Document:

Exhibit 10.3

 

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED

2004 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
  OF
  DEPOMED, INC.

 

(As Amended and Restated on December 20, 2011 and February 12, 2016)

 

1. Purpose of this Plan

 

The purpose of this Second Amended and Restated 2004 Equity Incentive Plan is to enhance the long-term shareholder value of Depomed, Inc. by offering opportunities to eligible participants to share in the growth in value of the equity of Depomed, Inc. and to provide incentives to eligible Employees, Company Directors and Consultants to contribute to the success of the Company.

 

2. Definitions and Rules of Interpretation

 

2.1 Definitions. This Plan uses the following defined terms:

 

(a) “Administrator” means the Board, the Committee, or any officer or employee of the Company to whom the Board or the Committee delegates authority to administer this Plan.

 

(b) “Affiliate” means a “parent” or “subsidiary” (as each is defined in Section 424 of the Code) of the Company and any other entity that the Board or Committee designates as an “Affiliate” for purposes of this Plan.

 

(c) “Applicable Law” means any and all laws of whatever jurisdiction, within or without the United States, and the rules of any stock exchange or quotation system on which Shares are listed or quoted, applicable to the taking or refraining from taking of any action under this Plan, including the administration of this Plan and the issuance or transfer of Awards or Award Shares.

 

(d) “Award” means a Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit or Option granted in accordance with the terms of this Plan.

 

(e) “Award Agreement” means the document evidencing the grant of an Award.

 

(f) “Award Shares” means Shares covered by an outstanding Award or purchased under an Award.

 

(g) “Awardee” means: (i) a person to whom an Award has been granted, including a holder of a Substitute Award, (ii) a person to whom an Award has been transferred in accordance with all applicable requirements of Sections 6.5, 7(h), and 17, or (iii) a person who holds Award Shares subject to a right of repurchase under Section 16.2.

 

(h) “Board” means the board of directors of the Company.

 

(i) “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any one of the following in a transaction or series of related transactions:

(i) the consummation of any merger,  or consolidation or similar transaction involving the Company (“Merger”), if following such Merger the holders of the Company’s outstanding voting securities immediately prior to such Merger do not own a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the surviving corporation in approximately the same proportion as before such Merger (and in such event, excluding the ownership of any person (or any other person acting in concert with such person) whose ownership percentage increased as a result of such Merger);

 

(ii) individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date hereof whose election by the Board was approved by a

 

 

vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of or in connection with an election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a person other than the Board;

 

(iii)  the consummation of any sale, lease, exchange, exclusive license or other transfer in one transaction or a series of related transactions of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, other than a transfer of the Company’s assets to a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company or any other entity the majority of whose voting power is held by the shareholders of the Company in approximately the same proportion as before such transaction;

 

(iv)  the liquidation or dissolution of the Company;

 

(v)  the acquisition by a person, as defined in Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time (the “Exchange Act”), and including a group of persons within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, of a majority or more of the Company’s outstanding voting securities (whether directly or indirectly, beneficially or of record); or

 

(vi) such other transaction as may be determined by the Board in good faith to constitute a change in control either (A) of the ownership or effective control of the voting securities of the Company or (B) of all or substantially all of the assets or the business of the Company.

 

Ownership of voting securities shall take into account and shall include ownership as determined by applying Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) (or any successor thereto) pursuant to the Exchange Act.  If required for compliance with Section 409A of the Code, in no event will a Change in Control be deemed to have occurred if such transaction is not also a “change in the ownership or effective control” of the Company or change in the “ownership of a substantial portion of the assets” of the Company as determined under U.S. Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5) (without regard to any alternative definition thereunder).

 

(j) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

 

(k) “Committee” means a committee composed of Company Directors appointed in accordance with the Company’s charter documents and Section 4.

 

(l) “Company” means Depomed, Inc., a California corporation.

 

(m) “Company Director” means a member of the Board.

 

(n) “Consultant” means an individual who provides bona fide services to the Company or an Affiliate not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction, but who is not an Employee.

 

(o) “Director” means a member of the board of directors of the Company or an Affiliate.

 

(p) “Divestiture” means any transaction or event that the Board specifies as a Divestiture under Section 10.5.

 

(q) “Domestic Relations Order” means a “domestic relations order” as defined in, and otherwise meeting the requirements of, Section 414(p) of the Code, except that reference to a “plan” in that definition shall be to this Plan.

 

(r) “Employee” means a regular employee of the Company or an Affiliate, including an Officer, who is treated as an employee in the personnel records of the Company or an Affiliate, but not individuals who are classified by the Company or an Affiliate as: (i) leased from or otherwise employed by a third party,

 

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(ii) independent contractors, or (iii) intermittent or temporary workers. The Company’s or an Affiliate’s classification of an individual as an “Employee” (or as not an “Employee”) for purposes of this Plan shall not be altered retroactively even if that classification is changed retroactively for another purpose as a result of an audit, litigation or otherwise. An Awardee shall not cease to be an Employee due to transfers between locations of the Company, or between the Company and an Affiliate, or to any successor to the Company or an Affiliate that assumes the Awardee’s Options under Section 10. Neither service as a Director nor receipt of a director’s fee shall be sufficient to make a Director an “Employee.”

 

(s) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

(t) “Executive” means, if the Company has any class of any equity security registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, an individual who is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act or who is a “covered employee” under Section 162(m) of the Code, in either case because of the individual’s relationship with the Company or an Affiliate. If the Company does not have any class of any equity security registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, “Executive” means any officer elected or appointed by the Board.

 

(u) “Expiration Date” means, with respect to an Award, the date stated in the Award Agreement as the expiration date of the Award or, if no such date is stated in the Award Agreement, then the last day of the maximum exercise period for the Award, disregarding the effect of an Awardee’s Termination or any other event that would shorten that period.

 

(v) “Fair Market Value” means the value of Shares or Marketable Securities as determined under Section 18.2.

 

(w) “Fundamental Transaction” means any transaction or event described in Section 10.3.

 

(x) “Grant Date” means the date the Administrator approves the grant of an Award. However, if the Administrator specifies that an Award’s Grant Date is a future date or the date on which a condition is satisfied, the Grant Date for such Award is that future date or the date that the condition is satisfied.

 

(y) “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code and designated as an Incentive Stock Option in the Award Agreement for that Option.

 

(z)  “Marketable Securities” means a class of equity securities actively traded on an established securities exchange.

 

(aa) “Nonstatutory Option” means any Option other than an Incentive Stock Option.

 

(bb) “Non-Employee Director” means any person who is a member of the Board but is not an Employee of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company and has not been an Employee of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company at any time during the preceding twelve months. Service as a Director does not in itself constitute employment for purposes of this definition.

 

(cc) “Objectively Determinable Performance Condition” shall mean a performance condition (i) that is established (A) at the time an Award is granted or (B) no later than the earlier of (1) 90 days after the beginning of the period of service to which it relates, or (2) before the elapse of 25% of the period of service to which it relates, (ii) that is uncertain of achievement at the time it is established, and (iii) the achievement of which is determinable by a third party with knowledge of the relevant facts. Examples of measures that may be used in Objectively Determinable Performance Conditions include achievement of a Company goal, net order dollars, net profit dollars, net profit growth, net revenue dollars, revenue growth, individual performance, earnings per share, return on assets, return on equity, and other financial objectives, objective customer satisfaction indicators and efficiency measures, each with respect to the Company and/or an Affiliate or individual business unit.

 

(dd) “Officer” means an officer of the Company as defined in Rule 16a-1 adopted under the Exchange Act.

 

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(ee) “Option” means a right to purchase Shares of the Company granted under this Plan.

 

(ff) “Option Price” means the price payable under an Option for Shares, not including any amount payable in respect of withholding or other taxes.

 

(gg) “Option Shares” means Shares covered by an outstanding Option or purchased under an Option.

 

(hh) “Plan” means this Second Amended and Restated 2004 Equity Incentive Plan of Depomed, Inc.

 

(ii) “Purchase Price” means the price payable under a Stock Award for Shares, not including any amount payable in respect of withholding or other taxes.

 

(jj)  “Restricted Stock Unit” means a bookkeeping entry representing an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share, granted pursuant to Section 8.2.  Each Restricted Stock Unit represents an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company.

 

(kk) “Reverse Vesting” means that an Option is or was fully exercisable but that, subject to a “reverse” vesting schedule, the Company has a right to repurchase the Option Shares as specified in Section 16.2(a), with the Company’s right of repurchase expiring in accordance with a “forward” vesting schedule that would otherwise have applied to the Option under which the Option Shares were purchased or in accordance with some other vesting schedule described in the Award Agreement.

 

(ll) “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 adopted under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.

 

(mm) “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933.

 

(nn) “Share” means a share of the common stock of the Company or other securities substituted for the common stock under Section 10.

 

(oo) “Stock Award” means an offer by the Company to sell shares subject to certain restrictions pursuant to the Award Agreement as described in Section 8. A Stock Award does not include an option.

 

(pp) “Substitute Award” means a Substitute Option, Substitute Restricted Stock Unit or Substitute Stock Award granted in accordance with the terms of this Plan.

 

(qq) “Substitute Option” means an Option granted in substitution for, or upon the conversion of, an option granted by another entity to purchase equity securities in the granting entity.

 

(rr) “Substitute Restricted Stock Unit” means a Restricted Stock Unit granted in substitution for, or upon the conversion of, a restricted stock unit award granted by another entity to purchase or otherwise receive equity securities in the granting entity.

 

(ss) “Substitute Stock Award” means a Stock Award granted in substitution for, or upon the conversion of, a stock award granted by another entity to purchase equity securities in the granting entity.

 

(tt) “Ten Percent Shareholder” means any person who, directly or by attribution under Section 424(d) of the Code, owns stock possessing more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Affiliate on the Grant Date.

 

(uu) “Termination” means that the Awardee has ceased to be, with or without any cause or reason, an Employee, Director or Consultant. However, unless so determined by the Administrator, or otherwise provided in this Plan, “Termination” shall not include a change in status from an Employee, Consultant or Director to another such status. An event that causes an Affiliate to cease being an Affiliate shall be treated as the “Termination” of that Affiliate’s Employees, Directors, and Consultants.

 

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2.2 Rules of Interpretation. Any reference to a “Section,” without more, is to a Section of this Plan. Captions and titles are used for convenience in this Plan and shall not, by themselves, determine the meaning of this Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular includes the plural and vice versa. Any reference to a statute is also a reference to the applicable rules and regulations adopted under that statute. Any reference to a statute, rule or regulation, or to a section of a statute, rule or regulation, is a reference to that statute, rule, regulation, or section as amended from time to time, both before and after the effective date of this Plan and including any successor provisions.

 

3. Shares Subject to this Plan; Term of this Plan

 

3.1 Number of Award Shares. The Shares issuable under this Plan shall be authorized but unissued or reacquired Shares, including but not limited to Shares repurchased by the Company on the open market. Subject to adjustment under Section 10, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under this Plan is 9,250,000. When an Award is granted, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under this Plan shall be reduced by the number of Shares covered by that Award. However, if an Award later terminates or expires without having been exercised in full, the maximum number of shares that may be issued under this Plan shall be increased by the number of Shares that were covered by, but not purchased under, that Award. By contrast, the repurchase of Shares by the Company shall not increase the maximum number of Shares that may be issued under this Plan.

 

3.2 Term of this Plan.

 

(a) This Plan shall be effective on, and Awards may be granted under this Plan after, the date it has been both adopted by the Board and approved by the Company’s shareholders (the “Effective Date”).

 

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 14, Awards may be granted under this Plan for a period of ten years from the earlier of the date on which the Board approves this Plan and the date the Company’s shareholders approve this Plan. Accordingly, Awards may not be granted under this Plan after ten years from the earlier of those dates.

 

4. Administration

 

4.1 General.

 

(a) The Board shall have ultimate responsibility for administering this Plan. The Board may delegate certain of its responsibilities to a Committee, which shall consist of at least two members of the Board. The Board or the Committee may further delegate its responsibilities to any Employee of the Company or any Affiliate. Where this Plan specifies that an action is to be taken or a determination made by the Board, only the Board may take that action or make that determination. Where this Plan specifies that an action is to be taken or a determination made by the Committee, only the Committee may take that action or make that determination. Where this Plan references the “Administrator,” the action may be taken or determination made by the Board, the Committee, or other Administrator. However, only the Board or the Committee may approve grants of Awards to Executives and such other participants as may be specifically designated by the Board, and an Administrator other than the Board or the Committee may grant Awards only within guidelines established by the Board or Committee. Moreover, all actions and determinations by any Administrator are subject to the provisions of this Plan.

 

(b) So long as the Company has registered and outstanding a class of equity securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, the Committee shall consist of Company Directors who are “Non-Employee Directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 and, after the expiration of any transition period permitted by Treasury Regulations Section 1.162-27(h)(3), who are “outside directors” as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

4.2 Authority of the Administrator. Subject to the other provisions of this Plan, the Administrator shall have the authority to:

 

(a) grant Awards, including Substitute Awards;

 

(b) determine the Fair Market Value of Shares;

 

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(c) determine the Option Price and the Purchase Price of Awards;

 

(d) select the Awardees;

 

(e) determine the times Awards are granted;

 

(f) determine the number of Shares subject to each Award;

 

(g) determine the methods of payment that may be used to purchase Award Shares;

 

(h) determine the methods of payment that may be used to satisfy withholding tax obligations;

 

(i) determine the other terms of each Award, including but not limited to the time or times at which Awards may be exercised, whether and under what conditions an Award is assignable, and whether an Option is a Nonstatutory Option or an Incentive Stock Option;

 

(j) modify or amend any Award;

 

(k) authorize any person to sign any Award Agreement or other document related to this Plan on behalf of the Company;

 

(l) determine the form of any Award Agreement or other document related to this Plan, and whether that document, including signatures, may be in electronic form;

 

(m) interpret this Plan and any Award Agreement or document related to this Plan;

 

(n) correct any defect, remedy any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency in this Plan, any Award Agreement or any other document related to this Plan;

 

(o) adopt, amend, and revoke rules and regulations under this Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans and Plan addenda;

 

(p) adopt, amend, and revoke special rules and procedures which may be inconsistent with the terms of this Plan, set forth (if the Administrator so chooses) in sub-plans regarding (for example) the operation and administration of this Plan and the terms of Awards, if and to the extent necessary or useful to accommodate non-U.S. Applicable Laws and practices as they apply to Awards and Award Shares held by, or granted or issued to, persons working or resident outside of the United States or employed by Affiliates incorporated outside the United States;

 

(q) in the case of the Board, determine whether a transaction or event should be treated as a Change in Control, a Divestiture or neither;

 

(r) determine the effect of a Fundamental Transaction and, if the Board determines that a transaction or event should be treated as a Change in Control or a Divestiture, then the effect of that Change in Control or Divestiture; and

 

(s) make all other determinations the Administrator deems necessary or advisable for the administration of this Plan.

 

4.3 Scope of Discretion. Subject to the last sentence of this Section 4.3, on all matters for which this Plan confers the authority, right or power on the Board, the Committee, or other Administrator to make decisions, that body may make those decisions. Those decisions will be final, binding and conclusive. Moreover, but again subject to the last sentence of this Section 4.3, in making those decisions, the Board, Committee or other Administrator need not treat all persons eligible to receive Awards, all Awardees, all Awards or all Award Shares the same way. However, except as provided in Section 14.3, the discretion of the Board, Committee or other Administrator is subject to the specific provisions and specific limitations of this Plan, as well as all rights conferred on specific Awardees by Award Agreements and other agreements.

 

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5. Participants Eligible to Receive Awards

 

5.1 Eligible Participants. Awards (including Substitute Awards) may be granted to, and only to, Employees, Directors and Consultants, including to prospective Employees, Directors and Consultants conditioned on the beginning of their service for the Company or an Affiliate. However, Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to Employees, as provided in Section 7(g).

 

5.2 Section 162(m) Limitation.

 

(a) Options. So long as the Company is a “publicly held corporation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code: (i) no Employee may be granted one or more Options within any fiscal year of the Company under this Plan to purchase more than 500,000 Shares under Options, subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 10, (ii) Options may be granted to an Executive only by the Committee (and, notwithstanding Section 4.1(a), not by the Board). If an Option is cancelled without being exercised or if the Option Price of an Option is reduced, that cancelled or repriced Option shall continue to be counted against the limit on Awards that may be granted to any participant under this Section 5.2. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in connection with his or her initial employment with the Company or an Affiliate, a new Employee or prospective Employee shall be eligible to receive up to a maximum of 750,000 Shares under Options (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 10), which Shares shall not be counted toward the 500,000 limitation set forth in this Section 5.2(a).

 

(b) Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units. Any Stock Award or Restricted Stock Unit intended as “qualified performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code must vest or become exercisable contingent on the achievement of one or more Objectively Determinable Performance Conditions. The Committee shall have the discretion to determine the time and manner of compliance with Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

6. Terms and Conditions of Options

 

The following rules apply to all Options:

 

6.1 Price.   In no event will the Option Price be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Grant Date. The Option Price of an Incentive Stock Option shall be subject to Section 7(f).

 

6.2 Term. No Option shall be exercisable after its Expiration Date. No Option may have an Expiration Date that is more than ten years after its Grant Date. Additional provisions regarding the term of Incentive Stock Options are provided in Sections 7(a) and 7(e).

 

6.3 Vesting. Options shall be exercisable: (a) on the Grant Date, or (b) in accordance with a schedule related to the Grant Date, the date the Awardee’s directorship, employment or consultancy begins, or a different date specified in the Award Agreement. If so provided in the Award Agreement, an Option may be exercisable subject to the application of Reverse Vesting to the Option Shares. Additional provisions regarding the vesting of Incentive Stock Options are provided in Section 7(c). No Option granted to an individual who is subject to the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act may be exercised before the expiration of six months after the Grant Date.

 

6.4 Form and Method of Payment.

 

(a) The Administrator shall determine the acceptable form and method of payment for exercising an Option.

 

(b) Acceptable forms of payment for all Option Shares are cash, check or wire transfer, denominated in U.S. dollars except as specified by the Administrator for non-U.S. Employees or non-U.S. sub-plans.

 

(c) In addition, the Administrator may permit payment to be made by any of the following methods:

 

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(i) other Shares, or the designation of other Shares, which have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the Option Price of the Shares as to which the Option is being exercised;

 

(ii) provided that a public market exists for the Shares, consideration received by the Company under a procedure under which a licensed broker-dealer advances funds on behalf of an Awardee or sells Option Shares on behalf of an Awardee (a “Cashless Exercise Procedure”), provided that if the Company extends or arranges for the extension of credit to an Awardee under any Cashless Exercise Procedure, no Officer or Director may participate in that Cashless Exercise Procedure;

 

(iii) subject to Section 6.4(e), one or more promissory notes meeting the requirements of Section 6.4(e);

 

(iv) cancellation of any debt owed by the Company or any Affiliate to the Awardee, including without limitation, waiver of compensation due or accrued for services previously rendered to the Company or an Affiliate; and

 

(v) any combination of the methods of payment permitted by any paragraph of this Section 6.4.

 

(d) The Administrator may also permit any other form or method of payment for Option Shares permitted by Applicable Law.

 

(e) The promissory notes referred to in Section 6.4(c)(iii) shall be full recourse unless the Administrator specifies otherwise. Unless the Administrator specifies otherwise after taking into account any relevant accounting issues, the promissory notes shall bear interest at a fair market value rate when the Option is exercised. Interest on the promissory notes shall also be at least sufficient to avoid imputation of interest under Sections 483, 1274, and 7872 of the Code. The promissory notes and their administration shall at all times comply with any applicable margin rules of the Federal Reserve. The promissory notes may also include such other terms as the Administrator specifies. Payment may not be made by promissory note by Officers or Directors if Shares are registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

 

6.5 Assignability of Options. Except as determined by the Administrator, no Option shall be assignable or otherwise transferable by the Awardee except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. However, Options may be transferred and exercised in accordance with a Domestic Relations Order and may be exercised by a guardian or conservator appointed to act for the Awardee. Incentive Stock Options may only be assigned in compliance with Section 7(h).

 

6.6 Substitute Options. The Board may cause the Company to grant Substitute Options in connection with the acquisition by the Company or an Affiliate of equity securities of any entity (including by merger, tender offer, or other similar transaction) or of all or a portion of the assets of any entity. Any such substitution shall be effective on the effective date of the acquisition. Substitute Options may be Nonstatutory Options or Incentive Stock Options. Unless and to the extent specified otherwise by the Board, Substitute Options shall have the same terms and conditions as the options they replace, except that (subject to the provisions of Section 10) Substitute Options shall be Options to purchase Shares rather than equity securities of the granting entity and shall have an Option Price determined by the Board.

 

7. Incentive Stock Options

 

The following rules apply only to Incentive Stock Options and only to the extent these rules are more restrictive than the rules that would otherwise apply under this Plan. With the consent of the Awardee, or where this Plan provides that an action may be taken notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, the Administrator may deviate from the requirements of this Section, notwithstanding that any Incentive Stock Option modified by the Administrator will thereafter be treated as a Nonstatutory Option.

 

(a) The Expiration Date of an Incentive Stock Option shall not be later than ten years from its Grant Date, with the result that no Incentive Stock Option may be exercised after the expiration of ten years from its Grant Date.

 

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(b) No Incentive Stock Option may be granted more than ten years from the date this Plan was approved by the Board.

 

(c) Options intended to be incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code that are granted to any single Awardee under all incentive stock option plans of the Company and its Affiliates, including incentive stock options granted under this Plan, may not vest at a rate of more than $100,000 (or such other amount that may be hereafter specified in the applicable section of the Code) in Fair Market Value of stock (measured on the grant dates of the options) during any calendar year. For this purpose, an option vests with respect to a given share of stock the first time its holder may purchase that share, notwithstanding any right of the Company to repurchase that share. Unless the administrator of that option plan specifies otherwise in the related agreement governing the option, this vesting limitation shall be applied by, to the extent necessary to satisfy this $100,000 (or other amount) rule, by treating certain stock options that were intended to be incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code as Nonstatutory Options. The stock options or portions of stock options to be reclassified as Nonstatutory Options are those with the highest option prices, whether granted under this Plan or any other equity compensation plan of the Company or any Affiliate that permits that treatment. This Section 7(c) shall not cause an Incentive Stock Option to vest before its original vesting date or cause an Incentive Stock Option that has already vested to cease to be vested.

 

(d) In order for an Incentive Stock Option to be exercised for any form of payment other than those described in Section 6.4(b), that form of payment must be stated at the time of grant in the Award Agreement relating to that Incentive Stock Option.

 

(e) Any Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder must have an Expiration Date that is not later than five years from its Grant Date, with the result that no such Option may be exercised after the expiration of five years from the Grant Date.

 

(f) The Option Price of an Incentive Stock Option shall never be less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares at the Grant Date. The Option Price for the Shares covered by an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Shareholder shall never be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares at the Grant Date.

 

(g) Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees. If an Awardee changes status from an Employee to a Consultant, that Awardee’s Incentive Stock Options become Nonstatutory Options if not exercised within the time period described in Section 7(i) (determined by treating that change in status as a Termination solely for purposes of this Section 7(g)).

 

(h) No rights under an Incentive Stock Option may be transferred by the Awardee, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. During the life of the Awardee, an Incentive Stock Option may be exercised only by the Awardee. The Company’s compliance with a Domestic Relations Order, or the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option by a guardian or conservator appointed to act for the Awardee, shall not violate this Section 7(h).

 

(i) An Incentive Stock Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Option if it remains exercisable after, and is not exercised within, the three-month period beginning with the Awardee’s Termination for any reason other than the Awardee’s death or disability (as defined in Section 22(e) of the Code). In the case of Termination due to death, an Incentive Stock Option shall continue to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option if it remains exercisable after, and is not exercised within, the three-month period after the Awardee’s Termination provided it is exercised before the Expiration Date. In the case of Termination due to disability, an Incentive Stock Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Option if it remains exercisable after, and is not exercised within, one year after the Awardee’s Termination.

 

(j) An Incentive Stock Option may only be modified by the Board or the Committee.

 

8. Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units

 

8.1 Stock Awards

 

(a)  General. The specific terms and conditions of a Stock Award applicable to the Awardee shall be provided for in the Award Agreement. The Award Agreement shall state the number of Shares that the Awardee

 

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shall be entitled to receive or purchase, the terms and conditions on which the Shares shall vest, the price to be paid and, if applicable, the time within which the Awardee must accept such offer. The offer shall be accepted by execution of the Award Agreement. The Administrator may require that all Shares subject to a right of repurchase or risk of forfeiture be held in escrow until such repurchase right or risk of forfeiture lapses. The grant or vesting of a Stock Award may be made contingent on the achievement of Objectively Determinable Performance Conditions.

 

(b)  Right of Repurchase. If so provided in the Award Agreement, Award Shares acquired pursuant to a Stock Award may be subject to repurchase by the Company or an Affiliate if not vested in accordance with the Award Agreement.

 

(c)  Form of Payment for Stock Awards. The Administrator shall determine the acceptable form and method of payment for exercising a Stock Award. Acceptable forms of payment for all Award Shares are cash, check or wire transfer, denominated in U.S. dollars except as specified by the Administrator for non-U.S. Employees or non-U.S. sub-plans. In addition, the Administrator may permit payment to be made by any of the methods permitted with respect to the exercise of Options pursuant to Section 6.4.

 

(d)  Nonassignability of Stock Awards. Except as determined by the Administrator, no Stock Award shall be assignable or otherwise transferable by the Awardee except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (including without limitation Section 17). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Stock Awards may be transferred and exercised in accordance with a Domestic Relations Order.

 

(e)  Substitute Stock Award. The Board may cause the Company to grant Substitute Stock Awards in connection with the acquisition by the Company or an Affiliate of equity securities of any entity (including by merger, tender offer, or other similar transaction) or of all or a portion of the assets of any entity. Any such substitution shall be effective on the effective date of the acquisition. Unless and to the extent specified otherwise by the Board, Substitute Stock Awards shall have the same terms and conditions as the stock awards they replace, except that (subject to the provisions of Section 10) Substitute Stock Awards shall be Stock Awards to purchase Shares rather than equity securities of the granting entity and shall have a Purchase Price that, as determined by the Board in its sole and absolute discretion, properly reflects the substitution.

 

8.2  Restricted Stock Units.

 

(a) General. Restricted Stock Units may be granted at any time and from time to time as determined by the Administrator. After the Administrator determines that it will grant Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, it will advise the Participant in an Award Agreement of the terms, conditions, and restrictions related to the grant, including the number of Restricted Stock Units. The Administrator will set vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which the criteria are met, will determine the number of Restricted Stock Units that will be paid out to the Awardee. The Administrator may set vesting criteria based upon the achievement of Company-wide, business unit, or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment), or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.  The grant or vesting of a Restricted Stock Unit may be made contingent on the achievement of Objectively Determinable Performance Conditions.

 

(b) Earning Restricted Stock Units. Upon meeting the applicable vesting criteria, the Awardee will be entitled to receive a payout as determined by the Administrator. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the grant of Restricted Stock Units, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.

 

(c) Form and Timing of Payment. Payment of earned Restricted Stock Units will be made as soon as practicable after the date(s) determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement.

 

(d) Cancellation. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited to the Company.

 

(e) Nonassignability of Stock Awards. Except as determined by the Administrator, no Restricted Stock Unit shall be assignable or otherwise transferable by the Awardee except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (including without limitation Section 17).

 

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(f)  Substitute Restricted Stock Unit. The Board may cause the Company to grant Substitute Restricted Stock Units in connection with the acquisition by the Company or an Affiliate of equity securities of any entity (including by merger, tender offer, or other similar transaction) or of all or a portion of the assets of any entity. Any such substitution shall be effective on the effective date of the acquisition. Unless and to the extent specified otherwise by the Board, Substitute Restricted Stock Units shall have the same terms and conditions as the Restricted Stock Units they replace, except that (subject to the provisions of Section 10) Substitute Restricted Stock Units shall be Restricted Units to purchase Shares rather than equity securities of the granting entity.

 

8.3                               Maximum Number of Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units. The maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units under this Plan shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the number of Shares that may be issued pursuant to this Plan under Section 3.1.

 

9. Exercise of Awards

 

9.1 In General. An Award shall be exercisable in accordance with this Plan and the Award Agreement under which it is granted.

 

9.2 Time of Exercise. Options and Stock Awards shall be considered exercised when the Company receives: (a) written notice of exercise from the person entitled to exercise the Option or Stock Award, (b) full payment, or provision for payment, in a form and method approved by the Administrator, for the Shares for which the Option or Stock Award is being exercised, and (c) with respect to Nonstatutory Options, payment, or provision for payment, in a form approved by the Administrator, of all applicable withholding taxes due upon exercise. An Award may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

 

9.3 Issuance of Award Shares. The Company shall issue Award Shares in the name of the person properly exercising the Award. If the Awardee is that person and so requests, the Award Shares shall be issued in the name of the Awardee and the Awardee’s spouse. The Company shall endeavor to issue Award Shares promptly after an Award is exercised. Until Award Shares are actually issued, as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the stock register of the Company or its transfer agent, the Awardee will not have the rights of a shareholder with respect to those Award Shares, even though the Awardee has completed all the steps necessary to exercise the Award. No adjustment shall be made for any dividend, distribution, or other right for which the record date precedes the date the Award Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 10.

 

9.4 Termination.

 

(a) In General. Except as provided in an Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator, and as otherwise provided in Sections 9.4(b), (c), (d) and (e) after an Awardee’s Termination, the Awardee’s Awards shall be exercisable to the extent (but only to the extent) they are vested on the date of that Termination and only during the three months after the Termination, but in no event after the Expiration Date. To the extent the Awardee does not exercise an Award within the time specified for exercise, the Award shall automatically terminate.

 

(b) Leaves of Absence. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator, no Award may be exercised more than three months after the beginning of a leave of absence, other than a personal or medical leave approved by an authorized representative of the Company with employment guaranteed upon return. Awards shall not continue to vest during a leave of absence, unless otherwise determined in writing by the Administrator with respect to an approved personal or medical leave with employment guaranteed upon return.

 

(c) Death or Disability. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator, if an Awardee’s Termination is due to death or disability (as determined by the Administrator with respect to all Awards other than Incentive Stock Options and as defined by Section 22(e) of the Code with respect to Incentive Stock Options), all Awards of that Awardee to the extent exercisable at the date of that Termination may be exercised for one year after that Termination, but in no event after the Expiration Date. In the case of Termination due to death, an Award may be exercised as

 

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provided in Section 17. In the case of Termination due to disability, if a guardian or conservator has been appointed to act for the Awardee and been granted this authority as part of that appointment, that guardian or conservator may exercise the Award on behalf of the Awardee. Death or disability occurring after an Awardee’s Termination shall not cause the Termination to be treated as having occurred due to death or disability. To the extent an Award is not so exercised within the time specified for its exercise, the Award shall automatically terminate.

 

(d) Divestiture. If an Awardee’s Termination is due to a Divestiture, the Board may take any one or more of the actions described in Section 10.3 or 10.4 with respect to the Awardee’s Awards.

 

(e) Termination for Cause. In the discretion of the Administrator, which may be exercised on the date of grant, or at a date later in time, if an Awardee’s Termination is due to Cause, all of the Awardee’s Awards shall automatically terminate and cease to be exercisable at the time of Termination. “Cause” means employment-related dishonesty, fraud, misconduct or disclosure or misuse of confidential information, or other employment-related conduct that is likely to cause significant injury to the Company, an Affiliate, or any of their respective employees, officers or directors (including, without limitation, commission of a felony or similar offense whether or not employment-related), in each case as determined by the Administrator. “Cause” shall not require that a civil judgment or criminal conviction have been entered against or guilty plea shall have been made by the Awardee regarding any of the matters referred to in the previous sentence. Accordingly, the Administrator shall be entitled to determine “Cause” based on the Administrator’s good faith belief. If the Awardee is criminally charged with a felony or similar offense, that shall be a sufficient, but not a necessary, basis for such a belief.

 

(f) Administrator Discretion. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 9.4 (a)-(e), the Administrator shall have complete discretion, exercisable either at the time an Award is granted or at any time while the Award remains outstanding, to:

 

(i) Extend the period of time for which the Award is to remain exercisable, following the Awardee’s Termination, from the limited exercise period otherwise in effect for that Award to such greater period of time as the Administrator shall deem appropriate, but in no event beyond the Expiration Date; and/or

 

(ii) Permit the Award to be exercised, during the applicable post-Termination exercise period, not only with respect to the number of vested Shares for which such Award may be exercisable at the time of the Awardee’s Termination but also with respect to one or more additional installments in which the Awardee would have vested had the Awardee not been subject to Termination.

 

(g) Consulting or Employment Relationship. Nothing in this Plan or in any Award Agreement, and no Award or the fact that Award Shares remain subject to repurchase rights, shall: (A) interfere with or limit the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate the employment or consultancy of any Awardee at any time, whether with or without cause or reason, and with or without the payment of severance or any other compensation or payment, (B) interfere with the application of any provision in any of the Company’s or any Affiliate’s charter documents or Applicable Law relating to the election, appointment, term of office, or removal of a Director or (C) interfere with the Company’s right to terminate any consultancy.

 

10. Certain Transactions and Events

 

10.1 In General. Except as provided in this Section 10, no change in the capital structure of the Company, merger, sale or other disposition of assets or a subsidiary, change in control, issuance by the Company of shares of any class of securities or securities convertible into shares of any class of securities, exchange or conversion of securities, or other transaction or event shall require or be the occasion for any adjustments of the type described in this Section 10. Additional provisions with respect to the foregoing transactions are set forth in Section 14.3.

 

10.2 Changes in Capital Structure. In the event of any stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, combination or reclassification of stock, stock dividend, spin-off, or similar change to the capital structure of the Company (not

 

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including a Fundamental Transaction or Change in Control), the Board shall make whatever adjustments it concludes are appropriate to: (a) the number and type of Awards that may be granted under this Plan, (b) the number and type of Options that may be granted to any participant under this Plan, (c) the Purchase Price and number and class of securities issuable under each outstanding Stock Award, (d) the Option Price and number and class of securities issuable under each outstanding Option, and (e) the repurchase price of any securities substituted for Award Shares that are subject to repurchase rights. The specific adjustments shall be determined by the Board. Unless the Board specifies otherwise, any securities issuable as a result of any such adjustment shall be rounded down to the next lower whole security. The Board need not adopt the same rules for each Award or each Awardee.

 

10.3 Fundamental Transactions. Except for grants to Non-Employee Directors pursuant to Section 11, in the event of (a) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving corporation (other than a merger or consolidation with a wholly-owned subsidiary, a reincorporation of the Company in a different jurisdiction, or other transaction or series of related transactions in which there is no substantial change in the shareholders of the Company or their relative stock holdings and the Awards granted under this Plan are assumed, converted or replaced by the successor corporation, which assumption shall be binding on all participants under this Plan), (b) a merger in which the Company is the surviving corporation but after which the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger (other than any shareholder that merges, or which owns or controls another corporation that merges, with the Company in such merger) cease to own their shares or other equity interest in the Company, (c) the sale, exchange, lease, exclusive license or other transfer in a transaction or series of related transactions of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or (d) the acquisition, sale, or transfer of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Company by tender offer or similar transaction or series of related transactions (each, a “Fundamental Transaction”), any or all outstanding Awards may be assumed, converted or replaced by the successor corporation (if any) with Marketable Securities (including rights or options to acquire Marketable Securities), in all cases equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying such Awards (less any exercise price, if applicable), which assumption, conversion or replacement shall be binding on all participants under this Plan. In the alternative, the successor corporation may substitute equivalent Awards with Marketable Securities (including rights or options to acquire Marketable Securities) in the amount described above or provide substantially similar consideration to participants as was provided to the Company’s shareholders (after taking into account the existing provisions of the Awards). The successor corporation may also issue, in place of outstanding Shares held by participants, substantially similar Marketable Securities in the amount described above, subject to repurchase restrictions no less favorable to the participants. Finally, the successor corporation may also cancel any or all such Awards in exchange for cash and/or Marketable Securities (including rights or options to acquire Marketable Securities) in the amount described above.   In the event such successor corporation (if any) does not assume, convert, replace, cancel or substitute Awards, as provided above, pursuant to a transaction described in this Section 10.3, the vesting (and, if applicable, the time at which the Award may be exercised) with respect to such Awards shall fully and immediately accelerate or the repurchase rights of the Company shall fully and immediately terminate, as the case may be, so that the Awards may be exercised or the repurchase rights shall terminate before the closing or completion of the Fundamental Transaction or event at a time determined by the Board  (or, if the Board does not determine such a date, the date that is five days prior to the effective time of the Fundamental Transaction), but then terminate.  Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, the Board may, in its sole discretion, provide that the vesting of any or all Award Shares subject to vesting (and, if applicable, the time at which the Award may be exercised) shall accelerate or a right of repurchase shall lapse, as the case may be, upon a transaction described in this Section 10.3. If the Board exercises such discretion with respect to Options, such Options shall become exercisable in full prior to the consummation of such event at such time and on such conditions as the Board determines, and if such Options are not exercised prior to the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, they shall terminate at such time as determined by the Board. The Board need not adopt the same rules for each Award or each Awardee. Subject to any greater rights granted to participants under the foregoing provisions of this Section 10.3, in the event of the occurrence of any Fundamental Transaction, any outstanding Awards shall be treated as provided in the applicable agreement or plan of merger, consolidation, dissolution, liquidation, or sale of assets.

 

10.4 Changes in Control. In connection with a Change in Control, notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, the Board shall take any one or more of the actions described in Section 10.3; provided, however, that in the event that Awards are not assumed, continued or substituted with Marketable Securities or canceled in exchange for cash and/or Marketable Securities (in either case, including rights or options to acquire Marketable Securities) equal to the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying the Awards (less any exercise price, if applicable), the vesting of

 

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such Award shall accelerate in its entirety (and, if applicable, the time at which the Award may be exercised) to a date prior to the effective time of the Change in Control as determined by the Board (or, if the Board does determine such a date, to the date that is five days prior to the effective time of the Change in Control), with such Award terminating if not exercised (if applicable) at or prior to the effective time of the Change in Control, and with such exercise reversed if the Change in Control does not become effective. In addition, the Board may extend the date for the exercise of Awards (but not beyond their original Expiration Date). The Board need not adopt the same rules for each Award or each Awardee.

 

10.5 Divestiture. If the Company or an Affiliate sells or otherwise transfers equity securities of an Affiliate to a person or entity other than the Company or an Affiliate, or leases, exchanges, sells, grants an exclusive license to, or otherwise transfers all or any portion of its assets to such a person or entity, then the Board may specify that such transaction or event constitutes a “Divestiture”. In connection with a Divestiture, notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, the Board may, but need not, take one or more of the actions described in Section 10.3 or 10.4 with respect to Awards or Award Shares held by, for example, Employees, Directors or Consultants for whom that transaction or event results in a Termination. The Board need not adopt the same rules for each Award or each Awardee.

 

10.6 Dissolution. If the Company adopts a plan of dissolution, the Board may cause Awards to be fully vested and exercisable (but not after their Expiration Date) before the dissolution is completed but contingent on its completion and may cause the Company’s repurchase rights on Award Shares to lapse upon completion of the dissolution. The Board need not adopt the same rules for each Award or each Awardee. However, to the extent not exercised before the earlier of the completion of the dissolution, Awards shall terminate immediately prior to the dissolution.

 

11. Automatic Option Grants to Non-Employee Directors.

 

11.1 Automatic Option Grants to Non-Employee Directors.

 

(a) Annual Grant. On the date of the last regular meeting of directors during each calendar year each individual who is serving as a Non-Employee Director shall automatically be granted a Nonstatutory Option to purchase 15,000 Shares (the “Annual Grant”), provided, however, that such individual has served as a Non-Employee Director for at least six months.

 

(b) Initial Grant. Upon the first appointment or election of an individual as a Non-Employee Director, such individual shall automatically be granted a Nonstatutory Option to purchase 25,000 Shares (the “Initial Grant”).

 

(c) Exercise Price.

 

(i) The Option Price shall be equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Option grant date.

 

(ii) The Option Price shall be payable in one or more of the alternative forms authorized pursuant to Section 6.4. Except to the extent the sale and remittance procedure specified thereunder is utilized, payment of the Option Price must be made on the date of exercise.

 

(d) Option Term. Each Option shall have a term of ten (10) years measured from the Option grant date.

 

(e) Exercise and Vesting of Options. The Shares underlying each Option issued pursuant to each Initial Grant shall vest and be exercisable in a series of forty-eight (48) successive equal monthly installments at the end of each full month from the date of grant, for so long as the Non-Employee Director continuously remains a Director. The Shares underlying each Option issued pursuant to each Annual Grant shall vest and be exercisable in a series of twelve (12) successive equal monthly installments at the end of each full month from the date of grant, for so long as the Non-Employee Director continuously remains a Director.

 

(f) Termination of Board Service. The following provisions shall govern the exercise of any Options held by the Awardee at the time the Awardee ceases to serve as a Non-Employee Director:

 

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(i) In General. Except as otherwise provided in Section 11.3, after cessation of service as a Director (the “Cessation Date”), the Awardee’s Options shall be exercisable to the extent (but only to the extent) they are vested on the Cessation Date and only during the three months after such Cessation Date, but in no event after the Expiration Date. To the extent the Awardee does not exercise an Option within the time specified for exercise, the Option shall automatically terminate.

 

(ii) Death or Disability. If an Awardee’s cessation of service on the Board is due to death or disability (as determined by the Board), all Non-Employee Director Options of that Awardee, whether or not exercisable upon such Cessation Date, may be exercised at any time on or prior to the Expiration Date. In the case of a cessation of service due to death, an Option may be exercised as provided in Section 17. In the case of a cessation of service due to disability, if a guardian or conservator has been appointed to act for the Awardee and been granted this authority as part of that appointment, that guardian or conservator may exercise the Option on behalf of the Awardee. Death or disability occurring after an Awardee’s cessation of service shall not cause the cessation of service to be treated as having occurred due to death or disability. To the extent an Option is not so exercised within the time specified for its exercise, the Option shall automatically terminate.

 

11.2 Certain Transactions and Events.

 

(a) In the event of a Fundamental Transaction while the Awardee remains a Non-Employee Director, the Shares at the time subject to each outstanding Option and any other Award held by such Awardee, but not otherwise vested, shall automatically vest in full so that each such Option and Award shall, immediately prior to the effective date of the Fundamental Transaction, accelerate and become fully vested and, with respect to Options, become exercisable for all the Shares as fully vested Shares and may be exercised for any or all of those vested Shares. Immediately following the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, each Option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding, except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation (or Affiliate thereof).

 

(b) In the event of a Change in Control while the Awardee remains a Non-Employee Director, the Shares at the time subject to each outstanding Option and any other Award held by such Awardee, but not otherwise vested, shall automatically vest in full so that each such Option and Award shall, immediately prior to the effective date of the Change in Control, accelerate and become fully vested and with respect to Options, become exercisable for all the Shares as fully vested Shares and may be exercised for any or all of those vested Shares. Each such Option shall remain exercisable for such fully vested Shares until the expiration or sooner termination of the Option term in connection with a Change in Control.

 

(c) Each Option which is assumed in connection with a Fundamental Transaction shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such Fundamental Transaction, to apply to the number and class of securities which would have been issuable to the Awardee in consummation of such Fundamental Transaction had the Option been exercised immediately prior to such Fundamental Transaction. Appropriate adjustments shall also be made to the Option Price payable per share under each outstanding Option, provided the aggregate Option Price payable for such securities shall remain the same.

 

(d) The grant of Options pursuant to Section 11 shall in no way affect the right of the Company to adjust, reclassify, reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.

 

(e) The remaining terms of each Option granted pursuant to Section 11 shall, as applicable, be the same as terms in effect for Awards granted under this Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of Section 9.4 and Section 10 shall not apply to Options granted pursuant to Section 11.

 

11.3 Limited Transferability of Options. Each Option granted pursuant to Section 11 may be assigned in whole or in part during the Awardee’s lifetime to one or more members of the Awardee’s family or to a trust established exclusively for one or more such family members or to an entity in which the Awardee is majority owner or to the Awardee’s former spouse, to the extent such assignment is in connection with the Awardee’s estate or financial plan

 

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or pursuant to a Domestic Relations Order. The assigned portion may only be exercised by the person or persons who acquire a proprietary interest in the Option pursuant to the assignment. The terms applicable to the assigned portion shall be the same as those in effect for the Option immediately prior to such assignment and shall be set forth in such documents issued to the assignee as the Administrator may deem appropriate. The Awardee may also designate one or more persons as the beneficiary or beneficiaries of his or her outstanding Options under Section 11, and those Options shall, in accordance with such designation, automatically be transferred to such beneficiary or beneficiaries upon the Awardee’s death while holding those Options. Such beneficiary or beneficiaries shall take the transferred Options subject to all the terms and conditions of the applicable Award Agreement evidencing each such transferred Option, including without limitation, the limited time period during which the Option may be exercised following the Awardee’s death.

 

12. Withholding and Tax Reporting

 

12.1 Tax Withholding Alternatives.

 

(a) General. Whenever Award Shares are issued or become free of restrictions, the Company may require the Awardee to remit to the Company an amount sufficient to satisfy any applicable tax withholding requirement, whether the related tax is imposed on the Awardee or the Company. The Company shall have no obligation to deliver Award Shares or release Award Shares from an escrow or permit a transfer of Award Shares until the Awardee has satisfied those tax withholding obligations.

 

(b) Method of Payment. The Awardee shall pay any required withholding using the forms of consideration described in Section 6.4(b), except that, in the discretion of the Administrator, the Company may also permit the Awardee to use any of the forms of payment described in Section 6.4(c). The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may also permit Award Shares to be withheld to pay required withholding. If the Administrator permits Award Shares to be withheld, the Fair Market Value of the Award Shares withheld, as determined as of the date of withholding, shall not exceed the amount determined by the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates.

 

12.2 Reporting of Dispositions. Any holder of Option Shares acquired under an Incentive Stock Option shall promptly notify the Administrator, following such procedures as the Administrator may require, of the sale or other disposition of any of those Option Shares if the disposition occurs during: (a) the longer of two years after the Grant Date of the Incentive Stock Option and one year after the date the Incentive Stock Option was exercised, or (b) such other period as the Administrator has established.

 

13. Compliance with Law

 

The grant of Awards and the issuance and subsequent transfer of Award Shares shall be subject to compliance with all Applicable Law, including all applicable securities laws. Awards may not be exercised, and Award Shares may not be transferred, in violation of Applicable Law. Thus, for example, Awards may not be exercised unless: (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act is then in effect with respect to the related Award Shares, or (b) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, those Award Shares may be issued in accordance with an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. The failure or inability of the Company to obtain from any regulatory body the authority considered by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary or useful for the lawful issuance of any Award Shares or their subsequent transfer shall relieve the Company of any liability for failing to issue those Award Shares or permitting their transfer. As a condition to the exercise of any Award or the transfer of any Award Shares, the Company may require the Awardee to satisfy any requirements or qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate to comply with or evidence compliance with any Applicable Law.

 

14. Amendment or Termination of this Plan or Outstanding Awards

 

14.1 Amendment and Termination. Subject to Section 14.2 and 14.3, the Board may at any time amend, suspend, or terminate this Plan.

 

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14.2 Shareholder Approval. The Company shall obtain the approval of the Company’s shareholders for any amendment to this Plan if shareholder approval is necessary to comply with any Applicable Law or with the requirements applicable to the grant of Awards intended to be Incentive Stock Options. The Board may also, but need not, require that the Company’s shareholders approve any other amendments to this Plan.

 

14.3 Effect. No amendment, suspension, or termination of this Plan, and no modification of any Award even in the absence of an amendment, suspension, or termination of this Plan, shall impair any existing contractual rights of any Awardee unless the affected Awardee consents to the amendment, suspension, termination, or modification. However, no such consent shall be required if the Board reasonably determines that the amendment, suspension, termination, or modification: (a) is required or advisable in order for the Company, this Plan or the Award to satisfy Applicable Law, to meet the requirements of any accounting standard or to avoid any adverse accounting treatment, or (b) in connection with any transaction or event described in Section 10, is in the best interests of the Company or its shareholders. The Board may, but need not, take the tax or accounting consequences to affected Awardees into consideration in acting under the preceding sentence. Those decisions shall be final, binding and conclusive. Termination of this Plan shall not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it under this Plan with respect to (i) Awards granted before the termination of this Plan or (ii) Award Shares issued under such Awards even if those Award Shares are issued after the termination of this Plan.

 

15. Reserved Rights

 

15.1 Nonexclusivity of this Plan. This Plan shall not limit the power of the Company or any Affiliate to adopt other incentive arrangements including, for example, the grant or issuance of stock options, stock, or other equity-based rights under other plans.

 

15.2 Unfunded Plan. This Plan shall be unfunded. Although bookkeeping accounts may be established with respect to Awardees, any such accounts will be used merely as a convenience. The Company shall not be required to segregate any assets on account of this Plan, the grant of Awards, or the issuance of Award Shares. The Company and the Administrator shall not be deemed to be a trustee of stock or cash to be awarded under this Plan. Any obligations of the Company to any Awardee shall be based solely upon contracts entered into under this Plan, such as Award Agreements. No such obligations shall be deemed to be secured by any pledge or other encumbrance on any assets of the Company. Neither the Company nor the Administrator shall be required to give any security or bond for the performance of any such obligations.

 

16. Special Arrangements Regarding Award Shares

 

16.1 Escrow of Stock Certificates. To enforce any restrictions on Award Shares, the Administrator may require their holder to deposit the certificates representing Award Shares, with stock powers or other transfer instruments approved by the Administrator endorsed in blank, with the Company or an agent of the Company to hold in escrow until the restrictions have lapsed or terminated. The Administrator may also cause a legend or legends referencing the restrictions to be placed on the certificates. Any Awardee who delivers a promissory note as partial or full consideration for the purchase of Award Shares will be required to pledge and deposit with the Company some or all of the Award Shares as collateral to secure the payment of the note. However, the Administrator may require or accept other or additional forms of collateral to secure the note and, in any event, the Company will have full recourse against the maker of the note, notwithstanding any pledge or other collateral.

 

16.2 Repurchase Rights.

 

(a) General. If an Option is subject to Reverse Vesting or a Stock Award is subject to vesting conditions, the Company shall have the right, during the seven months after the Awardee’s Termination, to repurchase any or all of the Award Shares that were unvested as of the date of that Termination. If the Award Shares were purchased with a promissory note, the repurchase price shall be the lower of: (a) the Purchase Price for the Award Shares (minus the amount of any cash dividends paid or payable with respect to the Award Shares for which the record date precedes the repurchase) and (b) the Fair Market Value at the date of Termination. In all other cases, the repurchase price shall be determined by the Administrator in accordance with this Section 16.2 which shall be either (i) the Purchase Price for the Award Shares (minus the amount of any cash dividends paid or payable with respect to the Award Shares for which the record date precedes

 

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the repurchase) or (ii) the lower of (A) the Option Price or Purchase Price for the Award Shares or (B) the Fair Market Value of those Award Shares as of the date of the Termination. The repurchase price shall be paid in cash or if the Award Shares were purchased in whole or in part with a promissory note, cancellation in whole or in part of indebtedness under that note, or a combination of those means. The Company may assign this right of repurchase.

 

(b) Procedure. The Company or its assignee may choose to give the Awardee a written notice of exercise of its repurchase rights under this Section 16.2. However, the Company’s failure to give such a notice shall not affect its rights to repurchase Award Shares. The Company must, however, tender the repurchase price during the period specified in this Section 16.2 for exercising its repurchase rights in order to exercise such rights.

 

16.3 Market Standoff. If requested by the Company or a representative of its underwriters in connection with a registration of any securities of the Company under the Securities Act, Awardees or certain Awardees shall be prohibited from selling some or all of their Award Shares during a period not to exceed 180 days after the effective date of the Company’s registration statement. This restriction shall not apply to any registration statement on Form S-8, Form S-4 or an equivalent registration statement.

 

16.4 Deferral of Awards.  The Administrator, either at the time of grant or by subsequent amendment, and subject to the provisions of sections 14 and 16 hereto, may require or permit Awardees to elect to defer the issuance of Shares or the settlement of Awards in cash under such rules and procedures as the Administrator may establish.  Prior to the occurrence of a Fundamental Transaction or Change in Control, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may require an Awardee to have amounts or Shares that otherwise would be paid or delivered to the Awardee as a result of the exercise or settlement of an Award credited to a deferred compensation or stock unit account established for the Awardee by the Administrator on the Company’s books of account.  In addition, the Administrator may permit Awardees to defer the receipt of payments of Awards pursuant to such rules, procedures or programs as may be established for these purposes.

 

16.5 Dividends or Dividend Equivalents.  The Administrator may provide that any Awards earn dividends or dividend equivalents and interest on such dividends or dividend equivalents.  Such dividends or dividend equivalents may be paid currently or may be credited to an Awardee’s account and are subject to the same vesting or performance criteria as the underlying Award.  Any crediting of dividends or dividend equivalents may be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may establish.

 

17. Beneficiaries

 

An Awardee may file a written designation of one or more beneficiaries who are to receive the Awardee’s rights under the Awardee’s Awards after the Awardee’s death. Such designation shall be accompanied by a signed acknowledgment from the Awardee’s spouse, if any, consenting to such designation. An Awardee may change such a designation at any time by written notice. If an Awardee designates a beneficiary, the beneficiary may exercise the Awardee’s Awards after the Awardee’s death. If an Awardee dies when the Awardee has no living beneficiary designated under this Plan, the Company shall allow the executor or administrator of the Awardee’s estate to exercise the Award or, if there is none, the person entitled to exercise the Option under the Awardee’s will or the laws of descent and distribution. In any case, no Award may be exercised after its Expiration Date.

 

18. Miscellaneous

 

18.1 Governing Law. This Plan, the Award Agreements and all other agreements entered into under this Plan, and all actions taken under this Plan or in connection with Awards or Award Shares, shall be governed by the laws of the State of California.

 

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18.2 Determination of Value. Fair Market Value shall be determined as follows:

 

(a) Listed Stock. If the Shares are traded on any established stock exchange or quoted on a national market system, Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for the Shares as quoted on that stock exchange or system for the date the value is to be determined (the “Value Date”) as reported by such stock exchange or national market system, or, if not reported by such stock exchange or national market system, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or a similar publication. If no sales are reported as having occurred on the Value Date, Fair Market Value shall be that closing sales price for the last preceding trading day on which sales of Shares are reported as having occurred. If no sales are reported as having occurred during the five trading days before the Value Date, Fair Market Value shall be the closing bid for Shares on the Value Date. If Shares are listed on multiple exchanges or systems, Fair Market Value shall be based on sales or bid prices on the primary exchange or system on which Shares are traded or quoted.

 

(b) Stock Quoted by Securities Dealer. If Shares are regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported on any established stock exchange or quoted on a national market system, Fair Market Value shall be the mean between the closing bid and asked prices on the Value Date. If no prices are quoted for the Value Date, Fair Market Value shall be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices on the last preceding trading day on which any bid and asked prices were quoted.

 

(c) No Established Market. If Shares are not traded on any established stock exchange or quoted on a national market system and are not quoted by a recognized securities dealer, the Board or Committee will determine Fair Market Value in good faith. The Board or Committee will consider the following factors, and any others it considers significant, in determining Fair Market Value: (i) the price at which other securities of the Company have been issued to purchasers other than Employees, Directors, or Consultants, (ii) the Company’s shareholder’s equity, prospective earning power, dividend-paying capacity, and non-operating assets, if any, and (iii) any other relevant factors, including the economic outlook for the Company and the Company’s industry, the Company’s position in that industry, the Company’s goodwill and other intellectual property, and the values of securities of other businesses in the same industry.

 

(d)  Application to Marketable Securities.  This definition of  “Fair Market Value” shall also be applied to Marketable Securities, in which case this definition shall mean (1) the closing sales price per share of such Marketable Securities as quoted on that stock exchange or system on the Value Date on the reporting system for the principal stock exchange or system on which shares of such Marketable Securities are listed on the Value Date, or, if there shall have been no such sale as reported on that date, on the last preceding date on which such a sale was so reported, or (2) if the sales price is not so reported, the mean of the closing bid and asked price on the Value Date, or, if there are no quotations available for such date, on the last preceding date on which such quotations shall be available, as reported by an inter-dealer quotation system.

 

18.3 Reservation of Shares. During the term of this Plan, the Company shall at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as are still issuable under this Plan.

 

18.4 Electronic Communications. Any Award Agreement, notice of exercise of an Award, or other document required or permitted by this Plan may be delivered in writing or, to the extent determined by the Administrator, electronically. Signatures may also be electronic if permitted by the Administrator.

 

18.5 Notices. Unless the Administrator specifies otherwise, any notice to the Company under any Award Agreement or with respect to any Awards or Award Shares shall be in writing (or, if so authorized by Section 18.4, communicated electronically), shall be addressed to the Company, and shall only be effective when received by the Company.

 

Adopted by the Board on: March 19, 2004
 Approved by the shareholders on: May 27, 2004
 Effective date of this Plan: May 27, 2004

 

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Amended by the Board on: March 23, 2006, March 22, 2007, March 25, 2010, and December 20, 2011
 Amended by the shareholders on: May 20, 2010

Amended by the Board on February 12, 2016

 

20Exhibit 10.18

 

DEPOMED, INC.

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED
 MANAGEMENT CONTINUITY AGREEMENT

 

This Amended and Restated Management Continuity Agreement (the “Agreement”) is effective as of                     , 2016 (the “Effective Date”) by and between                        (“Employee”) and Depomed, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company”).  This Agreement is intended to provide Employee with certain benefits described herein upon the occurrence of specific events.  This Agreement amends and restates that certain Management Continuity Agreement entered into between the parties as of [            ], 2014 (referred to herein as the “Prior Agreement”).

 

RECITALS

 

A.            It is expected that the Company may from time to time consider the possibility of realigning its organization.

 

B.            It is further expected that another company may from time to time consider the possibility of acquiring the Company or that a change in control may otherwise occur, with or without the approval of the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

C.            The Board of Directors recognizes that such considerations can be a distraction to Employee and can cause Employee to consider alternative employment opportunities.

 

D.            The Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to assure that the Company will have the continued dedication and objectivity of the Employee, notwithstanding the foregoing factors.

 

E.            The Company’s Board of Directors believes it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to retain Employee and provide incentives to Employee to continue in the service of the Company.

 

F.             The Board of Directors further believes that it is imperative to provide Employee with certain benefits upon certain termination of Employee’s employment, including in connection with a Change in Control, which benefits are intended to provide Employee with financial security and provide sufficient income and encouragement to Employee to remain with the Company, including and notwithstanding the possibility of a Change in Control.

 

G.            To accomplish the foregoing objectives, the Board of Directors has directed the Company, upon execution of this Agreement by Employee, to agree to the terms provided in this Agreement, which Agreement shall supersede the Prior Agreement and any other agreement or understanding pertaining to the subject matter herein, including any offer letter between the Company and Employee, as of the Effective Date.

 

Now therefore, in consideration of the mutual promises, covenants and agreements contained herein, and in consideration of the continuing employment of Employee by the Company, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1.             At-Will Employment; Term.

 

(a)           The Company and Employee acknowledge that Employee’s employment is and shall continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law, and that Employee’s employment with the Company may be terminated by either party at any time for any or no reason.  If Employee’s employment terminates for any reason, Employee shall not be entitled to any payments, benefits, damages, award or compensation other than as provided in this Agreement or otherwise agreed to by the Company.  The terms of this Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of: (i) the date on which Employee ceases to be employed by the Company, other than as a result of a Change in Control Involuntary Termination or an Other Involuntary Termination,  or (ii) the last day of the Term (such date being referred to herein as the “End Date”; provided, however, that in the event of a Pending Change in Control in

 

 

effect on the End Date, the End Date shall be delayed until the later to occur of (x) the termination of any Pending Change in Control by the parties to such Pending Change in Control and (y) one year after the completion of any Pending Change in Control).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall this Agreement terminate prior to the time that all outstanding obligations of the parties hereunder have been satisfied.  A termination of the terms of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 1(a) shall be effective for all purposes, except that such termination shall not affect the payment or provision of compensation or benefits on account of a termination of employment occurring prior to the termination of the terms of this Agreement.  The rights and duties created by this Agreement are contingent upon the Employee’s execution of a release of claims against the Company, in substantially the form attached hereto as Appendix A, within forty-five (45) days following his termination of employment and the expiration of any statutory revocation period and may not be modified in any way except by a written agreement executed by the Employee and an officer of the Company upon direction from the Board of Directors.

 

(b)           Subject to Section 1(a), this Agreement shall be for an initial term that begins on the Effective Date and continues in effect through the third anniversary of the Effective Date (the “Initial Term”) and, unless terminated sooner as herein provided, shall continue on a year to year basis after the third anniversary of the Effective Date (each a “Renewal Term” and together with the Initial Term, the “Term”).  If the Company or the Employee elects not to renew this Agreement for a Renewal Term, the Company or the Employee must give a written notice of termination to the other party at least twelve (12) months before the expiration of the then-current Initial Term or Renewal Term, as applicable.  In the event that one party provides the other with a written notice of termination pursuant to this Section 1(b), no further automatic extensions will occur and at the end of the then-existing Initial Term or Renewal Term, as applicable, the Term shall expire.

 

2.             Termination Benefits.

 

(a)           Benefits Upon a Change in Control Involuntary Termination.

 

(i)            Treatment of Equity Awards.  In the event that Employee is subject to a Change in Control Involuntary Termination, 100% of Employee’s unvested Company option shares, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other equity-based awards shall become immediately vested on such termination date and the risk of forfeiture of 100% of Employee’s restricted stock shall lapse on such termination date.  Each such equity award shall be exercisable in accordance with the provisions of the award agreement and plan pursuant to which such equity award was granted, including, in the case of stock options, the plan or award agreement provisions regarding any post-termination period of exercisability.

 

(ii)           Severance.  In the event that Employee is subject to a Change in Control Involuntary Termination, Employee shall be entitled to receive severance benefits as follows:  (A) a lump sum cash severance payment equal to [one (1) times (if Employee is not the CEO)] [two (2) times (if Employee is the CEO)] the higher of (1) the base salary which Employee was receiving immediately prior to the Change in Control or (2) the base salary which Employee was receiving immediately prior to the Change in Control Involuntary Termination, which payment shall be paid on the sixtieth (60th) day following the Change in Control Involuntary Termination; (B) a lump sum cash payment equal to [one (1) times (if Employee is not the CEO)] [two (2) times (if Employee is the CEO)] Employee’s Target Annual Bonus; and (C)  payment by the Company of the full cost of the health insurance benefits provided to Employee and Employee’s spouse and dependents, as applicable, immediately prior to the Change in Control pursuant to the terms of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”) or other applicable law through the earlier of the end of the [twelve (12) month (if Employee is not the CEO)] [twenty-four (24) month (if Employee is the CEO)] period following the Change in Control Involuntary Termination date or the date upon which Employee is no longer eligible for such COBRA or other benefits under applicable law.  The benefits to be provided under clauses (a)(i) and (a)(ii) shall be paid on the sixtieth (60th) day following Employee’s termination of employment ; except that any payments under clause (a)(ii)(C) shall be paid on a monthly basis commencing on the sixtieth (60th) day following Employee’s termination of employment (subject in all cases to Employee’s release of claims against the Company as set forth in Section 1(a)).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Board of Directors concludes in its reasonable judgment that the provision of subsidized COBRA benefits to Employee is likely to cause the Company to become subject to excise tax as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the “Healthcare Reform Act”), the Company shall pay Employee a monthly amount in cash equal to the amount of the COBRA subsidy during the period the Company is obligated to provide

 

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subsidized COBRA benefits to Employee.  In addition, Employee shall receive payment(s) for all salary, bonuses and unpaid vacation accrued as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment and up to three (3) months of outplacement services not to exceed $5,000 per month (with a provider and in a program selected by the Employee. provided Employee commences such services within ninety (90) days of Employee’s Change in Control Involuntary Termination date).

 

(b)           Benefits Upon an Other Involuntary Termination.

 

[Item (i) - if Employee is CEO only]

 

(i)            Treatment of Equity Awards.  In the event that Employee is subject to an Other Involuntary Termination, Employee shall be credited with an additional twelve (12) months of employment for purposes of determining the vesting of his equity-based awards, which shall result in the immediate vesting as of such termination date of those otherwise unvested Company option shares, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other equity-based awards that would have become vested if Employee had completed an additional twelve (12) months of employment following such termination date and the risk of forfeiture of Employee’s applicable number of restricted stock, restricted stock units and similar equity-based awards shall lapse on such termination date.  Each such equity award shall be exercisable in accordance with the provisions of the award agreement and plan pursuant to which such equity award was granted, including, in the case of stock options, the plan or award agreement provisions regarding any post-termination period of exercisability.

 

(ii)           Severance.  In the event that Employee is subject to an Other Involuntary Termination, Employee shall be entitled to receive severance benefits as follows:  (A) severance payments for [twelve (12) months (if Employee is a SVP)] [eighteen months (18) (if Employee is the CEO)] after the effective date of the termination (for purposes of this Section 2(b)[(i)][(ii)], the “Severance Period”) equal to the base salary which Employee was receiving immediately prior to the Other Involuntary Termination, which payments shall be paid during the Severance Period in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices; and (B)  payment by the Company of the full cost of the health insurance benefits provided to Employee and Employee’s spouse and dependents, as applicable, immediately prior to the Other Involuntary Termination pursuant to the terms of COBRA or other applicable law through the earlier of the end of the Severance Period or the date upon which Employee is no longer eligible for such COBRA or other benefits under applicable law.  The benefits to be provided under Section 2(b)(i)[ and 2(b)(ii)] shall be paid or commence to be paid on the sixtieth (60th) day following Employee’s termination of employment (subject to Employee’s release of claims against the Company as set forth in Section 1(a)).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Board of Directors concludes in its reasonable judgment that the provision of subsidized COBRA benefits to Employee could cause the Company to become subject to excise tax as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Healthcare Reform Act, the Company shall pay Employee a monthly amount in cash equal to the amount of the COBRA subsidy during the period the Company is obligated to provide subsidized COBRA benefits to Employee.  In addition, Employee shall receive payment(s) for all salary, bonuses and unpaid vacation accrued as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment and up to three (3) months of outplacement services not to exceed $5,000 per month (with a provider and in a program selected by the Company, provided Employee commences such services within ninety (90) days of Employee’s Other Involuntary Termination date).

 

(c)           Termination for Cause.  If Employee’s employment is terminated for Cause at any time, then Employee shall not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or equity award acceleration.  Employee shall receive payment(s) for all salary, bonuses and unpaid vacation accrued as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment.

 

(d)           Voluntary Resignation.  If Employee voluntarily resigns from the Company under circumstances which do not constitute a Change in Control Involuntary Termination or an Other Involuntary Termination, then Employee shall not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or equity award acceleration.  Employee shall receive payment(s) for all salary, bonuses and unpaid vacation accrued as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment.

 

(e)           Death or Disability.   If Employee’s employment terminates on account of Employee’s death or Disability at any time, whether or not in connection with a Change in Control or Pending Change in

 

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Control, then Employee shall not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or equity award acceleration.  Employee shall receive payment(s) for all salary, bonuses and unpaid vacation accrued as of the date of Employee’s termination of employment.

 

3.             Definition of Terms.  The following terms referred to in this Agreement shall have the following meanings:

 

(a)           Cause.  “Cause” shall mean (i) gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of Employee’s duties to the Company where such gross negligence or willful misconduct has resulted or is likely to result in substantial and material damage to the Company or its subsidiaries, (ii) repeated unexplained or unjustified absence from the performance of services for the Company, (iii) a material and willful violation of any federal or state law resulting or likely to result in substantial and material damage to the Company or its subsidiaries; (iv) commission of any act of fraud with respect to the Company resulting or likely to result in substantial and material damage to the Company or its subsidiaries, or (v) conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude causing material harm to the standing and reputation of the Company, in each case as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, subject to the Company’s compliance with the “Cause Cure Process”.

 

(b)   Cause Cure Process.  “Cause Cure Process” shall mean that (i) Company reasonably determines that Employee has engaged in behavior constituting “Cause”; (ii) Company notifies the Employee in writing of the first occurrence of the behavior constituting “Cause” within ninety (90) days of the first occurrence of such condition; (iii) the Employee shall have [thirty (30)] days following such notice (the “Cause Cure Period”), to substantially remedy the condition, if curable; (iv) notwithstanding such efforts, the condition constituting “Cause” continues to exist; and (v) Company terminates Employee’s employment due to “Cause” within ninety (90) days after the end of the Cause Cure Period.  For avoidance of doubt, if the behavior constituting “Cause” is not substantially curable, then the Cause Cure Period shall end on the date the Employee receives the Company’s written notice set forth in clause (ii) above.  If the Employee substantially cures the condition constituting “Cause” during the Cause Cure Period, such behavior constituting “Cause” shall be deemed not to have occurred.

 

(c)  Change in Control; Pending Change in Control.  “Change in Control” shall have the meaning given such term in the Amended and Restated Depomed, Inc. 2014 Omnibus Incentive Plan.  “Pending Change in Control” shall mean any transaction or transactions which, if consummated, would result in a Change in Control with respect to which the Company enters into a definitive agreement prior to the End Date which has not been completed or terminated, as determined by the Board of Directors in its reasonable determination (whereupon the End Date shall be delayed as provided in Section 1(a) above).  Pending Change in Control shall also include any Change in Control with respect to which the Company enters into a binding agreement within thirty (30) days after the termination of any other Pending Change in Control.

 

(d)           Change in Control Involuntary Termination.  “Change in Control Involuntary Termination” shall mean: (i) any termination by the Company other than for Cause, death or Disability, or (ii) Employee’s voluntary termination for Good Reason (as defined in Section 3(d)), in each case in connection with, or within the period beginning (A) ninety (90) days prior to the effective date of a Change in Control and ending (B) twenty-four (24) months following the effective date of a Change in Control.  For purposes of this Section 3(d), “Good Reason” shall mean that Employee has complied with the “Good Reason Process” following the occurrence of any of the following events:  (i) a material diminution in Employee’s responsibilities, authority or duties; (ii) a material diminution in the authority, duties, or responsibilities of the supervisor to whom Employee is required to report [including a requirement that Employee report to a corporate officer or other employee instead of reporting directly to the board of directors of a corporation (or similar governing body with respect to an entity other than a corporation) if Employee is the CEO]; (iii) a material diminution in Employee’s base salary, target annual bonus amount or paid bonus amount (relative to the last annual bonus paid), in each case other than in connection with a general decrease in base salaries, target annual bonuses or paid annual bonuses, as applicable, for most officers of the successor corporation; provided, however, that any decrease in base salary and/or target annual bonus greater than ten percent (10%) shall provide grounds for “Good Reason” regardless of whether a general decrease in base salaries and/or target bonuses occurs for most officers of the successor corporation; (iv) a change in the geographic location at which Employee provides services to the Company that increases Employee’s one way commute by twenty-five (25) miles or more; or (v) failure of the successor corporation to assume the obligations under this Agreement.

 

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(e)           Disability.  “Disability” shall mean the inability of Employee to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months as provided in Sections 22(e)(3) and 409A(a)(2)(C)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and will be determined by the Board of Directors on the basis of such medical evidence as the Board of Directors deems warranted under the circumstances.

 

(f)            Good Reason Process.  “Good Reason Process” shall mean that (i) Employee reasonably determines in good faith that a “Good Reason” condition has occurred, as may be applicable; (ii) Employee notifies the Company in writing of the first occurrence of the Good Reason condition within ninety (90) days of the first occurrence of such condition; (iii) Employee cooperates in good faith with the Company’s efforts, for a period of thirty (30) days following such notice (the “Good Reason Cure Period”), to remedy the condition; (iv) notwithstanding such efforts, the Good Reason condition continues to exist; and (v) Employee terminates his employment within ninety (90) days after the end of the Good Reason Cure Period.  If the Company substantially cures the Good Reason condition during the Good Reason Cure Period, Good Reason shall be deemed not to have occurred.

 

(g)           Other Involuntary Termination.  “Other Involuntary Termination” shall mean (i) any termination by the Company other than for Cause, death or Disability, or (ii) Employee’s voluntary termination for Good Reason (as defined in this Section 3(g)), in each case, excluding a Change in Control Involuntary Termination.  For purposes of this Section 3(g), “Good Reason” shall mean that Employee has complied with the “Good Reason Process” following the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a ten percent (10%) or greater decrease in Employee’s annual total cash compensation target (annual base salary plus annual bonus target) other than in connection with a general decrease in the total annual cash compensation target (annual base salary plus annual bonus target) for most officers of the Company and the successor corporation, if applicable; or (ii) a change in the geographic location at which Employee provides services to the Company that increases the Employee’s one-way commute by twenty-five (25) miles or more.

 

(h)           Target Annual Bonus.  “Target Annual Bonus” shall mean Employee’s target annual bonus that may be earned for performance during the Company’s fiscal year in which a termination occurs; provided, however, that sign-on or other special bonuses shall not be taken into account.  If Employee’s Target Annual Bonus has not been set or determined as of the termination date, the “Target Annual Bonus” shall mean Employee’s target annual bonus for the Company’s most recently completed fiscal year.

 

4.             Limitation and Conditions on Payments.

 

In the event that the severance and other benefits provided to Employee under this Agreement and any other agreement (i) constitute “parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and (ii) but for this Section, would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, then Employee’s severance benefits under Sections 2(a) and 2(b) shall be payable either:

 

(a)           in full; or

 

(b)           as to such lesser amount which would result in no portion of such severance benefits being subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code;

 

whichever of the foregoing amounts, taking into account the applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the excise tax imposed by Section 4999, results in the receipt by Employee on an after-tax basis, of the greatest amount of severance benefits under Section 2(a) and 2(b), notwithstanding that all or some portion of such severance benefits may be taxable under Section 4999 of the Code.  The reduction of payments and benefits hereunder, if applicable, shall be made by reducing, first, cash severance pay that is exempt from Section 409A of the Code; second, any other cash severance pay; third. any other payments or benefits to be paid in cash hereunder in the order in which such payment or benefit would be paid or provided (beginning with such payment or benefit that would be made last in time and continuing, to the extent necessary, through to such payment or benefit that would be made first in time); fourth, reducing any benefit to be provided in kind hereunder in a similar order, except

 

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for equity-based awards; fifth, any restricted stock, restricted stock units or similar awards, to be reduced in a similar order; and lastly, sixth, any stock options, stock appreciation right or similar awards, to be reduced in a similar order.  Unless the Company and Employee otherwise agree in writing, any determination required under this Section 4 shall be made in writing by a qualified independent certified public accounting or law firm selected by the Company and approved by the Employee, which such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld (the “Independent Tax Professional”).  The Employee shall not be deemed to have unreasonably withheld approval if the Employee does not consent to an Independent Tax Professional selected by the Company that has provided any services to the Company or any successor corporation within the preceding five (5) year period. The Independent Tax Professional shall provide its determinations and any supporting calculations both to the Company and the Employee in writing setting forth in reasonable detail the basis of the Independent Tax Professional’s determinations, which shall be subject to approval by the Employee, which such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. Such determination shall be conclusive and binding upon Employee and the Company for all purposes.  For purposes of making the calculations required by this Section 4, the Independent Tax Professional may make reasonable assumptions and approximations concerning applicable taxes and may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Section 280G and 4999 of the Code.  The Company and Employee shall furnish to the Independent Tax Professional such information and documents as the Independent Tax Professional may reasonably request in order to make a determination under this Section.  The Company shall bear all costs the Independent Tax Professional may reasonably incur in connection with any calculations contemplated by this Section 4.  If, after the payment of severance benefits has been made to the Employee, it is established that the payments made to, or provided for the benefit of Employee, exceed the limitations provided in Section 4(b) (an “Excess Payment”) or are less than such limitations (an “Underpayment”), as the case may be, then the following shall apply: (x) if it is determined that an Excess Payment has been made, the Employee shall repay the Excess Payment within 20 days following the determination of such Excess Payment; and (y) if it is determined that an Underpayment has occurred, the Company shall pay an amount equal to the Underpayment to the Employee on the later of (A) 20 days after such determination or resolution and (B) the time period such payment would otherwise have been paid or provided to the Employee absent the application of Section 4(b).

 

5.             Section 409A.  Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if, at the time of Employee’s termination of employment with the Company, Employee is a “specified employee” (as defined in Section 409A of the Code) and the deferral of the commencement of any severance payments or benefits otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement as a result of such termination of employment is necessary in order to prevent any accelerated income recognition or additional tax under Section 409A of the Code, then the Company will not commence any payment of any such severance payments or benefits otherwise required hereunder (but without any reduction in such payments or benefits ultimately paid or provided to Employee) that (a) will not and may not under any circumstances, regardless of when such termination occurs, be paid in full by March 15 of the year following Employee’s termination of employment, and (b) are in excess of the lesser of (i) two (2) times Employee’s then annual compensation or (ii) two (2) times the limit on compensation then set forth in Section 401(a)(17) of the Code and will not be paid by the end of the second calendar year following the year in which the termination occurs, until the first payroll date that occurs after the date that is six (6) months following Employee’s “separation of service” with the Company (as defined under Code Section 409A).  If any payments are delayed due to such requirements, such amounts will be paid in a lump sum to Employee on the earliest of (x) the Employee’s death following the date of Employee’s termination of employment with the Company or (y) the first payroll date that occurs after the date that is six (6) months following Employee’s “separation of service” with the Company.  For these purposes, each severance payment or benefit is designated as a separate payment or benefit for purposes of Treas. Reg. § 1.409A-2(b) and will not collectively be treated as a single payment or benefit.  This paragraph is intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code so that none of the severance payments and benefits to be provided hereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A of the Code and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so comply.  Employee and the Company agree to work together in good faith to consider amendments to this Agreement and to take such reasonable actions which are necessary, appropriate or desirable to avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition prior to actual payment to Employee under Section 409A of the Code.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, to the extent that any amendment to this Agreement with respect to the payment of any severance payments or benefits would constitute under Code Section 409A a delay in a payment or a change in the form of payment, then such amendment must be done in a manner that complies with Code Section 409A(a)(4)(C).

 

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6.             Conflicts.  Employee represents that Employee’s performance of all the terms of this Agreement will not breach any other agreement to which Employee is a party.  Employee has not, and will not during the term of this Agreement, enter into any oral or written agreement in conflict with any of the provisions of this Agreement.  Employee further represents that Employee is entering into or has entered into an employment relationship with the Company of Employee’s own free will.

 

7.             Successors.  Any successor to the Company (whether direct or indirect and whether by purchase, lease, merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets shall assume the obligations under this Agreement and agree expressly to perform the obligations under this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent as the Company would be required to perform such obligations in the absence of a succession.  The terms of this Agreement and all of Employee’s rights hereunder and thereunder shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, Employee’s personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees.

 

8.             Notice.  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 mailed by U.S. registered or certified mail, return receipt requested and postage prepaid.  Mailed notices to Employee shall be addressed to Employee at the home address which Employee 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 the Company’s Legal Department.

 

9.             Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

(a)           No Duty to Mitigate.  Employee shall not be required to mitigate the amount of any payment contemplated by this Agreement (whether by seeking new employment or in any other manner), nor shall any such payment be reduced by any earnings that Employee may receive from any other source.

 

(b)           Waiver.  No provision of this Agreement shall be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by Employee and by an authorized officer of the Company (other than Employee).  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)           Whole Agreement.  No agreements, representations or understandings (whether oral or written and whether express or implied) which are not expressly set forth in this Agreement have been made or entered into by either party with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This Agreement supersedes any agreement of the same title and concerning similar subject matter dated prior to the date hereof, and by execution of this Agreement both parties agree that any such predecessor agreement shall be deemed null and void.

 

(d)           Choice of Law.  The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California without reference to conflict of laws provisions.

 

(e)           Severability.  If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any circumstance shall, in any jurisdiction and to any extent, be invalid or unenforceable, such term or provision shall be ineffective as to such jurisdiction to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without invalidating or rendering unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement or the application of such terms and provisions to circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid or unenforceable, and a suitable and equitable term or provision shall be substituted therefor to carry out, insofar as may be valid and enforceable, the intent and purpose of the invalid or unenforceable term or provision.

 

(f)            Arbitration.  All claims, demands, causes of action, disputes, controversies or other matters in question (“Claims”) arising out of this Agreement or the Employee’s service (or termination from service) with the Company, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise and whether provided by statute, equity or common law, that the Company may have against the Employee or that the Employee may have against the Company, or its parents or subsidiaries, or against each of the foregoing entities’ respective officers, directors, employees or agents in their capacity as such or otherwise, shall be settled in accordance with the procedures described in

 

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Section 9(f)(i) and (ii).  Claims covered by this Section 9(f) include, without limitation, claims by the Employee for breach of this Agreement, wrongful termination, discrimination (based on age, race, sex, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other factor), harassment and retaliation.

 

(i)            Agreement to Negotiate.  First, the parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any Claims promptly by negotiations between the Employee and executives or directors of the Company or its affiliates (or, following the occurrence of a Change in Control, any person or committee selected by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors prior to the Change in Control (referred to as the “Independent Decision Maker”), who shall act on behalf of the Company or its affiliates), who shall have authority to settle the Claims.  Either party may give the other disputing party written notice of any Claim not resolved in the normal course of business.  Within five (5) days after the effective date of that notice, the Employee and such executives or directors of the Company, or, following the occurrence of a Change in Control, the Independent Decision Maker, shall agree upon a mutually acceptable time and place to meet and shall meet at that time and place, and thereafter as often as they reasonably deem necessary, to exchange relevant information and to attempt to resolve the Claim.  The first of those meetings shall take place within thirty (30) days of the date of the disputing party’s notice.  If the Claim has not been resolved within sixty (60) days of the date of the disputing party’s notice, or if the parties fail to agree on a time and place for an initial meeting within five (5) days of that notice, either party may elect to undertake arbitration in accordance with Section 9(f)(ii).

 

(ii)           Agreement to Arbitrate.  If a Claim is not resolved by negotiation pursuant to Section 9(f)(i), such Claim must be resolved through arbitration regardless of whether the Claim involves claims that the Agreement is unlawful, unenforceable, void, or voidable or involves claims under statutory, civil or common law.  Any arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the then-current International Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”).  If a party refuses to honor its obligations under this Section 9(f)(ii), the other party may compel arbitration in any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction.  The arbitrator shall apply the substantive law of California (excluding choice-of-law principles that might call for the application of some other jurisdiction’s law) or federal law as applied by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, or both as applicable to the Claims asserted.  The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator selected by the parties according to the rules of AAA.  In the event that the parties fail to agree on the selection of the arbitrator within 30 days after either party’s request for arbitration, the arbitrator will be chosen by AAA.  The arbitration proceeding shall commence on a mutually agreeable date within 90 days after the request for arbitration, unless otherwise agreed by the parties. The arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability or enforceability or formation of this Agreement (including this Section 9(f)), including any claim that all or part of the Agreement is void or voidable and any Claim that an issue is not subject to arbitration.  The results of arbitration will be binding and conclusive on the parties hereto.  Any arbitrator’s award or finding or any judgment or verdict thereon will be final and unappealable.  The seat of arbitration shall be in the State of California, City of San Jose, and unless agreed otherwise by the parties, all hearings shall take place at the seat.  Any and all of the arbitrator’s orders, decisions and awards may be enforceable in, and judgment upon any award rendered by the arbitrator may be confirmed and entered by any federal or state court having jurisdiction.  All evidentiary privileges under applicable state and federal law, including attorney-client, work product and party communication privileges, shall be preserved and protected.  The decision of the arbitrator will be binding on all parties.  Arbitrations will be conducted in such a manner that the final decision of the arbitrator will be made and provided to the Employee and the Company no later than 120 days after a matter is submitted to arbitration.  All proceedings conducted pursuant to this agreement to arbitrate, including any order, decision or award of the arbitrators, shall be kept confidential by all parties.  Each party shall pay its own attorneys’ fees and disbursements and other costs of arbitration and the parties to the arbitration shall split all of the arbitrator’s fees equally; ; provided, however, that following the occurrence of a Change in Control, the Company will bear the forum fees required by AAA and any other administrative fees associated with the arbitration and shall advance to the Employee the fees and expenses (including legal fees) in connection with any arbitration proceeding provided that Employee shall be obligated to repay all such amounts in the event the Employee does not prevail in such proceeding.  EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT, BY SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT, EMPLOYEE IS WAIVING ANY RIGHT THAT EMPLOYEE MAY HAVE TO A JURY TRIAL OR A COURT TRIAL OF ANY SERVICE RELATED CLAIM ALLEGED BY EMPLOYEE.

 

(g)           Legal Fees and Expenses.  The parties shall each bear their own expenses, legal fees and other fees incurred in connection with entering into this Agreement.

 

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(h)                                 No Assignment of Benefits.  The rights of any person to payments or benefits under this Agreement shall not be made subject to option or assignment, either by voluntary or involuntary assignment or by operation of law, including (without limitation) bankruptcy, garnishment, attachment or other creditor’s process, and any action in violation of this Section 9(h) shall be void.

 

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

 

(j)                                    Assignment by Company.  The Company may assign its rights under this Agreement to an affiliate, and an affiliate may assign its rights under this Agreement to another affiliate of the Company or to the Company.  In the case of any such assignment, the term “Company” when used in a section of this Agreement shall mean the corporation that actually employs the Employee.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Company (or any successor thereto) nor the Employee may assign its obligations under this Agreement.

 

(k)                                 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.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

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The parties have executed this Management Continuity Agreement on the date first written above.

 

	
 
    	
DEPOMED, INC.
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
By:
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
Name:
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
Title:
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
EMPLOYEE
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
[NAME]
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
Address:
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
				

 

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APPENDIX A

 

DEPOMED, INC.

 

WAIVER AND RELEASE AGREEMENT

 

Depomed, Inc. has offered to pay me certain benefits (the “Benefits”) pursuant to Section 2 of my management continuity agreement with Depomed, Inc., effective as of            , 2016 (the “Management Continuity Agreement”), which were offered to me in exchange for my agreement, among other things, to waive all of my claims against and release Depomed, Inc. and its predecessors, successors and assigns (collectively referred to as the “Company”), all of the affiliates (including parents and subsidiaries) of the Company (collectively referred to as the “Affiliates”) and the Company’s and Affiliates’ directors and officers, employees and agents, insurers, employee benefit plans and the fiduciaries and agents of said plans (collectively, with the Company and Affiliates, referred to as the “Corporate Group”) from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates; provided, however, that this Waiver and Release shall not apply to (1) any existing right I have to indemnification, contribution and a defense, (2) any directors and officers and general liability insurance coverage, (3) any rights I may have as a shareholder of the Company, (4) any rights I have to the Benefits, (5) rights to vested benefits under the Company’s benefit plans and (6) any rights which cannot be waived or released as a matter of law.

 

I understand that signing this Waiver and Release is an important legal act.  I acknowledge that the Company has advised me in writing to consult an attorney before signing this Waiver and Release and has given me at least [twenty-one (21)] [forty-five (45)] calendar days from the day I received a copy of this Waiver and Release to sign it.  I understand my termination is an [“Other Involuntary Termination”][“Change in Control Involuntary Termination”] pursuant to the Management Continuity Agreement.

 

In exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I (1) agree not to sue in any local, state and/or federal court regarding or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates, (2) knowingly and voluntarily waive all claims and release the Corporate Group from any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, and damages, whether known or unknown, arising out of or relating in any way to my employment with or separation from the Company or the Affiliates (including any claim for a bonus in respect of actual performance for the year of termination in the event that such bonus has not yet been paid) and (3) waive any rights that I may have under any of the Company’s involuntary severance benefit plans (other than the Management Continuity Agreement), except to the extent that my rights are vested under the terms of an employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company or an Affiliate and except with respect to such rights or claims as may arise after the date this Waiver and Release is executed.  This Waiver and Release includes, but is not limited to, claims and causes of action under:  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (“Title VII”); the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, including the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (“ADEA”); the Civil Rights Act of 1866, as amended; the Civil Rights Act of 1991; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”); the Energy Reorganization Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5851; the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of

 

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1988; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Fair Labor Standards Act; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, as amended; the California Labor Code; claims in connection with workers’ compensation or “whistle blower” statutes (except to the extent prohibited by law); and/or contract, tort, defamation, slander, wrongful termination or any other state or federal regulatory, statutory or common law.  Further, I expressly represent that no promise or agreement which is not expressed in the Management Continuity Agreement has been made to me in executing this Waiver and Release, and that I am relying on my own judgment in executing this Waiver and Release, and that I am not relying on any statement or representation of the Company, any of the Affiliates or any other member of the Corporate Group or any of their agents.  I agree that this Waiver and Release is valid, fair, adequate and reasonable, is entered into with my full knowledge and consent, was not procured through fraud, duress or mistake and has not had the effect of misleading, misinforming or failing to inform me.

 

In further exchange for the payment to me of Benefits, I agree not to make any disparaging or derogatory statements concerning the Company. The Company hereby agrees to instruct its officers and directors not to make any disparaging statements concerning you.  These non-disparagement obligations shall not in any way affect my or the Company’s obligation or rights in connection with any legal proceeding.  I further acknowledge and agree that I am bound by and will comply with the Employee Confidential Information and Inventions Agreement and any similar agreements that I have entered into with the Company and that I will, within seven (7) calendar days of the date of this Waiver and Release, return all Company property to the Company.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this Waiver and Release is intended to prohibit or restrict me in any way from (1) bringing a lawsuit against the Company to enforce the Company’s obligations under the Management Continuity Agreement; (2) making any disclosure of information required by law; (3) providing information to, or testifying or otherwise assisting in any investigation or proceeding brought by, any federal regulatory or law enforcement agency or legislative body, any self-regulatory organization, or the Company’s legal, compliance or human resources officers; (4) testifying or participating in or otherwise assisting in a proceeding relating to an alleged violation of any federal, state or municipal law relating to fraud or any rule or regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any self-regulatory organization; or (5) filing any claims that are not permitted to be waived or released under applicable law (although my ability to recover damages or other relief is still waived and released to the extent permitted by law).  Nothing contained in this Waiver and Release is intended to waive any rights I may have related to unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation and indemnification claims under Section 2802 of the California Labor Code.

 

I acknowledge that I may discover facts different from or in addition to those which I now know or believe to be true and that this Waiver and Release shall be and remain effective in all respects notwithstanding such different or additional facts or the discovery thereof.  I hereby expressly waive any and all rights and benefits conferred upon me by the provisions of Section 1542 of the Civil Code of the State of California, and/or any analogous law of any other state.

 

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Section 1542 states:

 

A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.

 

Should any of the provisions set forth in this Waiver and Release be determined to be invalid by a court, agency or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction, it is agreed that such determination shall not affect the enforceability of other provisions of this Waiver and Release.  I acknowledge that this Waiver and Release and the Management Continuity Agreement set forth the entire understanding and agreement between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group concerning the subject matter of this Waiver and Release and supersede any prior or contemporaneous oral and/or written agreements or representations, if any, between me and the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group on the same subject matter.  I understand that for a period of seven (7) calendar days following the date that I sign this Waiver and Release, I may revoke my acceptance of the offer, provided that my written statement of revocation is received on or before that seventh day by the Vice President, Human Resources, Depomed, Inc., 7999 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 300, Newark, California 94560, facsimile number:  (510) 744-8001, in which case the Waiver and Release will not become effective.  In the event I revoke my acceptance of this offer, the Company shall have no obligation to provide me Benefits.  I understand that failure to revoke my acceptance of the offer within seven (7) calendar days from the date I sign this Waiver and Release will result in this Waiver and Release being permanent and irrevocable.

 

I acknowledge that I have read this Waiver and Release, have had an opportunity to ask questions and have it explained to me and that I understand that this Waiver and Release will have the effect of knowingly and voluntarily waiving any action I might pursue, including breach of contract, personal injury, retaliation, discrimination on the basis of race, age, sex, national origin, or disability and any other claims arising prior to the date of this Waiver and Release.  By execution of this document, I do not waive or release or otherwise relinquish any legal rights I may have which are attributable to or arise out of acts, omissions, or events of the Company or any other member of the Corporate Group which occur after the date of the execution of this Waiver and Release.

 

	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Employee’s   Name
    	
 
    	
Company   Representative’s Signature
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Employee’s   Signature
    	
 
    	
Company’s   Representative’s Name and Title
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Employee’s   Signature Date
    	
 
    	
Company’s   Execution Date
    

 

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