Exhibit 10.2
DITECH
NETWORKS, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED CHANGE IN
CONTROL SEVERANCE BENEFIT PLAN
SECTION
1.
INTRODUCTION.
The Ditech
Networks, Inc. Amended and Restated Change in Control Severance
Benefit Plan (the “Plan” ) is hereby
established effective September 24, 2007 (the “Effective Date” ), which
Plan amends and restates the Ditech Networks, Inc. Change in
Control Severance Benefit Plan adopted August 18, 2006 (the
“Prior Plan” ),
which Prior Plan is hereby superseded by this Plan. The purpose of
the Plan is to provide for the payment of severance benefits to
certain eligible employees of Ditech Networks, Inc. and its wholly
owned subsidiaries (the “Company” ) in the event
that such employees are subject to qualifying employment
terminations in connection with a Change in Control. This Plan
shall supersede any severance benefit plan, policy or practice
previously maintained by the Company, other than an individually
negotiated written contract or written agreement with the Company
relating to severance or change in control benefits that is in
effect on an employee’s termination date, in which case such
employee’s severance benefit, if any, shall be governed by
the terms of such individually negotiated written contract or
written agreement and shall be governed by this Plan only to the
extent that the reduction pursuant to Section 6(b) below does not
entirely eliminate benefits under this Plan. This document also is
the Summary Plan Description for the Plan.
SECTION
2.
DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of
the Plan, the following terms are defined as follows:
(a)
“Base Salary” means the Participant’s
annual base pay (excluding incentive pay, premium pay, commissions,
overtime, bonuses and other forms of variable compensation), at the
rate in effect during the last regularly scheduled payroll period
immediately preceding the date of the Participant’s Covered
Termination.
(b)
“Board” means the Board of Directors of
Ditech Networks, Inc.
(c)
“Change in Control” means one of the
following events or a series of more than one of the following
events that are related, wherein the stockholders of the Company
immediately before the transaction do not retain immediately after
the transaction, in substantially the same proportions as their
ownership of shares of the Company’s voting stock immediately
before the transaction, direct or indirect beneficial ownership of
more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
the outstanding voting stock of the Company, the resulting entity
in a merger or, in the case of an asset sale, the corporation or
corporations to which the assets of the Company were transferred
(the “Transferee
Corporation(s)” ), as the case may be:
(i)
the direct or indirect sale or exchange in a single or series of
related transactions by the stockholders of the Company of more
than fifty percent (50%) of the voting stock of the Company;
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(ii)
a merger or consolidation in which the Company is a party; or
(iii)
the sale, exchange, or transfer of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company.
For purposes of this
Section 2(c), indirect beneficial ownership shall include, without
limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting
stock of one or more corporations, which as a result of the
transaction, own the Company, the resulting entity or the
Transferee Corporation(s), as the case may be, either directly or
through one or more subsidiary corporations. Prior to the Change In
Control, the Board shall have the right to determine whether
multiple sales or exchanges of the voting stock of the Company or
more than one of the preceding events are related, and its
determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.
(d)
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended.
(e)
“Company” means Ditech Networks, Inc. and
its wholly owned subsidiaries or, following a Change in Control,
the surviving entity resulting from such transaction.
(f)
“Constructive Termination” means a
resignation by a Participant of employment with the Company after
one of the following is undertaken without the Participant’s
express written consent:
(i)
a substantial reduction in the Participant’s duties or
responsibilities (and not simply a change in title or reporting
relationships) in effect immediately prior to the effective date of
the Change in Control; provided, however, that it shall not
be a “Constructive Termination” if, following the
effective date of the Change in Control, either (a) the Company is
retained as a separate legal entity or business unit and the
Participant holds the same position in such legal entity or
business unit as the Participant held before such effective date,
or (b) the Participant holds a position with duties and
responsibilities comparable (though not necessarily identical, in
view of the relative sizes of the Company and the entity involved
in the Change in Control) to the duties and responsibilities of the
Participant prior to the effective date of the Change in
Control;
(ii)
a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary (except
for salary decreases generally applicable to the Company’s
other similarly situated employees);
(iii)
a change in the Participant’s business location of more than
40 miles from the business location prior to such change, except
for required travel for the Company’s business to an extent
substantially consistent with Participant’s prior business
travel obligations;
(iv)
a material breach by the Company of any provisions of the Plan or
any enforceable written agreement between the Company and the
Participant, and the Company fails to rescind or cure the conduct
giving rise to the event constituting such material breach within
thirty (30) days of receipt by the Company of written notice from
the Participant informing the Company of such material breach;
or
(v)
any failure by the Company to obtain assumption of the Plan by any
successor or assign of the Company.
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Notwithstanding
the foregoing, a resignation shall not be deemed a Constructive
Termination unless (x) the Participant provides the Company with
written notice (the “Constructive Termination
Notice” ) that the Participant believes that an event
described in this Section 2(f) has occurred, (y) the Constructive
Termination Notice is given within ninty (90) days of the date the
event occurred, and (z) the Company does not rescind or cure the
conduct giving rise to the event described in this Section 2(f)
within fifteen (15) days of receipt by the Company of the
Constructive Termination Notice.
(g)
“Covered Termination” means an Involuntary
Termination Without Cause or a Constructive Termination, either of
which occurs within one (1) month prior to the effective date of a
Change in Control or within twelve (12) months following the
effective date of a Change in Control. Termination of employment of
a Participant due to death or disability shall not constitute a
Covered Termination unless (i) a resignation of employment by the
Participant immediately prior to the Participant’s death or
disability would have qualified as a Constructive Termination, and
(ii) Participant shall have given the Company written notice, prior
to such resignation, of the event(s) that occurred or
circumstance(s) that existed that would have qualified as a
Constructive Termination.
(h)
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended.
(i)
“Involuntary Termination Without Cause”
means an involuntary termination of employment by the Company other
than for one of the following reasons:
(i)
the Participant’s violation of any material provision of the
Company’s standard agreement relating to proprietary
rights;
(ii)
the Participant participates in any act of theft or dishonesty;
or
(iii)
the Participant participates in any immoral or illegal act which
has had or could reasonably be expected to have or had a
detrimental effect on the business or reputation of the Company;
or
(iv)
any material failure by the Participant to use reasonable efforts
to perform reasonably requested tasks after written notice and a
reasonable opportunity to comply with such notice.
(j)
“Participant” means each of: Todd Simpson,
the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer; William
J. Tamblyn, the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer; and Lowell B. Trangsrud, the Company’s
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
(k)
“Plan Administrator” means the Board or any
committee duly authorized by the Board to administer the Plan. The
Plan Administrator may, but is not required to be, the Compensation
Committee of the Board. The Board may at any time administer the
Plan, in whole or in part, notwithstanding that the Board has
previously appointed a committee to act as the Plan
Administrator.
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SECTION
3.
ELIGIBILITY FOR
BENEFITS.
(a)
General Rules. Subject to the provisions set forth in this
Section and Section 6, in the event of a Covered Termination, the
Company will provide the severance benefits described in Section 4
of the Plan to the affected Participant. Nothing in the Plan is
intended to convey any benefit on a Participant prior to the
occurrence of a Change in Control.
(b)
Exceptions to Benefit Entitlement. A Participant, will not
receive benefits under the Plan (or will receive reduced benefits
under the Plan) in the following circumstances, as determined by
the Company in its sole discretion:
(i)
The Participant has executed an individually negotiated written
contract or written agreement with the Company relating to
severance or change in control benefits that is in effect on his
termination date, in which case such Participant’s severance
benefit, if any, shall be governed by the terms of such
individually negotiated written contract or written agreement,
whether or not such individually negotiated written contract or
written agreement expressly states that it is meant to supersede
the Plan, and shall be governed by this Plan only to the extent
that the reduction pursuant to Section 6(b) or Section 6(d) below
does not entirely eliminate benefits under this Plan.
(ii)
The Participant is offered immediate reemployment by a successor to
the Company or by a purchaser of its assets, as the case may be,
following a change in ownership of the Company or a sale of all or
substantially all the assets of a division or business unit of the
Company. For purposes of the foregoing, “immediate reemployment”
means that the Participant’s employment with the successor to
the Company or the purchaser of its assets, as the case may be,
results in uninterrupted employment such that the Participant does
not suffer a lapse in pay as a result of the change in ownership of
the Company or the sale of its assets; provided, however,
that reemployment in a role that would constitute a Constructive
Termination shall not constitute “immediate reemployment”
for purposes hereof.
(iii)
The Participant does not confirm in writing that he or she shall be
subject to the proprietary information or confidentiality agreement
previously entered into between Participant and the Company.
(c)
Termination of Benefits. A Participant’s right to receive
the payment of benefits under this Plan shall terminate immediately
if, at any time prior to or during the period for which the
Participant is receiving benefits hereunder, the Participant,
without the prior written approval of the Company:
(i)
willfully breaches a material provision of the Participant’s
proprietary information or confidentiality agreement with the
Company, as referenced in Section 3(b)(iii);
(ii)
owns, manages, operates, joins, controls or participates in the
ownership, management, operation or control of, is employed by or
connected in any manner with, any person, enterprise or entity
which is engaged in any business competitive with that of the
Company; provided, however, that such restriction will not
apply to any passive investment representing an interest of less
than two percent (2%) of an outstanding class of publicly-traded
securities of any corporation or other entity or enterprise;
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(iii)
encourages or solicits any of the Company’s then current
employees to leave the Company’s employ for any reason or
interferes in any other manner with employment relationships at the
time existing between the Company and its then current employees;
or
(iv)
induces any of the Company’s then current clients, customers,
suppliers, vendors, distributors, licensors, licensees or other
third party to terminate their existing business relationship with
the Company or interferes in any other manner with any existing
business relationship between the Company and any then current
client, customer, supplier, vendor, distributor, licensor, licensee
or other third party.
SECTION
4.
AMOUNT OF BENEFITS.
(a)
Cash Severance Benefits. Each Participant who incurs a Covered
Termination and was employed by the Company at the position or
level set forth below within one (1) month immediately prior to
such Covered Termination shall be entitled to receive, subject to
Section 6(c), a cash severance benefit equal to the number of
months of Base Salary plus the Pro Rata Portion of Expected
Executive Bonus set forth below. Any cash severance benefits
provided under this Section 4(a) shall be paid pursuant to the
provisions of Section 5.
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Participant
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Amount
of Base Salary Cash
Severance Benefit
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Todd Simpson, the
Company’s
President and Chief Executive Officer
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12
months
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William J.
Tamblyn, the
Company’s Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer
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12
months
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Lowell B.
Trangsrud, the
Company’s Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer
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12
months
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“Pro
Rata Portion of Expected Executive Bonus”
shall mean, with respect to a Participant, the pro rata portion,
calculated based upon the fraction obtained by subtracting from 365
the number of days remaining in the fiscal year and dividing that
amount by 365, of the expected variable cash bonus for such
Participant, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the
Board, pursuant to the Company’s variable cash compensation
plan established by the Compensation Committee of the Board for the
fiscal year in which the Covered Termination occurs, based upon the
Participant’s and the Company’s performance during such
fiscal year up to the date of the Covered Termination.
(b)
Accelerated Stock Award Vesting of Stock Options. If a
Participant incurs a Covered Termination, then effective as of the
date of the Participant’s Covered Termination, (i)
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the vesting and
exercisability of all outstanding options to purchase the
Company’s common stock and other stock awards that were
granted to the Participant on or after September 1, 2003 but before
a Change in Control, and are held by the Participant on such date
shall be accelerated in full, and (ii) any reacquisition or
repurchase rights held by the Company in respect of common stock
issued pursuant to any other stock award granted to the Participant
by the Company on or after September 1, 2003 but before a Change in
Control shall lapse.
(c)
Continued Medical Benefits . If a Participant incurs a Covered
Termination and the Participant was enrolled in a health, dental,
or vision plan sponsored by the Company immediately prior to such
Covered Termination, the Participant may be eligible to continue
coverage under such health, dental, or vision plan (or to convert
to an individual policy), at the time of the Participant’s
termination of employment, under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 ( “COBRA” ). The Company will
notify the Participant of any such right to continue such coverage
at the time of termination pursuant to COBRA. No provision of this
Plan will affect the continuation coverage rules under COBRA,
except that the Company’s payment, if any, of applicable
insurance premiums will be credited as payment by the Participant
for purposes of the Participant’s payment required under
COBRA. Therefore, the period during which a Participant may elect
to continue the Company’s health, dental, or vision plan
coverage at his or her own expense under COBRA, the length of time
during which COBRA coverage will be made available to the
Participant, and all other rights and obligations of the
Participant under COBRA (except the obligation to pay insurance
premiums that the Company pays, if any) will be applied in the same
manner that such rules would apply in the absence of this Plan.
If a Participant
timely elects continued coverage under COBRA, the Company shall pay
the full amount of the Participant’s COBRA premiums on behalf
of the Participant for the Participant’s continued coverage
under the Company’s health, dental and vision plans,
including coverage for the Participant’s eligible dependents,
during the twelve (12) months following a Covered Termination (the
“Severance
Period” ); provided, however, that if the
Severance Period exceeds the length of time that the Participant is
entitled to coverage under COBRA (including any additional period
under analogous provisions of state law), the resulting or
acquiring entity or Transferee Corporation involved in the Change
in Control, as applicable, shall be required to provide health,
dental and vision insurance coverage for the Participant and his or
her eligible dependents for any portion of the Severance Period
that exceeds the length of time that the Participant is entitled to
coverage under COBRA (including any additional period under
analogous provisions of state law), at a level of coverage that is
substantially similar to the continued coverage that the
Participant and his or her eligible dependents received under the
Company’s health, dental and vision plans; provided,
further, however, that no such premium payments (or any other
payments for medical, dental or vision coverage by the Company)
shall be made following the Participant’s death or the
effective date of the Participant’s coverage by a medical,
dental or vision insurance plan of a subsequent employer. Each
Participant shall be required to notify the Company immediately if
the Participant becomes covered by a medical, dental or vision
insurance plan of a subsequent employer. Upon the conclusion of
such period of insurance premium payments made by the Company, the
Participant will be responsible for the entire payment of premiums
required under COBRA for the duration of the COBRA
period.
(d)
Other Employee Benefits. All other benefits (such as health
coverage, dental coverage, vision coverage, life insurance,
disability coverage, and 401(k) plan coverage) shall
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terminate as of the
Participant’s termination date (except to the extent that a
conversion privilege may be available thereunder).
SECTION
5.
TIME AND FORM
OF SEVERANCE PAYMENTS .
(a)
General Rules. Subject to Section 5(b), any cash severance
benefit provided under Section 4(a) shall be paid ratably over 12
months in installments pursuant to the Company’s regularly
scheduled payroll periods commencing as soon as practicable
following the effective date of a Participant’s Covered
Termination and shall be subject to all applicable withholding for
federal, state and local taxes. In the event of a
Participant’s death prior to receiving all installment
payments of his or her cash severance benefit under Section 4(a),
any remaining installment payments shall be made to the
Participant’s estate on the same payment schedule as would
have occurred absent the Participant’s death. In no event
shall payment of any Plan benefit be made prior to the effective
date of the Participant’s Covered Termination or prior to the
effective date of the release described in Section 6(a).
(b)
Application of Section 409A. In the event that any cash
severance benefit provided under Section 4(a) shall fail to satisfy
the distribution requirement of Section 409A(a)(2)(A) of the Code
as a result of the application of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the
Code, the payment of such benefit shall be accelerated to the
minimum extent necessary so that the benefit is not subject to the
provisions of Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code. (The payment schedule
as revised after the application of the preceding sentence shall be
referred to as the “Revised
Payment Schedule.” ) In the event the payment
of benefits pursuant to the Revised Payment Schedule would be
subject to Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code, the payment of such
benefits shall not be paid pursuant to the Revised Payment Schedule
and instead the payment of such benefits shall be delayed to the
minimum extent necessary so that such benefits are not subject to
the provisions of Section 409A(a)(1) of the Code. The Board may
attach conditions to or adjust the amounts paid pursuant to this
Section 5(b) to preserve, as closely as possible, the economic
consequences that would have applied in the absence of this Section
5(b); provided, howeve
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