ex10-9.htm


Exhibit 10.9


 


CLS HOLDINGS USA, INC.


 


RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT


 


FOR


 


MICHAEL ABRAMS


 


1.           Award of Restricted Stock.  CLS Holdings USA, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants, as of April 28, 2015 (the “Grant Date”), to Michael Abrams (the “Recipient”), 250,000 restricted shares of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (collectively the "Restricted Stock").  The Restricted Stock is being issued in lieu of the Company's obligation under that certain employment agreement, dated October 1, 2014, by and between CLS Labs, Inc. and Mr. Abrams, as amended on April 28, 2015 (the “Employment Agreement”).  The Restricted Stock shall be subject to the terms, provisions and restrictions set forth in this Agreement and in the Employment Agreement.  As a condition to entering into this Agreement, and as a condition to the issuance of any Restricted Stock (or any other securities of the Company), the Recipient agrees to be bound by all of the terms and conditions herein and in the Employment Agreement.  Unless otherwise provided herein, terms used herein that are defined in the Employment Agreement and not defined herein shall have the meanings attributable thereto in the Employment Agreement. 
 




2.           Vesting of Restricted Stock.


 


(a)           Except as otherwise provided in Sections 2(b) and 4 hereof, provided that the continuous service of the Recipient continues through and on the applicable Vesting Date, the shares of Restricted Stock shall become vested in the following amounts, at the following times and upon the following conditions:


 



	
Number of Shares of Restricted Stock

	
Vesting Date


	
250,000

	
October 1, 2015












There shall be no proportionate or partial vesting of shares of Restricted Stock in or during the months, days or periods prior to each Vesting Date, and all vesting of shares of Restricted Stock shall occur only on the applicable Vesting Date.







(b)           Notwithstanding any other term or provision of this Agreement, the Board of Directors of the Company shall be authorized, in its sole discretion, to accelerate the vesting of any shares of Restricted Stock under this Agreement, at such times and upon such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall deem advisable.


 


 (c)           For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:


 


(i)“Non-Vested Shares” means any portion of the Restricted Stock subject to this Agreement that has not become vested pursuant to this Section 2.


 


(ii)“Vested Shares” means any portion of the Restricted Stock subject to this Agreement that is and has become vested pursuant to this Section 2.


 




  





  











  






 


3.           Delivery of Restricted Stock.


 


(a)           One or more stock certificates evidencing the Restricted Stock shall be issued in the name of the Recipient but shall be held and retained by or on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company until the date (the “Applicable Date”) on which the shares (or a portion thereof) subject to this Restricted Stock award become Vested Shares pursuant to Section 2 hereof, subject to the provisions of Section 4 hereof.  All such stock certificates shall bear the following legend, along with such other legends that the Board of Directors of the Company shall deem necessary and appropriate or which are otherwise required or indicated pursuant to any applicable law:


 


THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL VESTING AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS AS SET FORTH IN THE RESTRICTED STOCK AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ISSUER AND THE ORIGINAL HOLDER OF THE SHARES, A COPY OF WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE OF THE ISSUER.  SUCH RESTRICTIONS ARE BINDING ON TRANSFEREES OF THESE SHARES, AND INCLUDE VESTING CONDITIONS WHICH MAY RESULT IN THE COMPLETE FORFEITURE OF THE SHARES.


 


(b)           The Recipient shall deposit with the Company stock powers or other instruments of transfer or assignment, duly endorsed in blank with signature(s) guaranteed, corresponding to each certificate representing shares of Restricted Stock until such shares become Vested Shares.  If the Recipient shall fail to provide the Company with any such stock power or other instrument of transfer or assignment, the Recipient hereby irrevocably appoints the Secretary of the Company as his attorney-in-fact, with full power of appointment and substitution, to execute and deliver any such power or other instrument which may be necessary to effectuate the transfer of the Restricted Stock (or assignment of distributions thereon) on the books and records of the Company.


 


(c)           On or after each Applicable Date, upon written request to the Company by the Recipient, the Company shall promptly cause a new certificate or certificates to be issued for and with respect to all shares that become Vested Shares on that Applicable Date, which certificate(s) shall be delivered to the Recipient as soon as administratively practicable after the date of receipt by the Company of the Recipient's written request.  The new certificate or certificates shall continue to bear those legends and endorsements that the Company shall deem necessary or appropriate (including those relating to restrictions on transferability and/or obligations and restrictions under applicable securities laws).


 


4.           Forfeiture of Non-Vested Shares.  If the Recipient’s continuous service with the Company and its subsidiaries is terminated for any reason, any shares of Restricted Stock that are not Vested Shares, and that do not become Vested Shares pursuant to Section 2 hereof as a result of such termination, shall be forfeited immediately upon such termination of continuous service and revert back to the Company without any payment to the Recipient.  The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the power and authority to enforce on behalf of the Company any rights of the Company under this Agreement in the event of the Recipient’s forfeiture of Non-Vested Shares pursuant to this Section 4.


 




  





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5.           Rights with Respect to Restricted Stock.


 


(a)           Except as otherwise provided by applicable laws, the Recipient shall not have, with respect to any of the Non-Vested Shares, the following rights of a holder of shares of Common Stock of the Company:  (i) the right to vote such Non-Vested Shares, or (ii) the right to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared on the Non-Vested Shares from time to time; provided, however, that all of such rights shall be accorded such shares if and when they become Vested Shares.


 


(b)           If at any time while this Agreement is in effect (or shares granted hereunder shall be or remain unvested while Recipient’s continuous service continues and has not yet terminated or ceased for any reason), there shall be any increase or decrease in the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company through the declaration of a stock dividend or through any recapitalization resulting in a stock split-up, combination or exchange of such shares, then and in that event, the Administrator shall make any adjustments it deems fair and appropriate, in view of such change, in the number of shares of Restricted Stock then subject to this Agreement.  If any such adjustment shall result in a fractional share, such fraction shall be disregarded.


 


(c)           Notwithstanding any term or provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the existence of this Agreement, or of any outstanding Restricted Stock awarded hereunder, shall not affect in any manner the right, power or authority of the Company to make, authorize or consummate: (i) any or all adjustments, recapitalizations, reorganizations or other changes in the Company's capital structure or its business; (ii) any merger, consolidation or similar transaction by or of the Company; (iii) any offer, issue or sale by the Company of any capital stock of the Company, including any equity or debt securities, or preferred or preference stock that would rank prior to or on parity with the Restricted Stock and/or that would include, have or possess other rights, benefits and/or preferences superior to those that the Restricted Stock includes, has or possesses, or any warrants, options or rights with respect to any of the foregoing; (iv) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company; (v) any sale, transfer or assignment of all or any part of the stock, assets or business of the Company; or (vi) any other corporate transaction, act or proceeding (whether of a similar character or otherwise).


 


6.           Transferability.   Unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, the shares of Restricted Stock are not transferable unless and until they become Vested Shares in accordance with this Agreement, otherwise than by will or under the applicable laws of descent and distribution. The terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns of the Recipient.  Except as otherwise permitted pursuant to the first sentence of this Section, any attempt to effect a Transfer of any shares of Restricted Stock prior to the date on which the shares become Vested Shares shall be void ab initio.  For purposes of this Agreement, “Transfer” shall mean any sale, transfer, encumbrance, gift, donation, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, or other disposition, whether similar or dissimilar to those previously enumerated, whether voluntary or involuntary, and including, but not limited to, any disposition by operation of law, by court order, by judicial process, or by foreclosure, levy or attachment.


 




  





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7.           Tax Matters; Section 83(b) Election.


 


(a)           If the Recipient properly elects, within thirty (30) days of the Grant Date, to include in gross income for federal income tax purposes an amount equal to the fair market value (as of the Grant Date) of the Restricted Stock pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the Recipient shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Company to pay to the Company any federal, state or local income taxes required to be withheld with respect to the Restricted Stock.  If the Recipient shall fail to make such tax payments as are required, the Company shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct from any payment of any kind (including without limitation, the withholding of any Shares that otherwise would be issued to the Recipient under this Agreement) otherwise due to the Recipient any federal, state or local taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to the Restricted Stock.


 


(b)           If the Recipient does not properly make the election described in paragraph (a) above, the Recipient shall, no later than the date or dates as of which the restrictions referred to in this Agreement hereof shall lapse, pay to the Company, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Board of Directors of the Company for payment of, any federal, state or local taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to the Restricted Stock (including without limitation the vesting thereof).  If the Recipient fails to comply with the tax obligations set forth in the immediately preceding sentence (the “Tax Obligations”), then the Recipient hereby irrevocably authorizes and instructs a broker to be designated by the Company in its sole discretion to sell for the account of the Recipient a sufficient number of shares of the Restricted Stock (based upon prevailing market prices at the time of such sale) necessary to satisfy the Recipient’s Tax Obligations, to remit to the Company the proceeds of such sale in such amount necessary to satisfy the Tax Obligations and to remit any balance resulting from such sale to the Recipient.  The Company and any such broker shall be entitled to use and to rely upon the stock powers and other instruments of transfer provided pursuant to Section 3(b) above.  In addition, the Company shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct from any payment of any kind otherwise due to Recipient any federal, state, or local taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to the Restricted Stock.


 


(c)           Tax consequences on the Recipient (including without limitation federal, state, local and foreign income tax consequences) with respect to the Restricted Stock (including without limitation the grant, vesting and/or forfeiture thereof) are the sole responsibility of the Recipient.  The Recipient shall consult with his or her own personal accountant(s) and/or tax advisor(s) regarding these matters, the making of a Section 83(b) election, and the Recipient’s filing, withholding and payment (or tax liability) obligations.


 




  





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8.           Amendment, Modification and Assignment.  This Agreement may only be modified or amended in a writing signed by the parties hereto.  No promises, assurances, commitments, agreements, undertakings or representations, whether oral, written, electronic or otherwise, and whether express or implied, with respect to the subject matter hereof, have been made by either party which are not set forth expressly in this Agreement.


 


9.           Complete Agreement.  This Agreement (together with those agreements and documents expressly referred to herein, for the purposes referred to herein) embody the complete and entire agreement and understanding between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersede any and all prior promises, assurances, commitments, agreements, undertakings or representations, whether oral, written, electronic or otherwise, and whether express or implied, which may relate to the subject matter hereof in any way.


 


10.           Miscellaneous.


 


(a)           No Right to (Continued) Employment or Service.  This Agreement and the grant of Restricted Stock hereunder shall not confer, or be construed to confer, upon the Recipient any right to employment or service, or continued employment or service, with the Company or any subsidiary.


 


(b)           No Limit on Other Compensation Arrangements.  Nothing contained in this Agreement shall preclude the Company or any subsidiary from adopting or continuing in effect other or additional compensation plans, agreements or arrangements, and any such plans, agreements and arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases or to specific persons.


 


(c)           Severability.  If any term or provision of this Agreement is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction or under any applicable law, rule or regulation, then such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable law (or if such provision cannot be so construed or deemed amended without materially altering the purpose or intent of this Agreement and the grant of Restricted Stock hereunder, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction and the remainder of this Agreement and the award hereunder shall remain in full force and effect).


 


(d)           No Trust or Fund Created.  Neither this Agreement nor the grant of Restricted Stock hereunder shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company or any subsidiary and the Recipient or any other person.  To the extent that the Recipient or any other person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to this Agreement, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company.


 


(e)           Law Governing.  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Florida (without reference to the conflict of laws rules or principles thereof).


 




  





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(f)           Interpretation.  The Recipient accepts the Restricted Stock subject to all of the terms, provisions and restrictions of this Agreement and the Employment Agreement.  The undersigned Recipient hereby accepts as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions arising under this Agreement.


 


(g)           Headings.  Section, paragraph and other headings and captions are provided solely as a convenience to facilitate reference.  Such headings and captions shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction, meaning or interpretation of this Agreement or any term or provision hereof.


 


(h)           Notices.  Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when delivered personally or when deposited in the United States mail, registered, postage prepaid, and addressed, in the case of the Company, to the Company’s Secretary at CLS Holdings USA, Inc., 11767 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 115, Miami, Florida 33156, or if the Company should move its principal office, to such principal office, and, in the case of the Recipient, to the Recipient’s last permanent address as shown on the Company’s records, subject to the right of either party to designate some other address at any time hereafter in a notice satisfying the requirements of this Section.


 


(i)           Non-Waiver of Breach.  The waiver by any party hereto of the other party's prompt and complete performance, or breach or violation, of any term or provision of this Agreement shall be effected solely in a writing signed by such party, and shall not operate nor be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach or violation, and the waiver by any party hereto to exercise any right or remedy which he or it may possess shall not operate nor be construed as the waiver of such right or remedy by such party, or as a bar to the exercise of such right or remedy by such party, upon the occurrence of any subsequent breach or violation.


 


(j)           Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in two or more separate counterparts, each of which shall be an original, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.


 


(k)           Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.  The Restricted Stock granted hereunder is intended to be exempt from Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Treasury regulations and other official guidance promulgated thereunder.


 












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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.


 








CLS HOLDINGS USA, INC.












By:  /s/ Jeffrey I. Binder                                


  Jeffrey I. Binder


  Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer


Date: 4/28/15                               


Agreed and Accepted:


 


RECIPIENT:


 


By:        /s/ Michael Abrams                                                  


Michael Abrams


 


Date:       4/28/15                                              


 









 




  





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