section ‎8 (Payment of Expenses), Section ‎10 (Indemnification and Contribution), Section ‎11 (Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery), Section ‎17 (Governing Law and Time; Waiver of Jury Trial) and Section ‎18 (Consent to Jurisdiction) hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If the Agent elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 12(a), the Agent shall provide the required notice as specified in Section ‎13 (Notices).

 

(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving three (3) Business Days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section ‎8, Section ‎10, Section ‎11, Section ‎17 and Section ‎18 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

 

(c) The Agent shall have the right, by giving three (3) Business Days’ notice as hereinafter specified to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section ‎8, Section ‎10, Section ‎11, Section ‎17 and Section ‎18 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

 

(d) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 12(a), (b), or (c) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section ‎8, Section ‎10, Section ‎11, Section ‎17 and Section ‎18 shall remain in full force and effect.

 

(e) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Agent or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement Shares, such Placement Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

 

13. Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified, and if sent to the Agent, shall be delivered to:

 

Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

150 East Palmetto Park Road, Suite 110

Boca Raton, FL 33432

Attention: Nico Pronk

Email: ***@***

 

 

with a copy to:

 

Duane Morris LLP

Boca Center Tower II

5100 Town Center Circle, Suite 400

Boca Raton, FL ###-###-####

Attention: Driscoll R. Ugarte

E-mail: ***@***

 

and if to the Company, shall be delivered to:

 

FAT Brands Inc.

9720 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 500

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Attention: Allen Sussman

Email: ***@***

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Greenberg Traurig LLP,

1840 Century Park East, Suite 1900

Los Angeles, CA 90067

Attention: Mark J. Kelson

Email: ***@***

 

Each party to this Agreement may change such address or email address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address or email address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission (with an original to follow) on or before 4:30 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier, and (iii) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Exchange and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.

 

An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section ‎13 if sent to the electronic mail address specified above (or by the receiving party under separate cover). Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives verification of receipt by the receiving party. Any party receiving an Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive such notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”) which shall be sent to the requesting party within ten (10) days of receipt of the written request for a Nonelectronic Notice.

 

14. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Agent and their respective successors and the parties referred to in Section ‎10. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto or their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that the Agent may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate thereof without obtaining the Company’s consent but shall provide notice of such assignment to the Company.

 

 

15. Adjustments for Stock Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any stock split, stock dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Placement Shares.

 

16. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability; Waiver. This Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and the Agent. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this Agreement. No implied waiver by a party shall arise in the absence of a waiver in writing signed by such party. No failure or delay in exercising any right, power, or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any right, power, or privilege hereunder.

 

17. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

18. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS SITTING IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, AND HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, AND AGREES NOT TO ASSERT IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING, ANY CLAIM THAT IT IS NOT PERSONALLY SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT, THAT SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS BROUGHT IN AN INCONVENIENT FORUM OR THAT THE VENUE OF SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS IMPROPER. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF PROCESS AND CONSENTS TO PROCESS BEING SERVED IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BY MAILING A COPY THEREOF (CERTIFIED OR REGISTERED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED) TO SUCH PARTY AT THE ADDRESS IN EFFECT FOR NOTICES TO IT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREES THAT SUCH SERVICE SHALL CONSTITUTE GOOD AND SUFFICIENT SERVICE OF PROCESS AND NOTICE THEREOF. NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED TO LIMIT IN ANY WAY ANY RIGHT TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY MANNER PERMITTED BY LAW.

 

 

19. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by email or by electronic delivery of a portable document format (PDF) file (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com).

 

20. Construction. The section and exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. References herein to any law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any Governmental Authority shall be deemed to refer to such law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any Governmental Authority as amended, reenacted, supplemented or superseded in whole or in part and in effect from time to time and also to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

21. Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Agent, and the Agent represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Placement Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Agent or by the Company, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents and warrants that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping. For the purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that all free writing prospectuses, if any, listed in Exhibit 21 attached hereto are Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses.

 

22. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

 

(a) the Agent is acting solely as agent in connection with the public offering of the Placement Shares and in connection with each transaction contemplated by this Agreement and the process leading to such transactions, and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company or any of its respective affiliates, stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and the Agent, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether or not the Agent has advised or is advising the Company on other matters, and the Agent has no obligation to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement;

 

(b) it is capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

 

(c) neither the Agent nor its affiliates have provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and it has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;

 

(d) it is aware that the Agent and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Agent, and its affiliates have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and

 

 

(e) it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Agent or its affiliates for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the sale of Placement Shares under this Agreement and agrees that the Agent and its affiliates shall not have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to it in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on its behalf or in right of it or the Company, employees or creditors of Company.

 

23. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:

 

“Applicable Time” means (i) each Representation Date, (ii) the time of each sale of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and (iii) each Settlement Date.

 

“Governmental Authority” means (i) any federal, provincial, state, local, municipal, national or international government or governmental authority, regulatory or administrative agency, governmental commission, department, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality, court, tribunal, arbitrator or arbitral body (public or private); (ii) any self-regulatory organization; or (iii) any political subdivision of any of the foregoing.

 

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, relating to the Placement Shares that (1) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (2) is a “road show” that is a “written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i) whether or not required to be filed with the Commission, or (3) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Placement Shares or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Securities Act Regulations.

 

“Rule 164,” “Rule 172,” “Rule 405,” “Rule 415,” “Rule 424,” “Rule 424(b),” “Rule 430B,” and “Rule 433” refer to such rules under the Securities Act Regulations.

 

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information that is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; all references in this Agreement to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (other than any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that, pursuant to Rule 433, are not required to be filed with the Commission) shall be deemed to include the copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR; and all references in this Agreement to “supplements” to the Prospectus shall include, without limitation, any supplements, “wrappers” or similar materials prepared in connection with any Placement, sale or private placement of any Placement Shares by the Agent outside of the United States.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the Agent, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and the Agent.

 

	Very truly yours,
	FAT BRANDS INC.
	By:	/s/ Kenneth J. Kuick
	Name:	Kenneth J. Kuick
	Title:	Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

 

	ACCEPTED as of the date first-above written:
	NOBLE CAPITAL MARKETS, INC.
	By:	/s/ Nico Pronk
	Name:	Nico Pronk
	Title:	President and CEO

 

 

SCHEDULE 1

 

 

Form of Placement Notice

 

 

From:

FAT BRANDS INC.

 

To:	Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
	Attention: [●]

 

Subject:

Placement Notice

 

Date:

[●], 20[●]

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Equity Distribution Agreement, dated July 19, 2024, between FAT Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Noble Capital Markets, Inc. (the “Agent”), the Company hereby requests that the Agent sell up to:

 

	☐	[●] shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a minimum market price of $[●] per share[;and]
	☐	[●] shares of the Company’s 8.25% Series B Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a minimum price of $[●] per share, during the time period beginning [month, day, time], and ending [month, day, time].

 

 

SCHEDULE 2

 

 

Compensation

 

 

The Company shall pay to the Agent in cash, upon each sale of Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement, an amount equal to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from such sale of Placement Shares.

 

 

SCHEDULE 4

 

 

Subsidiaries

 

 

Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission.

 

 

Exhibit ‎7(l)

 

Form of Representation Date Certificate Pursuant to Section 7(l)

 

[         ] [   ], 20[   ]

 

The undersigned, the duly qualified and appointed Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of FAT Brands Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), does hereby certify in such capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(l) of the Equity Distribution Agreement, dated July 19, 2024 (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”), between the Company and Noble Capital Markets, Inc., that to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned:

 

	1.	As of the date of this Certificate pertains, (i) the Registration Statement does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) the Prospectus does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (iii) no event has occurred as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein not untrue or misleading.
	2.	No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any part thereof has been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened by any securities or other governmental authority (including, without limitation, the Commission).
	3.	Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in the Equity Distribution Agreement were, when originally made, and are, as of the date of this Certificate, true and correct in all material respects (except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which were true and correct as of such date); provided, however, that such representations and warranties shall be qualified by the disclosure included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and Prospectus.
	4.	Each of the covenants required to be performed by the Company in the Equity Distribution Agreement on or prior to the date of the Equity Distribution Agreement, or any such other date as set forth in the Equity Distribution Agreement, as applicable, has been duly, timely and fully performed in all material respects, and each condition required to be complied with by the Company on or prior to the date of the Equity Distribution Agreement, or any such other date as set forth in the Equity Distribution Agreement, as applicable, has been duly, timely and fully complied with in all material respects.
	5.	Subsequent to the date of the most recent financial statements incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, there has been no Material Adverse Change.

 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP and Duane Morris LLP are entitled to rely on this Certificate in connection with the respective opinions such firms are rendering pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement. Capitalized terms used herein without definition shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Equity Distribution Agreement.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, on behalf of the Company, the undersigned has executed this Officer’s Certificate as of the date first written above.

 

	FAT Brands Inc.
	By:
	Name:	Kenneth J. Kuick
	Title:	Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

 

 

Exhibit 21

 

Permitted Free Writing Prospectus

 

None.