Document:

Exhibit
10.53

SEPARATION
AND SEVERANCE AGREEMENT

AND RELEASE
OF CLAIMS

The
purpose of this Agreement is to set forth the terms and provisions of a
severance agreement agreed to between Eric J. Bur (hereinafter “Employee”) and
Employee’s former employer, NIC Inc., a Colorado corporation, its parents,
subsidiaries, affiliates and related companies (hereinafter referred to
collectively as “Employer” or “Company”), in connection with the termination
and severance of the Employee’s employment from Employer and to waive and
release any claims by the Employee against the Employer.

In
consideration of the mutual promises and agreements herein contained, the
Employee and Employer agree as follows:

A.                                 Separation from Employment.  Employee shall hereby be deemed to have voluntarily separated from his
position of employment with Employer, effective August 15, 2007. Employee
acknowledges that all base compensation due the employee, including salary and
accrued but unused vacation due Employee, has been agreed to be paid through August
15, 2007, at the Employer’s regular payroll intervals of June 29, July 13, July
31 and August 15, 2007.

B.            Payments
by Employer.

1.                                      The Employer will pay the Employee the
additional gross amount of $202,175.48, less all deductions required by law, as
a severance payment (the “Severance Payment”). The Severance Payment shall be
made on July 13, 2007. Employer shall furnish Employee with a copy of the
calculation of the deductions made from such gross amount at the time of
payment of the Severance Payment.

2.                                       The Employee shall be entitled to all
benefits upon termination for which he is qualified in accordance with the
various benefit plans in existence at the time of termination, including but
not limited to the right to have his 2007 tranche of restricted stock vest at
its regularly scheduled time at the end of July, 2007, and his last tranche of
stock options vest on the scheduled date of August 1, 2007, and the right to
exercise and sell or retain those vested shares and exercised options between
August 2 and August 15, 2007, in accordance with the Employer’s Insider Trading
Policy and federal law. In addition, he will be entitled to have his COBRA
premiums paid through December 31, 2007 following his termination of
employment. Employee may inform Employer at the notice address listed herein,
should he desire to terminate COBRA premium payments earlier than the end of
the period described in this paragraph.

3.                                       The Employee, in exchange for the Severance
Payment provided under this Agreement, freely and voluntarily agrees to the
Waiver and Release set forth below. Employee acknowledges that the Severance
Payment is consideration in addition to anything of value to which the Employee
is already entitled.

4.                                    The Employee acknowledges that the Severance
Payment provided under paragraph 1 above is being made under the Company’s
Severance Policy and that this Agreement memorializes each party’s obligations
under that Severance Policy. Employee further acknowledges that, to the extent
that Employer is providing Employee with payments or benefits beyond those set
forth in the Company’s Severance Policy, Employer, in providing such payments
or benefits, docs not intend to establish any policy or practice thereby.

C.                                 Waiver and Release of Claims by
Employee. Except for the
obligations created under this Agreement, Employee, on behalf of Employee and
Employee’s heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns,
(collectively the “Employee Releasors”), hereby jointly and severally fully and
forever release, acquit and discharge Employer and its successors, partners,
employees, agents, and any related party which includes all subsidiaries,
affiliates, and parent corporations or entitles, their respective heirs,
personal representatives, successors and assigns (each an “Employee Releasee”
and collectively the “Employee Releasees”), of and from any and all claims,
counterclaims and causes of action whatsoever which the Employee Releasors,
jointly and severally, ever had, now have, or hereafter can, shall or may have
against the Employee Releasees, jointly and severally, arising out of or in
connection with the Employee’s employment with the Employer, including the
termination of said employment. This release includes, but is not limited to:
all claims based on Employee’s employment by and termination from Employer
including all claims arising under or in connection with any U.S. federal,
state and municipal law, including without limitation, the Age Discrimination
Act of 1967, as amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as
amended; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; the Civil
Rights Act of 1991, as amended; the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1871, as
amended; the Equal Pay Act; the Fair Labor Standards Act; the Family and
Medical Leave Act; the National Labor Relations Act; the Occupational Safety
and Health Act, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990; the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Executive Order 11246; the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974, as amended; and the common law of the state in
which the Employee was employed and/or performed work, for tort, breach of
express or implied employment contract, wrongful discharge, intentional
infliction of emotional distress, and defamation or injuries incurred on the
job or incurred as a result of loss of employment. Employee understands and
agrees that he is waiving and releasing any and all claims that he now has
against the Employer, regardless of their nature or origin, and the fact that such
claim is not listed in the paragraph above does not mean that such claim is not
included in this Agreement. Employee expressly covenants not to sue Employer
for any claims, whether known or unknown, arising from Employee’s employment
relationship with Employer or any claims existing as of this date.

D.                                Reaffirmation of
Non-Disclosure Obligations. Employee
acknowledges that during the course of Employee’s employment and as a condition
of employment or continued employment, Employee undertook certain
non-disclosure obligations, which prohibit Employee from disclosing or using
any confidential and/or proprietary information to which Employee had access
during his Employment, and which are incorporated herein by reference.  Employee acknowledges that his non-disclosure
obligations continue and

that nothing contained
herein is intended to modify or abrogate those obligations; provided however,
that Employee is expressly permitted to have contact with those investment
analysts with whom he interacted while Chief Financial Officer of Employer, for
the exclusive purposes of discussing his voluntary separation (but not the
specific terms of this Agreement pursuant to paragraph 1, or any other details
of the Employer) and reaffirming the contents of the Employer-issued press
release of June 27, 2007 regarding Employee’s departure.

E.                                  Non-Competition
Obligations. Employee
acknowledges that Employee and Employer entered into certain agreement(s) which
prevent Employee from competing with Employer following his separation from
employment, which agreement(s) is incorporated herein by reference. Employee
acknowledges his continuing obligations under said agreement(s) and further
acknowledges that nothing contained herein is intended to modify or abrogate
those obligations.

F.                                  No Assignment. As of the date of the signing of this
Agreement, the Employee represents that he has made no assignment of any claims
against any persons or organizations described as Releasors in paragraph C
above.

G.                                  Older Worker Benefit
Protection Act Requirements. Employee
hereby acknowledges that he has been given a copy of this document, and that he
has been informed in writing that he has up to twenty-one (21) calendar days in
which to consider whether he will sign this Agreement. He also acknowledges
that he has been informed that he should consult with an attorney before
signing this Agreement. Employee acknowledges that he has been informed that he
may also revoke Employee’s acceptance of this Agreement and waiver of claims by
delivering a letter of revocation to NIC Inc.,
Attention: President (LEGAL NOTICE), 10540 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, KS 66061,
within seven days of the date he has signed this Agreement. He
understands that this Agreement will not become effective until the eighth day
following Employee’s signing of this Agreement. He understands and intends that
in the event that he does not revoke acceptance of this Agreement within the
seven-day period described in this paragraph, this Agreement and the releases
contained herein will be legally binding and enforceable on Employee, his heirs,
administrators, and assigns. The Employee further acknowledges that he will receive
the Severance Pay only upon expiration of the seven (7) day time period described
above, and at the company’s next regularly-scheduled pay period following the expiration
of any revocation period herein.

H.                                Modification of Entire
Agreement. This Agreement may be
modified by a writing duly signed by the Employee and Employer. It is further
understood and agreed that this is the entire agreement between the parties,
and that no promises, representations, understandings, or warranties have been
made by any party respecting the subject of this Agreement, and that all such
agreements are contained herein.

I.                                     Confidentiality. The Employer and Employee agree from the date
of the execution of this Agreement, that they shall maintain the
confidentiality of the existence and terms of this Agreement, and will not
disclose same except as required by law or for internal business

reasons
of the Employer, and except to the extent the Employee is required to disclose
same to his immediate family, or to those persons necessary for the preparation
and filing of tax returns, or for the seeking of and consultation with legal
counsel. Employee shall advise such persons that the terms of this Agreement
are confidential and must be treated as such by these persons.

J.                                      Return of Employer Property. The Employee agrees to and by Employee’s
signature below acknowledges that he has returned all proprietary information
of the Employer including business records, client files, documents, reports,
communications, working papers, computer software, email, and other data
content of any computer to the Employer. Employee further acknowledges that he
has returned all property and equipment of the Employer, including keys, credit
cards, phone cards, access control cards, PDAs, cell phones and any other
Company property that was in Employee’s possession as of the date of separation
from employment.

K.                                  Effective Date. Except as provided above, this Agreement
shall become effective upon the signing by both Employer and Employee, with an
effective date that is the date of its execution by the later of Employer of
Employee.

L.                                     Severability. In the event that any provision of this
Agreement is held to be contrary to any statute or law, or otherwise
unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall be enforced to
the fullest extent practicable. As used in this Settlement Agreement, the term “and”
means “and/or”, the singular includes the plural and the masculine includes the
feminine and neuter.

M.                               No Admission. The parties agree that the facts recited in
this Agreement are recited only for purposes of this document, and are not
intended by the parties for use, nor shall they

be used as admissions or
stipulations admissible in any other litigation, and that by entering into this
Agreement, the Employer does not establish any policy or practice thereby.

	
  

  	
  “Employee”

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  [ILLEGIBLE]

  	
  6/27/07

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
  Date

  
	
   

  	
  “Employer”

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  By

  	
  [ILLEGIBLE]

  	
  6/27/07

  
	
   

  	
   

  	
   

  	
  Date

  

 

	
  Country of Johnson

  	
  )

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  )

  	
   

  	
  ss.

  
	
  State of Kansas

  	
  )

  	
   

  	
   

  

 

Before me, the undersigned notary, on 6-27-,
2007, came Eric J. Bur, who provided to me satisfactory proof of his identity,
and who signed and acknowledged the above signature to be his own.

	
  (seal)

  	
   

  
	
  [LOGO]

  	
  Notary Public -
  State of Kansas

  	
  /s/ Jennifer A.
  Stolper

  	
   

  
	
  JENNIFER A.
  STOLPER

  	
  Notary

  
	
  My Appl. Exp.

  	
  4-22-2011

  	
   

  	
  My commission
  expires:

  	
  4-22-2011Exhibit
10.1

Sauer-Danfoss Inc. 2006 Omnibus
Incentive Plan

Restricted Stock Award Agreement

You have been selected to
be a Participant in the Sauer-Danfoss Inc. 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”),
as specified below:

	
  Participant: 

  	
       Wolfgang Schramm

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
  Date of Award: 

  	
        June 14, 2007

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
  Number of Shares of Restricted Stock Awarded:

  	
                  10,000
  (Ten Thousand)

  	
   

  
	
  Vesting Date and Number of Shares Vested per
  Vesting Date:

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  Vesting Date

  	
  Number of Shares Vested

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  April 16, 2008

  	
   

  	
  5,000 (Five Thousand)

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  April 16, 2009

  	
   

  	
  5,000 (Five Thousand)

  	
   

  	
   

  
								

 

	
  This document constitutes part of the prospectus
  covering securities that have been registered under the Securities Act of
  1933.

  

 

THIS AWARD AGREEMENT,
effective as of the Date of Award set forth above, represents the award of
Restricted Stock by Sauer-Danfoss Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
to the Participant named above, pursuant to the provisions of the Plan.

The Plan provides a
complete description of the terms and conditions governing the Restricted
Stock. If there is any inconsistency between the terms of this Agreement and
the terms of the Plan, the Plan’s terms shall completely supersede and replace
the conflicting terms of this Agreement. All capitalized terms shall have the
meanings ascribed to them in the Plan, unless specifically set forth otherwise
herein. The parties hereto agree as follows:

1.           Certificate Legend. Each certificate, or
transfer agent book record, representing shares of Restricted Stock granted
pursuant to the Plan shall bear the following legend:

“The sale or other
transfer of shares of stock represented by this certificate, whether voluntary,
involuntary, or by operation of law, is subject to certain restrictions on
transfer as set forth in the Sauer-Danfoss Inc. 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan,
rules of administration adopted pursuant to such Plan, and in the Restricted
Stock Award Agreement dated June 14, 2007. A copy of the Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan, such rules, and such Restricted Stock Award
Agreement may be obtained from Sauer-Danfoss Inc.”

2.           Removal of Restrictions. Except as may
otherwise be provided herein and in the Plan, the Restricted Stock awarded
pursuant to this Agreement shall become freely transferable by the Participant
in accordance with the Vesting Date and Number of Shares Vested per Vesting
Date set forth above. Once Restricted Stock is no longer subject to any
restrictions, the Participant shall be entitled to have the legend required by Section 1
of this Agreement removed from his stock certificates that are no longer
subject to restrictions.

 1 of 3
 

3.           Voting Rights and Dividends. Prior to
the Vesting Date, the Participant may exercise full voting rights and shall be
entitled to dividends and other distributions paid with respect to the shares
of Restricted Stock while they are held. If any such dividends or distributions
are paid in shares of common stock of the Company, the shares shall be subject
to the same restrictions on transferability as are the shares of Restricted
Stock with respect to which they were paid.

4.           Termination of Employment. Unless
otherwise designated by the Compensation Committee of the Sauer-Danfoss Inc.
Board (the “Committee”), all unvested Restricted Stock shall be forfeited upon
the Participant’s termination of employment.

5.           Change in Control. In the event of a
Change in Control (as defined in the Plan), all restrictions on the
transferability of outstanding awards of Restricted Stock held by the
Participant under the Plan shall immediately lapse, and thereafter such shares
shall be freely transferable by the Participant, subject to applicable Federal
and state securities laws.

6.           Nontransferability. Prior to vesting,
Restricted Stock awarded pursuant to this Agreement may not be sold,
transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated (“a
Transfer”), other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution,
except as provided in the Plan. If any Transfer, whether voluntary or
involuntary, of Restricted Stock is made, or if any attachment, execution,
garnishment, or lien shall be issued against or placed upon the Restricted
Stock, the Participant’s right to such Restricted Stock shall be immediately
forfeited by the Participant to the Company, and this Agreement shall lapse.

7.           Adjustments in Authorized Shares. The
Committee shall have the sole discretion to adjust the number of shares of
Restricted Stock awarded pursuant to this Agreement, in accordance with
Section 4.3 of the Plan.

8.           Tax Withholding.  The Company shall have the power and the
right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company,
an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes, domestic or
foreign, required by law or regulation to be withheld with respect to any
taxable event arising as a result of this Agreement.

9.           Share Withholding.  With respect to withholding required upon any
other taxable event arising as a result of Awards granted hereunder, the
Participant may elect, subject to the approval of the Compensation Committee,
to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the
Company withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be
determined equal to the minimum statutory total tax which could be withheld on
the transaction.  All such elections
shall be irrevocable, made in writing, signed by the Participant, and shall be
subject to any restrictions or limitations that the Committee, in its sole
discretion, deems appropriate.

10.        Beneficiary Designation. The Participant
may, from time to time, name any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named
contingently or successively) to whom any benefit under this Agreement is to be
paid in case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such
benefit. Each such desig­nation shall revoke all prior designations by the
Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Company, and will be
effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Secretary of
the Company during the Participant’s lifetime. In the absence of any such
designation, benefits remaining unpaid at the Participant’s death shall be paid
to the Participant’s estate.

 2 of 3
 

 

Beneficiary Designation
(name, address, and relationship):

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

11.        Administration. This Agreement and the
rights of the Participant hereunder are subject to all the terms and conditions
of the Plan, as the same may be amended from time to time, as well as to such
rules and regulations as the Committee may adopt for administration of the
Plan. It is expressly understood that the Committee is authorized to
administer, construe, and make all determinations necessary or appropriate to
the administration of the Plan and this Agreement, all of which shall be
binding upon the Participant. Any inconsistency between the Agreement and the
Plan shall be resolved in favor of the Plan.

12.        Miscellaneous.

(a)   With the approval of the Board, the Committee
may terminate, amend, or modify the Plan; provided, however, that no such
termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan may in any way adversely
affect the Participant’s rights under this Agreement, without the Participant’s
written approval.

(b)   This Agreement shall be subject to all
applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any
governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.

(c)   All obligations of the Company under the Plan
and this Agreement, with respect to this Restricted Stock, shall be binding on
any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the
result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise,
of all or substan­tially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.

(d)   To the extent not preempted by federal law,
this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws
of the state of Delaware.

IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed effective as of July
23, 2007.

	
  

  	
  Participant

  	
   

  	
  Sauer-Danfoss Inc.

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  /s/ Wolfgang Schramm

  	
   

  	
  By:

  	
  /s/ Ronald C. Hanson

  	
   

  	
   

  
	
   

  	
  Wolfgang Schramm

  	
   

  	
   

  	
  Ronald C. Hanson

  	
   

  	
   

  

 

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