Exhibit 10.19
EXELIXIS, INC.
CHANGE IN CONTROL AND SEVERANCE
BENEFIT PLAN
SECTION 1. I
NTRODUCTION
.
The Exelixis, Inc. Change in Control
and Severance Benefit Plan (the “ Plan
”), established on December 9, 2005, is hereby amended
and restated effective December 23, 2008 (the “
Effective Date ”). The purpose of the Plan is
to provide for the payment of severance benefits to certain
eligible employees of Exelixis, Inc. and its wholly owned
subsidiaries (the “ Company ”) in the
event that such employees are subject to qualifying employment
terminations and additional benefits if such qualifying employment
termination occurs in connection with a Change in Control. This
Plan shall supersede any severance benefit plan, contract,
agreement, policy or practice maintained by the Company on the
Effective Date; provided , however , that if any
provision relating to stock options or other awards contained in
the Company’s 2000 Equity Incentive Plan, or any successor or
similar plan adopted by the Company (the “ Equity
Incentive Plan ”) is more favorable to an employee
than the corresponding provision or the absence of such
corresponding provision in the Plan, then such more favorable
provision in the Equity Incentive Plan shall govern, but the
remainder of the Plan shall continue in full force and effect. As
applicable, this Plan shall constitute an amendment to an
employee’s stock option agreement or other agreement under
the Equity Incentive Plan. This document also is the Summary Plan
Description for the Plan.
SECTION 2. D
EFINITIONS
.
For purposes of the Plan, except as
otherwise provided in the applicable Participation Notice, 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 divided by twelve
(12).
(b) “Board” means the
Board of Directors of Exelixis, Inc.
(c) “Bonus” means the
Participant’s target bonus established by the Company’s
Compensation Committee for the year in which the Covered
Termination occurs divided by twelve (12).
(d) “Change in Control”
means one of the following events or a series of more than one of
the following events: (i) when a person, entity or group
(within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) acquires beneficial ownership of
the Company’s capital stock equal to 50% or more of either
(x) the then-outstanding shares of the Company’s common
stock or (y) the combined voting power of the Company’s
then-outstanding securities to vote generally in the election of
directors; (ii) upon the consummation by the
1.
Company of (x) a reorganization, merger or
consolidation, provided that, in each case, the persons who were
the Company’s stockholders immediately prior to the
reorganization, merger or consolidation do not, immediately after,
own more than 50% of the combined voting power entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors of the reorganized, merged
or consolidated company’s then outstanding voting securities,
or (y) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company or the sale
of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; or
(iii) when the Continuing Directors (as defined below) do not
constitute a majority of the Board (or, if applicable, the Board of
a successor corporation to the Company), where the term
“Continuing Director” means at any date a member of the
Board (x) who was a member of the Board on the date of the
initial adoption of this Plan by the Board or (y) who was
nominated or elected subsequent to such date by at least a majority
of the directors who were Continuing Directors at the time of such
nomination or election or whose election to the Board was
recommended or endorsed by at least a majority of the directors who
were Continuing Directors at the time of such nomination or
election; provided , however , that any individual
whose initial assumption of office occurred as a result of an
actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election
or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation
of proxies or consents, by or on behalf of a person other than the
Board, is excluded from clause (iii)(y) above. For the purposes of
this definition, (i) prior to a Change in Control,
“Company” shall mean only Exelixis, Inc. or its
successor and shall not include (A) its wholly owned
subsidiaries or (B) the surviving or controlling entity
resulting from a Change in Control or the entity to which the
Company’s assets were transferred in the case of an asset
sale constituting a Change in Control and (ii) following a
Change in Control, “Company” shall mean only Exelixis,
Inc. (or its successor) and any surviving or controlling entity
resulting from such Change in Control or the entity to which the
Company’s assets were transferred in the case of an asset
sale constituting such a Change in Control and shall not include
any wholly owned subsidiaries.
(e) “Change in Control
Termination” means a Covered Termination which occurs
within one (1) month prior to or within thirteen
(13) months following the effective date of a Change in
Control.
(f) “COBRA Period” means
(i) in the case of a Change in Control Termination, the number
of months set forth in Section 4(a)(iii) and (ii) in the
case of a Covered Termination that is not a Change in Control
Termination, (x) in the case of an Executive Participant, six
(6) months and (y) in the case of a Participant who is
not an Executive Participant, zero (0) months.
(g) “Code” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(h) “Company” means
Exelixis, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiaries, any successor to
Exelixis, Inc. and, following a Change in Control, the surviving or
controlling entity resulting from such a Change in Control or the
entity to which the Company’s assets were transferred in the
case where the Change in Control is an asset sale.
(i) “Constructive
Termination” means a voluntary termination of
employment with the Company resulting in a “separation from
service” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation
Section 1.409A-1(h) (without regard to any permissible
alternative definition of “termination of employment”
thereunder) by a Participant after one of the following is
undertaken without the Participant’s written consent:
(i) reduction of such Participant’s base salary by more
than ten
2.
percent (10%) as in effect immediately
prior to the time such reduction occurs; (ii) the occurrence
of a material diminution in the package of welfare benefit plans,
taken as a whole, in which such Participant is entitled to
participate immediately prior to the time such material diminution
(except that such Participant’s contributions may be raised
to the extent of any cost increases imposed by third parties);
provided , however , that such material diminution
qualifies as an “involuntary separation from service”
as provided under Treasury Regulation
Section 1.409A-1(n)(2)(i) or (ii); (iii) a change in such
Participant’s responsibilities, authority or offices that,
taken as a whole, result in a material diminution of position;
provided , however , that a change in the
Participant’s title or reporting relationships shall not by
itself constitute a Constructive Termination; (iv) a request
that such Participant relocate to a worksite that is more than
thirty-five (35) miles from such Participant’s prior
worksite, unless such Participant accepts such relocation
opportunity; (v) a material reduction in duties; (vi) a
failure or refusal of any successor company to assume the
obligations of the Company under an agreement with such
Participant; or (vii) a material breach by the Company of any
of the material provisions of an agreement with such Participant,
including, without limitation, a breach of the terms of any
agreement or program providing for the payment of bonus
compensation. Notwithstanding any provision of this definition of
“Constructive Termination” to the contrary, an event or
action by the Company shall not give the Participant grounds to
voluntarily terminate employment as a Constructive Termination
unless the Participant gives the Company written notice within
thirty (30) days of the initial existence of such event or
action that the event or action by the Company would give the
Participant such grounds to so terminate employment and such event
or action is not reversed, remedied or cured, as the case may be,
by the Company as soon as possible but in no event later than
within thirty (30) days of receiving such written notice from
the Participant. For the avoidance of doubt, the cessation of
employment followed by the immediate commencement of services as an
independent contractor for the Company, which does not result in a
“separation from service” with the Company within the
meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h), shall not
constitute a Constructive Termination.
(j) “Covered Termination”
means (x) an Involuntary Termination Without Cause or
(y) a Constructive Termination if such Constructive
Termination occurs any time after the date that is one
(1) month prior to the effective date of the first Change in
Control that occurs after the Participant commences participation
in the Plan. Termination of employment of a Participant due to
death or disability shall not constitute a Covered Termination
unless a voluntary termination of employment by the Participant
immediately prior to the Participant’s death or disability
would have qualified as a Constructive Termination.
(k) “Equity Incentive
Plan” means the 2000 Equity Incentive Plan or any
successor or similar plan adopted by the Company.
(l) “ERISA” means the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as
amended.
(m) “Involuntary Termination Without
Cause” means Participant’s involuntary
termination of employment by the Company resulting in a
“separation from service” within the meaning of
Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h) (without regard to any
permissible alternative definition of “termination of
employment” thereunder) for a reason other than Cause.
“Cause” means the occurrence of any one or more of the
following: (i) the Participant’s
3.
conviction of, or plea of no contest with
respect to, any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral
turpitude; (ii) the Participant’s attempted commission
of or participation in a fraud or act of dishonesty against the
Company that results in (or might have reasonably resulted in)
material harm to the business of the Company; (iii) the
Participant’s intentional, material violation of any contract
or agreement between the Participant and the Company or any
statutory duty the Participant owes to the Company; or
(iv) the Participant’s conduct that constitutes gross
misconduct, insubordination, incompetence or habitual neglect of
duties and that results in (or might have reasonably resulted in)
material harm to the business of the Company; provided ,
however , that the conduct described under clause
(iii) or (iv) above will only constitute Cause if such
conduct is not cured within fifteen (15) days after the
Participant’s receipt of written notice from the Company or
the Board specifying the particulars of the conduct that may
constitute Cause. For the avoidance of doubt, if, in connection
with a Change in Control, an employee is terminated and offered
“immediate reemployment” by the surviving or
controlling entity resulting from a Change in Control or the entity
to which the Company’s assets were transferred in the case of
an asset sale constituting a Change in Control, then such
termination shall not constitute an Involuntary Termination Without
Cause. For purposes of the foregoing, “immediate
reemployment” shall mean that the employee’s employment
with the surviving or controlling entity resulting from a Change in
Control or the entity to which the Company’s assets were
transferred in the case of an asset sale constituting a Change in
Control, results in uninterrupted employment such that the employee
does not suffer a lapse in pay as a result of the Change in Control
and the terms of such reemployment, taken as a whole, are not less
favorable than the terms of employment with the Company immediately
prior to such employee’s termination of employment. For the
avoidance of doubt, the cessation of employment followed by the
immediate commencement of services as an independent contractor for
the Company, which does not result in a “separation from
service” with the Company within the meaning of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h), shall not constitute an
Involuntary Termination Without Cause.
(n) “Participant” means an
individual (i) who is employed by the Company as its Chief
Executive Officer, President, senior vice president, vice president
or any other officer with a rank of vice president or above and
(ii) who has received a Participation Notice from and executed
and returned such Participation Notice to the Company. The
determination of whether an employee is a Participant shall be made
by the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, and such
determination shall be binding and conclusive on all persons.
“ Executive Participant ” means a
Participant who has been designated as an Executive Participant on
the Participant’s Participation Notice.
(o) “Participation Notice”
means the latest notice delivered by the Company to a Participant
informing the employee that the employee is a Participant in the
Plan, substantially in the form of Exhibit A
hereto.
(p) “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.
4.
SECTION 3. E LIGIBILITY F OR B ENEFITS .
(a) General Rules. Subject to the provisions
set forth in this Section and Section 7, 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.
(b) Exceptions to Benefit Entitlement. An
employee, including an employee who otherwise is 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 employee has executed an individually
negotiated employment contract or agreement with the Company
relating to severance or change in control benefits that is in
effect on his or her termination date, in which case such
employee’s severance benefit, if any, shall be governed by
the terms of such individually negotiated employment contract or
agreement.
(ii) The employee voluntarily terminates employment
with the Company in order to accept employment with another entity
that is controlled (directly or indirectly) by the Company or is
otherwise an affiliate of the Company.
(iii) The employee does not confirm in writing that he
or she shall be subject to the Company’s Employee Proprietary
Information and Inventions Agreement.
(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 Employee Proprietary Information and Inventions
Agreement with the Company, as referenced in
Section 3(b)(iii); or
(ii) willfully encourages or solicits any of the
Company’s then current employees to leave the Company’s
employ.
SECTION 4. A
MOUNT OF B ENEFITS .
(a) Cash Severance Benefits. Except as
provided in the applicable Participant Notice:
(i) Each Executive Participant who incurs a Covered
Termination that is not also a Change in Control Termination shall
be entitled to receive a cash severance benefit equal to six
(6) months of Base Salary. Any cash severance benefits
provided under this Section 4(a)(i) shall be paid pursuant to
the provisions of Section 5.
5.
(ii) Each Participant (x) who incurs a Change in
Control Termination and (y) who was employed by the Company at
the position or level set forth in Section 4(a)(iii) below
within one (1) month immediately prior to such Change in
Control Termination shall be entitled to receive a cash severance
benefit equal to the sum of the Participant’s Base Salary
plus Bonus for the number of months set forth in
Section 4(a)(iii). If a Participant serves in two or more
positions set forth in the table below, such cash severance benefit
shall be for the position with the greatest number of months of
cash severance, with no additional cash severance for the other
position(s). Any cash severance benefits provided under this
Section 4(a)(ii) shall be paid pursuant to the provisions of
Section 5.
(iii) For the purposes of determining the months of
severance benefits in the event of a Change in Control Termination,
the following periods shall be used.
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Months of Severance Benefit
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Chief Executive Officer
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24 months
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Executive Participants other than the Chief
Executive Officer
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18 months
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Participants who are not Executive
Participants
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12 months
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(b) Accelerated Stock Award Vesting and Extended
Exercisability of Stock Options. If a Participant incurs a
Change in Control Termination, then effective as of the date of the
Participant’s Change in Control Termination, (i) the
vesting and exercisability of all outstanding options to purchase
the Company’s common stock (or stock appreciation rights or
similar rights or other rights with respect to stock of the Company
issued pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan) that 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 or issuable (or in
respect of similar rights or other rights with respect to stock of
the Company issued or issuable pursuant to the Equity Incentive
Plan) pursuant to any other stock award granted to the Participant
by the Company shall lapse.
In addition, if a
Participant incurs a Change in Control Termination, the
post-termination of employment exercise period of any outstanding
option (or stock appreciation right or similar right or other
rights with respect to stock of the Company issued pursuant to the
Equity Incentive Plan) held by the Participant on the date of his
or her Change in Control Termination shall be extended, if
necessary, such that the post-termination of employment exercise
period shall not terminate prior to the later of (i) the date
twelve (12) months after the effective date of the Change in
Control or (ii) the post-termination exercise period provided
for in such option; provided , however , that such
stock right shall not be exercisable after the expiration of its
maximum term. Notwithstanding the foregoing, stock rights granted
prior to the Effective Date shall not be exercisable after the
later of (A) the 15 th day of the third month
following the date at which, or (B) December 31 of the
calendar year in which, the stock right would otherwise have
expired if the stock right had not been extended.
6.
Notwithstanding the provisions of
this Section 4(b), in the event that the provisions of this
Section 4(b) regarding acceleration of vesting of an option or
extended exercisability of an option would adversely affect a
Participant’s option or other stock award (including, without
limitation, its status as an incentive stock option under
Section 422 of the Code) that is outstanding on the date the
Participant commences participation in the Plan, such acceleration
of vesting and/or extended exercisability shall be deemed null and
void as to such option or other stock award unless the affected
Participant consents in writing to such acceleration of vesting or
extended exercisability as to such option or other stock award
within thirty (30) days after becoming a Participant in the
Plan.
(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 number of months equal to the COBRA Period; provided ,
however , that if the COBRA 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 Company or any resulting or acquiring entity or
transferee entity (in the case of an asset sale) involved in a
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 COBRA
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 the COBRA Period (or such shorter period during which
the Company is obligated to pay premiums pursuant to this
Section 4(c)), the Participant will be responsible for the
entire payment of premiums required under COBRA.
7.
For purposes of this
Section 4(c), (i) references to COBRA shall be deemed to
refer also to analogous provisions of state law and (ii) any
applicable insurance premiums that are paid by the Company shall
not include any amounts payable by the Participant under an
Internal Revenue Code Section 125 health care reimbursement
plan, which amounts, if any, are the sole responsibility of the
Participant.
(d) Outplacement Services. If a Participant
incurs a Change in Control Termination, the Company shall pay, on
behalf of the Participant, for outplacement services with an
outplacement service provider selected by the Company for the time
periods specified below; provided , however , that
the payments made by the Company for such outplacement services
shall not exceed the maximum amounts set forth below;
provided further , however , that such
payments qualify for the exception provided by Treasury Regulation
Sections 1.409A-1(b)(9)(v)(A) and (C).
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Time Period
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Maximum Amount
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Chief Executive Officer
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24 months
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$
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50,000
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Executive Participants other than the Chief
Executive Officer
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18 months
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$
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30,000
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Participants who are not Executive
Participants
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12 months
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$
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20,000
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(e) Other Employee Benefits. All other
benefits (such as life insurance, disability coverage, and 401(k)
plan coverage) shall terminate as of the Participant’s
termination date (except to the extent that a conversion privilege
may be available thereunder).
(f) Additional Benefits. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Company may, in its sole discretion, provide
additional or enhanced benefits to those benefits provided for
pursuant to Sections 4(a), 4(b), 4(c) and 4(d) to Participants or
employees who are not Participants (“
Non-Participants ”) chosen by the Company, in
its sole discretion, and the provision of any such benefits to a
Participant or a Non-Participant shall in no way obligate the
Company to provide such benefits to any other Participant or to any
other Non-Participant, even if similarly situated. If benefits
under the Plan are provided to a Non-Participant, references in the
Plan to “Participant” (with the exception of Sections
4(a), 4(b), 4(c) and 4(d)) shall be deemed to refer to such
Non-Participants.
8.
SECTION 5. T IME AND F ORM O F S EVERANCE P AYMENTS .
(a) General Rules. Subject to
Section 5(b), any cash severance benefit provided under
Section 4(a) shall be paid 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 7(a).
(b) Application of
Section 409A.
(i) All payments provided under this Plan are
intended to constitute separate payments for purposes of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2).
(ii) If a Participant is a “specified
employee” of the Company or any affiliate thereof (or any
successor entity thereto) within the meaning of
Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code on the date of a Covered
Termination, then any cash severance payments pursuant to
Section 4(a) (the “ Severance Payments
”) shall be delayed until the date that is six
(6) months after the date of the Covered Termination (such
date, the “ Delayed Payment Date ”), and
the Company (or the successor entity thereto, as applicable) shall
(A) pay to Participant a lump sum amount equal to the sum of
the Severance Payments that otherwise would have been paid to
Participant on or before the Delayed Payment Date, without any
adjustment on account of such delay, and (B) continue the
Severance Payments in accordance with any applicable payment
schedules set forth for the balance of the period specified herein.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Severance Payments
scheduled to be paid from the date of a Covered Termination through
March 15th of the calendar year following such termination
shall be paid to the maximum extent permitted pursuant to the
“short-term deferral” rule set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(4); (ii) Severance
Payments scheduled to be paid that are not paid pursuant to the
preceding clause (i) shall be paid as scheduled to the maximum
extent permitted pursuant to an “involuntary separation from
service” as permitted by Treasury Regulation
Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii), but in no event later than the
last day of the second taxable year following the taxable year of
the Covered Termination; and (iii) any Severance Payments that
are not paid pursuant to either the preceding clause (i) or
the preceding clause (ii) shall be subject to delay, if
necessary, as provided in the previous sentence. Except to the
extent that payments may be delayed until the Delayed Payment Date,
on the first regularly scheduled payroll period following the
release described in Section 7(a), the Company will pay the
Participant the Severance Payments the Participant would otherwise
have received under the Plan on or prior to such date but for the
delay in payment related to the effectiveness of the release
described in Section 7(a), with the balance of the Severance
Payments being paid as otherwise provided herein.
9.
(iii) Benefits provided under Section 4(b) are
intended to be provided pursuant to the exception provided by
Treasury Regulation Sections 1.409A-1(b)(5)(v)(C)(1) and
1.409A-1(b)(5)(v)(E). Amounts paid under Section 4(c) are not
intended to be delayed pursuant to Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of
the Code and are intended to be paid pursuant to the exception
provided by Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(v)(B).
Amounts paid under Section 4(d) are intended to qualify for
the exception provided under Treasury Regulation Sections
1.409A-1(b)(9)(v)(A) and (C).
SECTION 6. R
EEMPLOYMENT
.
In the event of a
Participant’s reemployment by the Company during the period
of time in respect of which severance benefits pursuant to
Section 4(a) or Section 4(f) have been paid, the Company,
in its sole and absolute discretion, may require such Participant
to repay to the Company all or a portion of such severance
benefits