EXHIBIT 10.4


 


GENERAL
RELEASE


 


I,
Edwin Lewis, in consideration of and subject to the performance by GT Solar
International, Inc., a Delaware corporation (together with its
subsidiaries, the “Company”), of its obligations under the Employment
Agreement, dated as of November 7,
2007 between the Company and me (the “Agreement”), do hereby
release and forever discharge as of the date hereof (on behalf of myself, my
heirs, executors, administrators and assigns) the Company and its affiliates
and all present and former directors, officers, agents, representatives,
employees, employee benefit plans and plan fiduciaries, successors and assigns
of the Company and its affiliates, and the Company’s direct or indirect owners
(collectively, the “Released Parties”) to the extent provided below.


 


1.                                       I understand
that any payments or benefits paid or granted to me under paragraph 4(b) of
the Agreement represent, in part, consideration for signing this General
Release and are not salary, wages or benefits to which I was already entitled.
I understand and agree that I will not receive the payments and benefits
specified in paragraph 4(b) of the Agreement unless I execute this General
Release and do not revoke this General Release within the time period permitted
hereafter or breach this General Release. 
Such payments and benefits will not be considered compensation for
purposes of any employee benefit plan, program, policy or arrangement
maintained or hereafter established by the Company or its affiliates.  I also acknowledge and represent that I have
received all payments and benefits that I am entitled to receive (as of the
date hereof) by virtue of any employment by the Company.


 


2.                                       Except as
provided in paragraph 4 below, and except for the provisions of my Employment
Agreement which expressly survive the termination of my employment with the
Company, and except for any rights I may have for indemnification under
applicable law, Article EIGHT of the Company’s Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation and any applicable Directors and Officers
Liability Insurance, I knowingly and voluntarily (for myself, my heirs,
executors, administrators and assigns) release and forever discharge the
Company and the other Released Parties from any and all claims, suits,
controversies, actions, causes of action, cross-claims, counter-claims,
demands, debts, compensatory damages, liquidated damages, punitive or exemplary
damages, other damages, claims for costs and attorneys’ fees, or liabilities of
any nature whatsoever in law and in equity, both past and present (through the
date this General Release becomes effective and enforceable) and whether known
or unknown, suspected, or claimed against the Company or any of the Released
Parties which I, my spouse, or any of my heirs, executors, administrators or
assigns, may have, including, but not limited to, any and all claims that arise
out of or are connected with my employment with, or my separation or
termination from, the Company (including, but not limited to, any allegation,
claim or violation, arising under: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., the Americans With Disabilities
Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.,
the Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.,
the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq.,
Section 806 of the Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Act of
2002, 18 U.S.C. 1514(A), the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.,
Executive Order 11246, Executive Order 11141, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
29 U.S.C. § 701, et seq.,  the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.,
the New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination, N.H. Rev. Stat.
Ann. § 354-A:1 et seq., N.H. Rev. Stat.
Ann. § 275:36 et seq. (New Hampshire equal pay
law), and the New Hampshire Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, N.H. Rev. Stat.
Ann. § 275-E:1 et seq., all as amended; or under
any other federal, state or local civil or 


 

















 


human
rights law, or under any other local, state, or federal law, regulation or
ordinance; or under any public policy, contract or tort, or under common law;
or arising under any policies, practices or procedures of the Company; or any
claim for wrongful discharge, breach of contract, infliction of emotional
distress, defamation; or any claim for costs, fees, or other expenses,
including attorneys’ fees incurred in these matters) (all of the foregoing
collectively referred to herein as the “Claims”); provided, however,
that nothing in this General Release prevents me from filing a charge with,
cooperating with or participating in any proceeding before the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission or a state fair employment practices agency (except that
I acknowledge that I will not be able to recover any monetary benefits in
connection with any such claim, charge or proceeding).


 


3.                                       I represent
that I have made no assignment or transfer of any right, claim, demand, cause
of action, or other matter covered by paragraph 2 above.


 


4.                                       I agree that
this General Release does not waive or release any rights or claims that I may
have under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 which arise after
the date I execute this General Release. I acknowledge and agree that my
separation from employment with the Company shall not serve as the basis for
any claim or action (including, without limitation, any claim under the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967).


 


5.                                       In signing this
General Release, I acknowledge and intend that it shall be effective as a bar
to each and every one of the Claims hereinabove mentioned or implied, except as
otherwise provided in paragraph 2 above. I expressly consent that this General
Release shall be given full force and effect according to each and all of its
express terms and provisions, including those relating to unknown and
unsuspected Claims (notwithstanding any state statute that expressly limits the
effectiveness of a general release of unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
Claims), if any, as well as those relating to any other Claims hereinabove
mentioned or implied. I acknowledge and agree that this waiver is an essential
and material term of this General Release and that without such waiver the
Company would not have agreed to the terms of the Agreement.  I further agree that in the event I should
bring a Claim seeking damages against the Company, or in the event I should
seek to recover against the Company in any Claim brought by a governmental
agency on my behalf, this General Release shall serve as a complete defense to
any monetary relief related to any such Claims. I further agree that I am not
aware of any pending claim of the type described in paragraph 2 as of the
execution of this General Release, except as provided in paragraph 2 above.


 


6.                                       I agree that
neither this General Release, nor the furnishing of the consideration for this
General Release, shall be deemed or construed at any time to be an admission by
the Company, any Released Party or myself of any improper or unlawful conduct.


 


7.                                       I agree that,
if I breach this General Release, I will (i) return to the Company any
amount paid by the Company in connection with my separation or termination from
the Company and pursuant to this Agreement, (ii) forfeit all remaining
amounts payable by the Company pursuant to the Agreement, and (iii) pay
all costs and expenses of the Released Parties associated with enforcing this
General Release.


 


8.                                       I agree that I
will not, directly or indirectly through another person or entity, disparage,
criticize, defame, slander or otherwise make any negative statements or
communications regarding the Company or its affiliates or their respective past
and present investors, officers, directors or employees.  I further agree that as of the date hereof, I
have returned to the Company any and all property, tangible or intangible,
relating to its business, which I possessed or had control over at 


 


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any
time (including, but not limited to, company-provided credit cards, building or
office access cards, keys, computer equipment, manuals, files, documents,
records, software, customer data base and other data) and that I shall not
retain any copies, compilations, extracts, excerpts, summaries or other notes
of any such manuals, files, documents, records, software, customer data base or
other data.  I acknowledge and reaffirm
my obligations under paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of the Agreement, including, but not
limited to, my obligation to keep confidential and not to disclose any and all
non-public information concerning the Company that I acquired during the course
of my employment with the Company, as well as my non-competition and
non-solicitation obligations; provided, however, that I understand
and acknowledge that my non-competition obligations only restrict my employment
or engagement in a business capacity at a business or entity competing with the
businesses of the Company or its subsidiaries and that such restrictions will
not restrict my right to practice law following the termination of my
employment with the Company.


 


9.                                       Notwithstanding
anything in this General Release to the contrary, this General Release shall
not relinquish, diminish, or in any way affect any rights or claims arising out
of any breach by the Company or by any Released Party of the Agreement after
the date hereof.


 


10.                                 Whenever
possible, each provision of this General Release shall be interpreted in, such
manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision
of this General Release is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any
respect under any applicable law or rule in any jurisdiction, such
invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision
or any other jurisdiction, but this General Release shall be reformed,
construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such invalid, illegal or
unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.


 


BY SIGNING THIS GENERAL RELEASE, I REPRESENT AND AGREE THAT:


 


1.                                       I HAVE READ IT CAREFULLY;


 


2.                                       I UNDERSTAND ALL OF ITS
TERMS AND KNOW THAT I AM GIVING UP IMPORTANT RIGHTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, RIGHTS UNDER THE AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ACT OF 1967, AS AMENDED,
TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, AS AMENDED; THE EQUAL PAY ACT OF
1963, THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990; AND THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT
INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED;


 


3.                                       I VOLUNTARILY CONSENT TO
EVERYTHING IN IT;


 


4.                                       I HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO
CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY BEFORE EXECUTING IT;


 


5.                                       I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ALL TIME
PERIODS REQUIRED BY LAW TO CONSIDER THIS GENERAL RELEASE, INCLUDING THE 21-DAY
PERIOD REQUIRED BY THE AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ACT;


 


6.                                       I UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE
SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE EXECUTION OF THIS RELEASE TO REVOKE IT, AND SUCH
REVOCATION MUST BE IN WRITING AND DELIVERED TO BRIAN LOGUE BEFORE THE
EXPIRATION OF THE REVOCATION PERIOD, AND THAT THIS RELEASE SHALL NOT BECOME
EFFECTIVE OR ENFORCEABLE UNTIL THE REVOCATION PERIOD HAS EXPIRED;


 


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7.                                       I HAVE SIGNED THIS GENERAL
RELEASE KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY AND WITH THE ADVICE OF ANY COUNSEL RETAINED
TO ADVISE ME WITH RESPECT TO IT; AND


 


8.                                       I AGREE THAT THE PROVISIONS
OF THIS GENERAL RELEASE MAY NOT BE AMENDED, WAIVED, CHANGED OR MODIFIED
EXCEPT BY AN INSTRUMENT IN WRITING SIGNED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE COMPANY AND BY ME.


 


 


	
  DATE:

  	
  December 17, 2008

  	
   

  	
  /s/Edwin L. Lewis

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
  EDWIN LEWIS

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
  On behalf of GT Solar
  International, Inc.

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
  DATE:

  	
  December 18, 2008

  	
   

  	
  /s/Brian Logue

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
  BRIAN LOGUE

  



 


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