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FORM OF CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH B. MICHAEL JAMES, MARK A. ROSSI AND JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI

Change of Control Agreement

FORM OF CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH B. MICHAEL JAMES, MARK A. ROSSI AND JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI | Document Parties: MERRILL CORPORATION  | B. MICHAEL JAMES | MARK A. ROSSI | JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI You are currently viewing:
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MERRILL CORPORATION | B. MICHAEL JAMES | MARK A. ROSSI | JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI

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Title: FORM OF CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH B. MICHAEL JAMES, MARK A. ROSSI AND JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI
Governing Law: Minnesota     Date: 2/13/2006

FORM OF CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT WITH B. MICHAEL JAMES, MARK A. ROSSI AND JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI, Parties: merrill corporation  , b. michael james , mark a. rossi , joseph p. pettirossi
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EXHIBIT 10.24

FORM OF CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT
WITH B. MICHAEL JAMES, MARK A. ROSSI AND JOSEPH P. PETTIROSSI

Effective            

[Name and address of Executive]

Dear [executive]:

        The Board considers the establishment and maintenance of a sound and vital management to be essential to protecting and enhancing the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. In this connection, the Board recognizes that the possibility of a Change in Control may raise uncertainty and questions among management which may result in the departure or distraction of management personnel to the detriment of the Company and its stockholders.

        Accordingly, the Board has determined that appropriate steps should be taken to minimize the risk that Company executive management will depart prior to a Change in Control, thereby leaving the Company without adequate executive management personnel during such a critical period, and to reinforce and encourage the continued attention and dedication of members of the Company's executive management to their assigned duties without distraction in circumstances arising from the possibility of a Change in Control.

        The Board recognizes that continuance of your position with the Company involves a substantial commitment to the Company in terms of your personal life and professional career and the possibility of foregoing present and future career opportunities, for which the Company receives substantial benefits. Therefore, to induce you to remain in the employ of the Company, this Agreement, which has been approved by the Board, sets forth the benefits that the Company agrees will be provided to you in the event your employment with the Company is terminated in connection with a Change in Control under the circumstances described below.

        1.      DEFINITIONS.    The following terms have the meaning set forth below unless the context clearly requires otherwise. Terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement have the same meaning throughout this Agreement.

        (a)   " Affiliate " means (i) any corporation at least a majority of whose outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote at elections of directors is owned directly or indirectly by the Parent Corporation or (ii) any other form of business entity in which the Parent Corporation, by virtue of a direct or indirect ownership interest, has the right to elect a majority of the members of such entity's governing body.

        (b)   " Agreement " means this letter agreement as amended, extended or renewed from time to time in accordance with its terms.

        (c)   " Base Pay " means your annual base salary from the Company at the rate in effect immediately prior to a Change in Control or at the time Notice of Termination is given, whichever is greater. Base Pay includes only regular cash salary and is determined before any reduction for deferrals pursuant to any nonqualified deferred compensation plan or arrangement, qualified cash or deferred arrangement or cafeteria plan.

        (d)   " Benefit Plan " means any

          (i)  employee benefit plan as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended;

         (ii)  cafeteria plan described in Code Section 125;


 

        (iii)  plan, policy or practice providing for paid vacation, other paid time off or short-or long-term profit sharing, bonus or incentive payments; or

        (iv)  stock option, stock purchase, restricted stock, phantom stock, stock appreciation right or other equity-based compensation plan with respect to the securities of any Affiliate

made available to employees of the Company generally or any group of employees or you in particular.

        (e)   " Board " means the board of directors of the Parent Corporation duly qualified and acting at the time in question. On and after the date of a Change in Control, any duty of the Board in connection with this Agreement is nondelegable and any attempt by the Board to delegate any such duty is ineffective.

        (f)    " Cause " means:

          (i)  your gross misconduct;

         (ii)  your willful and continued failure to perform substantially your duties with the Company (other than any such failure (1) resulting from your incapacity due to bodily injury or physical or mental illness or (2) relating to changes in your duties after a Change in Control which constitute Good Reason) after a demand for substantial performance is delivered to you by the chair of the Board which specifically identifies the manner in which you have not substantially performed your duties and provides for a reasonable period of time within which you may take corrective actions; or

        (iii)  your conviction (including a plea of nolo contendere) of willfully engaging in illegal conduct constituting a felony or gross misdemeanor under federal or state law which is materially and demonstrably injurious to the Company or which impairs your ability to perform substantially your duties for the Company.

        An act or failure to act will be considered "gross or willful" for this purpose only if done, or omitted to be done, by you in bad faith and without reasonable belief that it was in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company. Any act, or failure to act, based upon authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Board (or a committee thereof) or based upon the advice of counsel for the Company will be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by you in good faith and in the best interests of the Company. It is also expressly understood that your attention to matters not directly related to the business of the Company will not provide a basis for termination for Cause so long as the Board did not expressly disapprove in writing of your engagement in such activities either before or within a reasonable period of time after the Board knew or could reasonably have known that you engaged in those activities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may not be terminated for Cause unless and until there has been delivered to you a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the entire membership of the Board at a meeting of the Board called and held for the purpose (after reasonable notice to you and an opportunity for you, together with your counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding that in the good faith opinion of the Board you were guilty of the conduct set forth above in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of this definition and specifying the particulars thereof in detail.

        (g)   "Change in Control" means any of the following:

          (i)  the sale, lease, exchange or other transfer, directly or indirectly, of substantially all of the assets of the Parent Corporation, in one transaction or in a series of related transactions, to any Person;

         (ii)  any Person, other than a "bona fide underwriter," becomes, after the date of this Agreement, the "beneficial owner" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act),

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directly or indirectly, of 20 percent or more of the combined voting power of the Parent Corporation's outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote at elections of directors;

        (iii)  a merger or consolidation to which the Parent Corporation is a party if the stockholders of the Parent Corporation immediately prior to the effective date of such merger or consolidation have, solely on account of ownership of securities of the Parent Corporation at such time, "beneficial ownership" (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) immediately following the effective date of such merger or consolidation of securities of the surviving corporation representing less than 80 percent of the combined voting power of the surviving corporation's then outstanding securities ordinarily having the right to vote at elections of directors;

        (iv)  the continuity directors cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; or

         (v)  a change in control of a nature that is determined by outside legal counsel to the Parent Corporation, in a written opinion specifically referencing this provision of the Agreement, to be required to be reported (assuming such event has not been "previously reported") pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, whether or not the Parent Corporation is then subject to such reporting requirement.

        For purposes of this Section 1(g), a "continuity director" means any individual who is a member of the Board on                        , while he or she is a member of the Board, and any individual who subsequently becomes a member of the Board whose election or nomination for election by the Parent Corporation's stockholders was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors who are continuity directors (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Parent Corporation in which such individual is named as a nominee for director without objection to such nomination). For example, if a majority of the 10 individuals constituting the Board on                        approved a proxy statement in which six different individuals were nominated to replace six of the individuals who were members of the Board on                        , upon their election by the Parent Corporation's stockholders, the six newly elected directors would join the four directors who were members of the Board on                        as continuity directors. Similarly, if a majority of those 10 directors approved a proxy statement in which four different individuals were nominated to replace the four remaining directors who were members of the Board on                        , upon their election by the Parent Corporation's stockholders, the four newly elected directors would also become, along with the other six directors, continuity directors. Individuals subsequently joining the Board could become continuity directors under the principles reflected in this example.

        For purposes of this Section 1(g), a "bona fide underwriter" means a Person engaged in business as an underwriter of securities that acquires securities of the Parent Corporation through such Person's participation in good faith in a firm commitment underwriting until the expiration of 40 days after the date of such acquisition.

        2.     " Code " means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Code includes a reference to such provision as it may be amended from time to time and to any successor provision.

        (a)   " Company " means the Parent Corporation, any Successor and any Affiliate.

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        (b)   " Date of Termination " following a Change in Control (or prior to a Change in Control if your termination was either a condition of the Change in Control or was at the request or insistence of any Person related to the Change in Control) means:

          (i)  if your employment is to be terminated by you for Good Reason, the date specified in the Notice of Termination which in no event may be a date more than 15 days after the date on which Notice of Termination is given unless the Company agrees in writing to a later date;

         (ii)  if your employment is to be terminated by the Company for Cause, the date specified in the Notice of Termination;

        (iii)  if your employment is terminated by reason of your death, the date of your death; or

        (iv)  if your employment is to be terminated by the Company for any reason other than Cause or your death, the date specified in the Notice of Termination, which in no event may be a date earlier than 15 days after the date on which a Notice of Termination is given, unless you expressly agree in writing to an earlier date.

        In the case of termination by the Company of your employment for Cause, if you have not previously expressly agreed in writing to the termination, then within the 30-day period after your receipt of the Notice of Termination, you may notify the Company that a dispute exists concerning the termination, in which event the Date of Termination will be the date set either by mutual written agreement of the parties or by the judge or arbitrators in a proceeding as provided in Section 11 of this Agreement. During the pendency of any such dispute, you will continue to make yourself available to provide services to the Company and the Company will continue to pay you your full compensation and benefits in effect immediately prior to the date on which the Notice of Termination is given (without regard to any changes to such compensation or benefits that constitute Good Reason) and until the dispute is resolved in accordance with Section 11 of this Agreement. You will be entitled to retain the full amount of any such compensation and benefits without regard to the resolution of the dispute unless the judge or arbitrators decide(s) that your claim of a dispute was frivolous or advanced by you in bad faith.

        (c)   " Exchange Act " means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Exchange Act or to any rule or regulation thereunder includes a reference to such provision as it may be amended from time to time and to any successor

        (d)   " Good Reason " means:

          (i)  a change in your title(s), status, position(s), authority, duties or responsibilities as an executive of the Company as in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control which, in your reasonable judgment, is material and adverse (other than, if applicable, any such change directly attributable to the fact that the Parent Corporation is no longer publicly owned); provided, however, that Good Reason does not include such a change that is remedied by the Company promptly after receipt of notice of such change is given by you;

         (ii)  a reduction by the Company in your Base Pay, or an adverse change in the form or timing of the payment thereto, as in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control or as thereafter increased;

        (iii)  the failure by the Company to cover you under Benefit Plans that, in the aggregate, provide substantially similar benefits to you and/or your family and dependents at a substantially similar total cost to you (e.g., premiums, deductibles, co-pays, out of pocket maximums, required contributions and the like) relative to the benefits and total costs under the Benefit Plans in which you (and/or your family or dependents) were participating at any time during the 90-day period immediately preceding the Change in Control;

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        (iv)  the Company's requiring you to be based more than 30 miles from where your office is located immediately prior to the Change in Control, except for required travel on the Company's business, and then only to the extent substantially consistent with the business travel obligations which you undertook on behalf of the Company during the 90-day period immediately preceding the Change in Control (without regard to travel related to or in anticipation of the Change in Control);

         (v)  the failure by the Company to obtain from any Successor the assent to this Agreement contemplated by Section 5 of this Agreement;

        (vi)  any purported termination by the Company of your employment that is not properly effected pursuant to a Notice o


 
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