exv10w44






Exhibit 10.44




SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED RETENTION AND OWNERSHIP CHANGE EVENT

AGREEMENT




     This Second Amended and Restated Retention and Ownership Change Event Agreement
(“Agreement”) is made effective as of the last date set forth below by and between
Immersion Corporation (the “Company”) and G. Craig Vachon (“Executive”).



RECITALS




     Executive and the Company entered into a Retention and Ownership Change Event
Agreement dated as of October 30, 2008 (the “Original Agreement”).



     On June 16, 2009, the parties amended the Original Agreement to make
minor modifications to the terms (the “Amended Agreement”);



     The Board and Executive now wish to amend the Amended Agreement as provided
herein.



AGREEMENT




     In recognition thereof, the parties now agree as
follows:



     1. Definitions. For
purposes of this Agreement:



          (a) “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:



               (i) any “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) becomes the
“beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act),
directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty
percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s then-outstanding
securities entitled to vote generally in the election of the Company’s Board of
Directors; provided, however, that the following acquisitions shall not constitute a
Change in Control: (1) an acquisition by any such person who on the effective date of
such transaction is the beneficial owner of more than fifty percent (50%) of such
voting power, (2) any acquisition directly from the Company, including, without
limitation, a public offering of securities, (3) any acquisition by the Company, (4)
any acquisition by a trustee or other fiduciary under an employee benefit plan of the
Company or (5) any acquisition by an entity owned directly or indirectly by the
stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership
of the voting securities of the Company; or



               (ii) an Ownership Change Event or series of related Ownership Change Events
(collectively, a “Transaction”) in which the stockholders of the Company immediately
before the Transaction do not retain immediately after the Transaction direct or
indirect beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined
voting power of the outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election
of Directors or, in the case of an Ownership Change Event described
in Section 1(c)(iii), the entity to which the assets of the Company were transferred (the
“Transferee”), as the case may be; or



               (iii) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company;



 









 




provided, however, that a Change in Control shall be deemed not to include a transaction described
in subsections (i) or (ii) of this Section 1 (a) in which a majority of the members of the Board of
Directors of the continuing, surviving or successor entity, or parent thereof, immediately after
such transaction is comprised of incumbent members. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent
that any amount that constitutes deferred compensation subject to and not exempted from the
requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 409A”),
would become payable under this Agreement by reason of a Change in Control, such amount shall
become payable only if the event constituting a Change in Control would also constitute a change in
ownership or effective control of the Company or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion
of the assets of the Company within the meaning of Section 409A.




          (b) “Good Reason” means any of the following conditions, which condition(s) remain(s) in
effect thirty (30) days after written notice to the Board or the Company’s Chief Executive Officer
from Executive of such condition(s):



               (i) a
material decrease in Executive’s base salary, other than a
material decrease that applies generally to other executives of the Company at Executive’s level;



               (ii) a material, adverse change in the Executive’s title, authority, responsibilities, or
duties; or



               (iii) the relocation of the Executive’s work place for the Company to a location that is more
than forty (40) miles distant from Executive’s present work location for the Company;


provided, that such written notice must be given within thirty (30) days following the first
occurrence of any of the good reason conditions set forth in this subsection (b) and the
Executive’s resignation must occur within six (6) months following the first occurrence of the good
reason condition.




          (c) “Ownership Change Event” means the occurrence of any of the following with respect to the
Company: (i) the direct or indirect sale or exchange in a single or series of related transactions
by the stockholders of the Company of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting stock of the
Company; (ii) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is a party; or (iii) the sale,
exchange, or transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (other than a sale,
exchange or transfer to one or more subsidiaries of the Company).



          (d) a
termination for “Cause” means Executive’s termination based upon (1) Executive’s theft,
dishonesty, misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty, or falsification of any Company documents or
records; (2) Executive’s material failure to abide by the Company’s code of conduct or other
policies (including, without limitation, policies relating to confidentiality and reasonable
workplace conduct); (3) Executive’s unauthorized use, misappropriation, destruction or diversion of
any tangible or intangible asset or corporate opportunity of the Company (including, without
limitation, Executive’s improper use or disclosure of the Company’s confidential or proprietary
information); (4) any intentional act by the Executive that has a material detrimental effect on
the Company’s reputation or business; (5) Executive’s repeated failure or inability to perform any
reasonable assigned duties after written notice from the Company of, and a reasonable opportunity
to cure, such failure or inability; (6) Executive’s



			
	 
	 
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conviction (including any plea of guilty or nolo contendere) for any criminal act that impairs
Executive’s ability to perform his duties for the Company.




          (e) “Separation from Service” shall have the meaning determined by Treasury Regulations
issued pursuant to Section 409A.




     2. Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason. In the event that
the Company or its successor terminates Executive’s employment without Cause or Executive resigns
for Good Reason and Executive is not entitled to receive the severance pay and benefits described
in Section 3 below, Executive will be entitled to receive the following payment and benefits,
provided that prior to the sixtieth (60th) day following the date of such termination Executive has
signed a general release of known and unknown claims in a form satisfactory to the Company, and the
period for revocation has lapsed without the general release having been revoked:



          (a) payment in a lump sum on the sixtieth (60th) day following Executive’s termination of
employment of an amount equal to six (6) months’ base salary at Executive’s final base salary rate,
subject to applicable withholding; and




          (b) commencing on the sixtieth (60th) day following Executive’s termination of employment,
payment of the premiums (including reimbursement to Executive of any such premiums paid by
Executive during such sixty (60) day period) necessary to continue Executive’s and dependents group
health insurance coverage under COBRA until the earlier of (i) six (6) months following Executive’s
termination date, or (ii) the date on which Executive first becomes eligible to obtain other group
health insurance coverage. Thereafter, Executive may elect to purchase continued group health
insurance coverage at his own expense in accordance with COBRA.
Notwithstanding the foregoing,
payment of such premiums shall not commence unless and until Executive has incurred a Separation
from Service.




     In the event that a Change in Control constituting a change in ownership or effective control
of the Company or a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Company
within the meaning of Section 409A (a “Section 409A Change in Control Event”) occurs on or before
the ninetieth (90th) day following a date on which Executive experiences a termination of
employment in connection with which Executive is entitled to receive the payment provided by
Section 2(a), Executive will be entitled to receive the following additional payment and benefits:



          (c) payment on the sixtieth (60th) day following the Section 409A Change in Control Event of
an amount equal to six (6) months’ base salary at Executive’s final base salary rate, subject to
applicable withholding; and




          (d) commencing with the seventh (7th) month following Executive’s termination of employment,
payment of the premiums necessary to continue Executive’s and dependents group health insurance
coverage under COBRA until the earlier of (i) twelve (12) months following Executive’s termination
date, or (ii) the date on which Executive first becomes eligible to obtain other group health
insurance coverage. Thereafter, Executive may elect to purchase continued group health insurance
coverage at his own expense in accordance with COBRA. Notwithstanding the foregoing, payment of
such premiums shall not commence unless and until Executive has incurred a Separation from Service.




      



			
	 
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     3. Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason Due to a Change in
Control. In the event that, within one (1) year following a Change in Control, the
Company or its successor terminates Executive’s employment without Cause or Executive resigns for Good
Reason, Executive will be entitled to receive the following payment and benefits, provided
that prior to the sixtieth (60th) day following the date of such termination Executive has signed a
general release of known and unknown claims in a form satisfactory to the Company, and the
period for revocation has lapsed without the general release having been revoked:



          (a) payment in a lump sum on the sixtieth (60th) day following Executive’s termination of
employment of an amount equal to twelve (12) months’ base salary at Executive’s final base salary
rate, subject to applicable withholding;




          (b) commencing on the sixtieth (60th) day following Executive’s termination of employment,
payment of the premiums (including reimbursement to Executive of any such premiums paid by
Executive during such sixty (60) day period) necessary to continue Executive’s and dependents group
health insurance coverage under COBRA until the earlier of (i) twelve (12) months following
Executive’s termination date, or (ii) the date on which Executive first becomes eligible to obtain
other group health insurance coverage. Thereafter, Executive may elect to purchase continued group
health insurance coverage at his own expense in accordance with COBRA. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, payment of such premiums shall not commence unless and until Executive has incurred a
Separation from Service; and




          (c) immediate vesting in fifty percent (50%) of his then unvested Company equity awards




     4. Voluntary Termination. In the event that Executive resigns from his employment with
the Company at any time (other than a resignation for Good Reason during the period covered by
Section 2 or Section 3), or in the event that Executive’s employment terminates at any time as a
result of his death or disability (meaning Executive is unable to perform his duties for any
consecutive six (6) month period, with or without reasonable accommodation, as a result of a physical and/or mental impairment), Executive will
be entitled to no compensation or benefits from the Company other than those earned through the
date of Executive’s termination. Executive agrees that if he resigns from his employment with the
Company, he will provide the Company with 20 calendar days’ written notice of such resignation. The
Company may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive all or any part of such notice period and
accept the Executive’s resignation at an earlier date.



     5. Termination for Cause. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company at
any time for Cause as defined above in paragraph 1, Executive will be entitled to no compensation
or benefits from the Company other than those earned through the date of his termination for Cause.



     6. Compliance With Section 409A.



          (a) Notwithstanding anything set forth herein to the contrary, no amount payable pursuant
to Section 2 or Section 3 of the Agreement which constitutes a “deferral of compensation” within
the meaning of Treasury Regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 409A (the “Section 409A
Regulations”) shall be paid unless and until Executive has
incurred a Separation from Service.
Furthermore, to the extent that Executive is a “specified employee” of




      



			
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the Company as of the date of Executive’s Separation from Service, and to the extent required
by the Section 409A Regulations, no amount that constitutes a deferral of compensation which is
payable on account of the Employee’s Separation from Service shall be paid to Executive before the
date (the “Delayed Payment Date”) which is the first day of the seventh month after the date of
Executive’s Separation from Service or, if earlier, the date of Executive’s death following such
Separation from Service. All such amounts that would, but for this paragraph, become payable prior
to the Delayed Payment Date will be accumulated and paid on the Delayed Payment Date. To the extent
that any provision of this Agreement is ambiguous as to its compliance with Section 409A, the
provision will be read in such a manner so that all payments hereunder comply with Section 409A.
Payments pursuant to this section are intended to constitute separate payments for purposes of
Section 1.409A-2(b)(2) of the Section 409A Regulations.




          (b) The parties intend that the payments and benefits provided to Executive pursuant to
this Agreement be paid in compliance with Section 409A so that no excise tax is incurred under
Section 409A. To the extent permitted by Section 409A and the Section 409A Regulations, the parties
agree to modify this Agreement, the timing (but not the amount(s)) of the payments or benefits
provided herein, or both, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A.




     7. At-Will Employment. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement, the
parties acknowledge and agree that Executive’s employment with the Company is and shall continue to
be “at-will.”



     8. Dispute Resolution. In the event of any dispute or claim between the parties,
including any claims relating to or arising out of this Agreement or the termination of Executive’s
employment with the Company for any reason, Executive and the Company agree that all such disputes
shall be fully resolved by binding arbitration conducted by the American Arbitration Association
(“AAA”) in Santa Clara County, under the AAA’s National Rules for the Resolution of Employment
Disputes then in effect, which are available online at the AAA’s website at www.adr.org.
Executive and the Company each acknowledge and agree that they are waiving their respective rights
to have any such disputes or claims tried by a judge or jury.



     9. Notices. Notices and all other communications contemplated by this Agreement shall
be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given when personally delivered or when
received if mailed by U.S. registered or certified mail, return receipt requested and postage
prepaid. In the case of the Executive, mailed notices shall be addressed to the Executive at the
home address which the Executive most recently communicated to the Company in writing. In the case
of the Company, mailed notices shall be addressed to its corporate headquarters, and all notices
shall be directed to the attention of its Chief Executive Officer.



     10. Successors.



          (a) Company’s Successors. Any successor to the Company (whether direct or
indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or purchase of all or
substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets) shall assume the Company’s obligations
under this Agreement in writing and agree expressly to perform the Company’s obligations under this
Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform
such obligations in the absence of a succession. For all purposes




      



			
	 
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under this Agreement, the term “Company” shall include any successor to the Company’s business
and/or assets which executes and delivers the assumption agreement described in this subsection (a)
or which becomes bound by the terms of this Agreement by operation of law.




          (b) Executive’s Successors. Without the written consent of the Company, the
Executive shall not assign or transfer this Agreement or any right or obligation under this
Agreement to any other person or entity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the terms of this Agreement
and all rights of the Executive hereunder shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, the
Executive’s personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs,
distributees, devisees and legatees.




     11. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate in the event that Executive is no
longer part of the executive team of the Company as determined by the Board of Directors and
does not terminate service for Good Reason.



     12. Miscellaneous Provisions.



          (a) No Duty to Mitigate. The Executive shall not be required to mitigate the amount of
any payment contemplated by this Agreement, nor shall any such payment be reduced by any earnings
that the Executive may receive from any other source.




          (b)
Modification/Waiver. No provision of this Agreement may be amended, modified,
waived or discharged unless the amendment, modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in
writing and signed by the Executive and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than
Executive). No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or
provision of this Agreement by the other party shall be considered a waiver of any other condition
or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.




          (c) Integration. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding
between the parties regarding Executive’s retention and severance benefits, and it supersedes all
prior or contemporaneous agreements, whether written or oral, regarding that subject matter,
including the Original Agreement.




          (d) Choice of Law. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this
Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California.




          (e) Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of
this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof, which
shall remain in full force and effect.




          (f) Employment Taxes. All payments made pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to
withholding of applicable income and employment taxes.




          (g) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall
be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.




      



			
	 
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THE PARTIES SIGNING BELOW HAVE READ THE FOREGOING AGREEMENT AND FULLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO
EACH AND EVERY PROVISION CONTAINED HEREIN.




	 	 	 	 	 
	 	 	 
	Dated:  23 Feb 10  	/s/ G. Craig Vachon
 	 
	 	G. Craig Vachon 	 
	 	 	 
	 



	 	 	 	 	 
	 	Immersion Corporation

 	 
	Dated: 3/1/10 	By:  	/s/ Victor Viegas
 	 
	 	 	Its: Interim CEO 	 
	 	 	 	 
	 



			
	 	 	 
	 
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