“Company Material Adverse Effect” means any event, change, effect, development, state of facts, condition, circumstance or occurrence that is or would be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, assets, liabilities, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations of the Acquired Companies, taken as a whole, but shall not be deemed to include any event, change, effect, development, state of facts, condition, circumstance or occurrence: (i) in or affecting general political, social or economic conditions (including changes in interest rates) or the financial, securities, capital or credit markets in the United States or elsewhere in the world, to the extent the Acquired Companies are not adversely affected in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants in the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate, (ii) in or affecting the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate generally, to the extent the Acquired Companies are not adversely affected in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants in the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate or (iii) resulting from or arising out of (A) any changes in GAAP or accounting standards or interpretations thereof, to the extent the Acquired Companies are not adversely affected in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants in the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate, (B) any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of war or terrorism, to the extent the Acquired Companies are not adversely affected in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants in the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate, (C) any adoption, implementation, promulgation, repeal, modification, reinterpretation or proposal, in   85


each case after the date of this Agreement, of any rule, regulation, ordinance, order, protocol, or any other Law of or by a Governmental Entity, (D) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the announcement or consummation of the Transactions with Parent, including the impact thereof on relationships, contractual or otherwise, of any Acquired Company with employees, customers, suppliers, licensors, licensees, Governmental Entities, creditors and other Persons, (E) any litigation brought by a stockholder of Parent or of the Company relating to this Agreement or the Transactions, (F) any act of God, natural disaster or other calamity to the extent the Acquired Companies are not adversely affected in a disproportionate manner relative to other participants in the industries in which the Acquired Companies operate, (G) epidemics, pandemics, disease outbreaks (including COVID-19), or public health emergencies (as declared by the World Health Organization or the Health and Human Services Secretary of the United States) or any Law or guideline issued by a Governmental Entity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization or industry group providing for business closures, “sheltering-in-place” or other restrictions that relate to, or arise out of, an epidemic, pandemic or disease outbreak (including COVID-19), (H) any change in the share price or trading volume of the shares of Company Common Stock, in the Company’s credit rating or in any analyst’s recommendations, in each case in and of itself, or the failure of the Company to meet projections or forecasts (including any analyst’s projections), in and of itself (provided in each case that the event, change, effect, development, condition, circumstance or occurrence underlying such change or failure shall not be excluded, and may be taken into account, in determining whether there has been or may be a Company Material Adverse Effect) (to the extent permitted by this definition and not otherwise excepted by another clause of this proviso), and (I) actions taken as required or permitted by the Agreement or actions or omissions taken with Parent’s consent;  (Pages 90-91)

Question: MAE Definition
Category: Material Adverse Effect
Answer: business and operation of Target