Exhibit 10.1
ANTE5, INC.
 
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
 
This Indemnification Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of_________________,  by
and between Ante5, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and
______________, an individual (“Indemnitee”).
 
RECITALS
 
A.           The Company and Indemnitee recognize the significant cost of
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the general limitations in the
coverage of such insurance.
 
B.           The Company and Indemnitee further recognize the risk of corporate
litigation in general, potentially subjecting officers and directors to
litigation at the same time as the coverage of liability insurance is limited.
 
C.           The Company desires to attract and retain the services of highly
qualified individuals, such as Indemnitee, to serve as officers and directors of
the Company and to indemnify its officers and directors so as to provide them
with the maximum protection permitted by law.
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration for Indemnitee’s services as an officer or
director of the Company, the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
 
1.             Indemnification.

(a) Third Party Proceedings.  The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if
Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit, proceeding or any alternative
dispute resolution mechanism, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Company) by reason
of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of
the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, or by reason of the fact that
Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees),
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is approved
in advance by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld)
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such action,
suit or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no
reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.  The termination
of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or
upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a
presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had
reasonable cause to believe that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
 
 
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(b) Proceedings By or in the Right of the Company.  The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party
to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by
reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or
agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, or by reason of the fact
that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to
the fullest extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or suit if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the Company, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any
claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be
liable to the Company unless and only to the extent that any court in which such
action or suit was brought or another court of competent jurisdiction shall
determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in
view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably
entitled to indemnity for such expenses as such court shall deem proper.

(c) Mandatory Payment of Expenses.  To the extent that Indemnitee has been
successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or
proceeding referred to in Subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 1, or in
defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified
against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection therewith.

2.             Advancement of Expenses.  All reasonable Expenses (as hereinafter
defined) incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee (including costs of enforcement
of this Agreement) shall be advanced from time to time by the Company to
Indemnitee within thirty (30) days after the receipt by the Company of a written
request for an advance of Expenses, whether prior to or after final disposition
of a Proceeding (as hereinafter defined) (except to the extent that there has
been a final adverse determination that Indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified for such Expenses), including without limitation any Proceeding
brought by or in the right of the Company.  The written request for an
advancement of any and all Expenses under this paragraph shall contain
reasonable detail of the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee.  By execution of this
Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have made whatever undertaking as may
be required by law at the time of any advancement of Expenses with respect to
repayment to the Company of such Expenses.  In the event that the Company shall
breach its obligation to advance Expenses under this Section 2, the parties
hereto agree that Indemnitee’s remedies available at law would not be adequate
and that Indemnitee would be entitled to specific performance.
 
 
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3.             Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings.  Upon making a
request for indemnification, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to
indemnification under this Agreement and the Company shall have the burden of
proof to overcome that presumption in reaching any contrary determination.  The
termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, arbitration award
or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not
affect this presumption or, except as determined by a judgment or other final
adjudication adverse to Indemnitee, establish a presumption with regard to any
factual matter relevant to determining Indemnitee’s rights to indemnification
hereunder.  If the person or persons so empowered to make a determination
pursuant to Section 4 hereof shall have failed to make the requested
determination within sixty (60) days after any judgment, order, settlement,
dismissal, arbitration award, conviction, acceptance of a plea of nolo
contendere or its equivalent, or other disposition or partial disposition of any
Proceeding or any other event that could enable the Company to determine
Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, the requisite determination that
Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall be deemed to have been made.

4.             Procedure for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification.

(a)  Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee.  Indemnitee shall, as a condition
precedent to his right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give the Company
notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against Indemnitee
for which indemnification will or could be sought under this Agreement.  Notice
to the Company shall be directed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company
at the address shown on the signature page of this Agreement (or such other
address as the Company shall designate in writing to Indemnitee).  Notice shall
be deemed received as provided in Section 15 of this Agreement.  In addition,
Indemnitee shall give the Company such information, documentation and
cooperation as it may reasonably require and as shall reasonably be accessible
to Indemnitee.

(b)  Procedure.  Any indemnification and advances provided for in Section 1 and
Section 2 shall be made no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the
written request of Indemnitee; provided, in the case of any request for
indemnification, the Company has determined that Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification under this Agreement.  If a claim under this Agreement, under
any statute, or under any provision of the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation or Bylaws providing for indemnification, is not paid in full by
the Company within thirty (30) days after a written request for payment thereof
has first been received by the Company, Indemnitee may, but need not, at any
time thereafter bring an action against the Company to recover the unpaid amount
of the claim and, subject to Section 14 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall also
be entitled to be paid for the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) of bringing
such action.  It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action
brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in connection with any action,
suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition) that Indemnitee has not
met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under applicable law for
the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed.  Nevertheless, the
Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive interim payments of expenses pursuant to
Section 2 of this Agreement unless and until such defense may be finally
adjudicated by court order or judgment from which no further right of appeal
exists.  It is the parties’ intention that if the Company contests Indemnitee’s
right to indemnification, the question of Indemnitee’s right to indemnification
shall be for the court to decide, and neither the failure of the Company
(including its Board of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the Board of
Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a
determination that indemnification of Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances
because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct required by
applicable law, nor an actual determination by the Company (including its Board
of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the Board of Directors, independent
legal counsel, or its stockholders) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable
standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that Indemnitee has or has not
met the applicable standard of conduct.
 
 
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(c)  Notice to Insurers.  If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of a claim
pursuant to Section 4(a) hereof, the Company has director and officer liability
insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of
such proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in
the respective policies.  The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or
desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all
amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of
such policies.

(d)  Selection of Counsel.  In the event the Company shall be obligated under
Section 2 hereof to pay the expenses of any proceeding against Indemnitee, the
Company, if appropriate, shall be entitled to assume the defense of such
proceeding, with counsel approved by Indemnitee, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its
election to do so.  After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by
Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will
not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel
subsequently incurred by Indemnitee with respect to the same proceeding,
provided that Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his counsel in any such
proceeding at Indemnitee’s expense.  Notwithstanding anything else herein to the
contrary, if Indemnitee reasonably concludes that there may be a conflict of
interest between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense,
and the Company approves Indemnitee’s counsel which approval will not be
unreasonably withheld, then the reasonable fees and expenses of Indemnitee’s
counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.

5.             Additional Indemnification Rights; Nonexclusivity.

(a)  Scope.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company
hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by
law, notwithstanding that such indemnification is not specifically authorized by
the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation, the Company’s Bylaws or by statute.  In the event of any change,
after the date of this Agreement, in any applicable law, statute, or rule which
expands the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its board
of directors or an officer, such changes shall be, ipso facto, within the
purview of Indemnitee’s rights and Company’s obligations, under this
Agreement.  In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule
which narrows the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its
board of directors or an officer, such changes, to the extent not otherwise
required by such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement shall have
no effect on this Agreement or the parties’ rights and obligations hereunder.
 
(b)  Nonexclusivity.  The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall not
be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled under the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, any agreement, any vote of
stockholders or disinterested Directors, the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware, or otherwise, both as to action in Indemnitee’s official
capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.  The
indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee
for any action taken or not taken while serving in an indemnified capacity even
though he may have ceased to serve in such capacity at the time of any action,
suit or other covered proceeding (the “Indemnification Period”).  To the extent
that during the Indemnification Period the rights of the then existing directors
and officers are more favorable to such directors or officers than the rights
currently provided to Indemnitee thereunder or under this Agreement, Indemnitee
shall be entitled to the full benefits of such more favorable rights.

 
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6.             Partial Indemnification.  If Indemnitee is entitled under any
provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a
portion of the expenses, judgments, fines or penalties actually and reasonably
incurred by him in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any civil
or criminal action, suit or proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount
thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of
such expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to which Indemnitee is entitled,
which shall be reasonably determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of
Directors.

7.             Mutual Acknowledgement.  Both the Company and Indemnitee
acknowledge that in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy
may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this
Agreement or otherwise.  Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the
Company has undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the
Securities and Exchange Commission to submit the question of indemnification to
a court in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company’s right
under public policy to indemnify Indemnitee.

8.             Officer and Director Liability Insurance.  The Company shall,
from time to time, make the good faith determination whether or not it is
practicable for the Company to obtain and maintain policies of insurance with
reputable insurance companies providing the officers and directors of the
Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts, or to ensure the Company’s
performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement.  Among
other considerations, the Company will weigh the costs of obtaining such
insurance coverage against the protection afforded by such coverage.  In all
policies of director and officer liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be named
as an insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and
benefits as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company’s
directors, if Indemnitee is a director; or of the Company’s officers, if
Indemnitee is not a director of the Company but is an officer.  Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain such
insurance if the Company determines in good faith that (a) such insurance is not
reasonably available, (b) the premium costs for such insurance are too expensive
for the Company to afford or are disproportionate to the amount of coverage
provided, (c) the coverage provided by such insurance is limited by exclusions
so as to provide an insufficient benefit, or (d) the Indemnitee is covered by
similar insurance maintained by a subsidiary or parent of the Company.

9.             Severability.  Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require
or shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in
violation of applicable law.  The Company’s inability, pursuant to court order,
to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement.  The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as provided
in this Section 9.  If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be invalidated
on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by any applicable
portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated, and the balance
of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
 
 
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10.           Exceptions.  Any other provision herein to the contrary
notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement:

(a)  Claims Initiated by Indemnitee.  To indemnify or advance expenses to
Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or brought
voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect to
proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under
this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under the
Delaware General Corporation Law, but such indemnification or  advancement of
expenses may be provided by the Company in specific cases if the Board of
Directors has approved the initiation or bringing of such suit; or

(b)  Lack of Good Faith.  To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred by
the Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by Indemnitee to
enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent jurisdiction
determines that each of the material assertions made by the Indemnitee in such
proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous; or

(c)  Insured Claims.  To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or liabilities of any
type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines, ERISA excise
taxes or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) which have been paid
directly to or on behalf of Indemnitee by an insurance carrier under a policy of
officers’ and directors’ liability insurance maintained by the Company; or

(d)  Claims Under Section 16(b).  To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses and the
payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of
securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, or any similar successor statute or

(e)  Certain Matters.  To indemnify Indemnitee on account of any proceeding with
respect to (i) remuneration paid to Indemnitee if it is determined by final
judgment or other final adjudication that such remuneration was in violation of
law, (ii) which it is determined by final judgment or other final adjudication
that the Imdemnitee’s conduct was knowingly fraudulent or dishonest or
constituted willful misconduct, or (iii) which it is determined by final
judgment or other final adjudication by a court having jurisdiction in the
matter that such indemnification is not lawful.
 
 
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11.           Construction of Certain Phrases.

(a)  For purposes of this Agreement, references to the “Company” shall include,
in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including
any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which,
if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to
indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that if
Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent
corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation
as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee shall stand in the same
position under the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the resulting or
surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have with respect to such constituent
corporation if its separate existence had continued.

(b)  For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Expenses” shall include all
reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of
experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding
costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees and all other
disbursements or expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with
prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating,
participating, or being or preparing to be a witness in a Proceeding.  Expenses
also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting
from any Proceeding, including without limitation the premium, security for, and
other costs relating to any cost bond, supersede as bond, or other appeal bond
or its equivalent.  Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in
settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.

(c)  For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Proceeding” shall include any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute
resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any
other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought by or in the
right of the Company or otherwise and whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party or
otherwise, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was an officer or
director of the Company, by reason of any action taken by him or of any inaction
on his part while acting as an officer or director of the Company, or by reason
of the fact that he is or was serving at the request of the Company as a
director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise; in each case whether or
not he is acting or serving in any such capacity at the time any liability or
expense is incurred for which indemnification can be provided under this
Agreement, including one pending on or before the date of this Agreement, but
excluding one initiated by Indemnitee to enforce his rights under this
Agreement.

(d)  For purposes of this Agreement, references to “other enterprise” shall
include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise
taxes assessed on Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan;
and  references to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any
service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company which imposes
duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries;
and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably
believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an
employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not
opposed to the best interests of the Company” as referred to in this Agreement.
 
12.           Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
 
 
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13.           Successors and Assigns.  This Agreement shall be binding upon the
Company and its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of
Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s estate, heirs, legal representatives and permitted
assigns.

14.           Attorneys’ Fees.  In the event that any action is instituted by
Indemnitee under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof,
Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and expenses, including
reasonable attorneys’ fees, incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action,
unless as a part of such action, the court of competent jurisdiction determines
that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such
action were not made in good faith or were frivolous.  In the event of an action
instituted by or in the name of the Company under this Agreement or to enforce
or interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to
be paid all court costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by
Indemnitee in defense of such action (including with respect to Indemnitee’s
counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), unless as a part of such
action the court determines that each of Indemnitee’s material defenses to such
action were made in bad faith or were frivolous.

15.           Notice.  All notices, requests, demands and other communications
under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (i) if
delivered by hand and receipted for by the party addressee, or by email or by
facsimile, on the date of such receipt, or (ii) if mailed by domestic certified
or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the
date postmarked.  Addresses for notice to either party are as shown on the
signature page of this Agreement, or as subsequently modified by written notice.

16.           Consent to Jurisdiction.  The Company and Indemnitee each hereby
irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware
for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of
or relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted under this
Agreement shall be brought only in the state courts of the State of Delaware.

17.           Choice of Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by and its
provisions construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware,
without regard to the conflict of law principles thereof.

18.           Period of Limitations.  No legal action shall be brought and no
cause of action shall be asserted by or in the right of the Company against
Indemnitee, Indemnitee’s estate, spouse, heirs, executors or personal or legal
representatives after the expiration of one year from the date of accrual of
such cause of action, and any claim or cause of action of the Company shall be
extinguished and deemed released unless asserted by the timely filing of a legal
action within such one-year period; provided, however, that if any shorter
period of limitations is otherwise applicable to any such cause of action, such
shorter period shall govern.

19.           Subrogation.  In the event of payment under this Agreement, the
Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights
of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and shall do
all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company
effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.

 
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20.           Amendment and Termination.  No amendment, modification,
termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless it is in
writing signed by both the parties hereto.  No waiver of any of the provisions
of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other
provisions hereof (whether or not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a
continuing waiver.

21.           Integration and Entire Agreement.  This Agreement sets forth the
entire understanding between the parties hereto and supersedes and merges all
previous written and oral negotiations, commitments, understandings and
agreements relating to the subject matter hereof between the parties hereto.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date first above written.

 
COMPANY:
 
INDEMNITEE:
       
Ante5, Inc., a Delaware corporation
                           
By
   
 
     
 
               
Address:
 
Address:
 
10275 Wayzata Blvd. Suite 310
 
 
 
Minnetonka, MN 55305
 
 

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