|
E XHIBIT
10.03
L EAP F
ROG E NTERPRISES , I
NC .
E XECUTIVE
M ANAGEMENT S EVERANCE
AND C
HANGE I N C ONTROL B
ENEFIT P LAN
| Section |
1. I NTRODUCTION . |
The LeapFrog Enterprises,
Inc. Executive Management Severance and Change in Control Benefit
Plan (the “Plan” ) was established
effective October 30, 2007. The purpose of the Plan is to
provide for the payment of severance benefits to certain eligible
executive management employees of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (the
“Company” ) and its subsidiaries (the
“Subsidiaries” , referred to collectively
with the Company as “LeapFrog” ) in the
event that such employees are subject to qualifying employment
terminations. This Plan shall supersede any severance benefit plan,
policy or practice previously maintained by LeapFrog, other than
(i) the LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. Senior Management Severance
and Change in Control Benefit Plan, and (ii) an individually
negotiated agreement 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
agreement and shall be governed by this Plan only to the extent
that the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, so determines
on a case by case basis, pursuant to Section 3(a) below. This
Plan document also is the Summary Plan Description for the
Plan.
| Section |
2. D EFINITIONS . |
For purposes of the Plan, the
following terms are defined as follows:
(a) “Base
Salary” means the Eligible Employee’s annual
base pay (excluding incentive pay, premium pay, commissions,
overtime, bonuses and other forms of variable
compensation).
(b)
“Board” means the Board of Directors of
the Company.
(c)
“Cause” means any of the following has
occurred, as reasonably determined by the Company in good
faith:
(i) the Eligible
Employee is indicted for or convicted of any felony or crime
involving moral turpitude or dishonesty;
(ii) the Eligible
Employee participates in any fraud against LeapFrog;
(iii) the Eligible
Employee materially breaches any material provision of a written
agreement with LeapFrog (including, without limitation, the
Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement) or of a written
policy of LeapFrog, provided that, if such breach is reasonably
susceptible of cure, the Eligible Employee fails to cure such
breach within a reasonable period of time (to be determined by the
Company in its sole discretion) after receiving notice of such
breach from the Company;
1
(iv) the Eligible
Employee engages in conduct that demonstrates unfitness to serve;
or
(v) the Eligible
Employee breaches his or her duties to LeapFrog, including, without
limitation, persistent unsatisfactory performance of job
duties;
An Eligible Employee’s
disability or death shall not constitute Cause for purposes of the
Plan.
(d)
“Change in Control” means the occurrence,
in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of
any one or more of the following events:
(i) any Exchange Act
Person (as defined in the Company’s 2002 Equity Incentive
Plan) (other than Larry Ellison, Michael Milken, Lowell Milken, or
any combination of the foregoing), becomes the owner, directly or
indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than
fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the
Company’s then outstanding securities other than by virtue of
a merger, consolidation or similar transaction;
(ii) there is
consummated a merger, consolidation or similar transaction
involving (directly or indirectly) the Company and, immediately
after the consummation of such merger, consolidation, or similar
transaction, the stockholders of the Company immediately prior
thereto do not own, directly or indirectly, outstanding voting
securities representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the
combined voting power of the surviving entity in such merger,
consolidation or similar transaction or more than fifty percent
(50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the parent
of the surviving entity in such merger, consolidation or similar
transaction;
(iii) the stockholders
of the Company approve or the Board approves a plan of complete
dissolution or liquidation of the Company; or
(iv) there is
consummated a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its
Subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or other
disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries to an entity, more than fifty
percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting
securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in
substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the
Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license, or other
disposition.
(e)
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended.
(f)
“Company” means LeapFrog Enterprises,
Inc. or, following a Change in Control, the surviving entity
resulting from such event.
(g)
“Covered Termination” means (i) a
termination by LeapFrog without Cause or (ii) a Good Reason
Resignation by the Eligible Employee.
2
(h)
“Eligible Employee” means an executive
management employee of LeapFrog who is designated in writing by the
Company as an Eligible Employee entitled to benefits under this
Plan upon a Covered Termination; provided, however , that
the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company shall not
be eligible to participate in the Plan unless specifically
authorized by the Board or an authorized committee
thereof.
(i)
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
(j) “Good
Reason Resignation” means a voluntary termination of
employment by an Eligible Employee within sixty (60) days
after the occurrence of one of the following events without the
Eligible Employee’s consent:
(i) a material
diminution in the Eligible Employee’s authority, duties, or
responsibilities;
(ii) a reduction in
the Eligible Employee’s Base Salary in an amount greater than
ten percent (10%) of the Eligible Employee’s Base Salary
prior to such reduction, unless the Base Salary of other
similarly-situated employees of LeapFrog is reduced by at least the
same percentage;
(iii) a change in the
geographic location of the Eligible Employee’s workplace by
more than fifty (50) miles from its previous location;
or
(iv) a material breach
by LeapFrog of the agreement under which the Eligible Employee is
employed.
Prior to any Good Reason
Resignation, the Eligible Employee must provide written notice to
the Company of the existence of the Good Reason event within thirty
(30) days following the initial existence of the event, and
the Company shall have a period of thirty (30) days following
such notice to cure the event. If the event is cured within such
time period, the Eligible Employee shall not be entitled to
terminate his or her employment pursuant to a Good Reason
Resignation.
| Section |
3. E LIGIBILITY F OR B
ENEFITS . |
(a) General
Rules. Subject to Section 3(b), the Company will provide
the severance benefits described in Section 4 to Eligible
Employees whose employment has terminated pursuant to a Covered
Termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the severance benefits,
if any, under the Plan of an Eligible Employee who has an
individually negotiated agreement relating to severance or change
in control benefits that is in effect on such Eligible
Employee’s termination date shall be determined by the Plan
Administrator, in its sole discretion, on a case by case basis,
such that a determination in the case of one Eligible Employee
shall have no bearing on the determination in the case of another
Eligible Employee, even if similarly situated, and such
determination may involve (i) the application of the severance
benefits set forth in Section 4 with an offset reflecting the
value of benefits under such individually negotiated agreement,
(ii) the disqualification of the Eligible Employee from any
severance benefits under the Plan, or (iii) such other
benefits as the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, may
determine.
3
(b) Exceptions to
Benefit Entitlement. An employee, whether or not otherwise an
Eligible Employee, will not receive benefits under the Plan (or
will receive reduced benefits under the Plan, as applicable) in the
following circumstances, as determined by the Company in its sole
discretion:
(i) The
employee’s employment is terminated by LeapFrog for
Cause.
(ii) The employee
voluntarily terminates employment with LeapFrog and such
termination does not constitute a Good Reason Resignation.
Voluntary terminations include, but are not limited to,
resignation, retirement or failure to return from a leave of
absence on the scheduled return date.
(iii) The employee
voluntarily terminates employment with LeapFrog in order to accept
employment with another entity that is wholly or partly owned
(directly or indirectly) by the Company or an affiliate of the
Company.
(iv) The employee is
offered immediate reemployment by a successor to LeapFrog or by a
purchaser of any of its assets, as the case may be, following a
change in ownership of the Company or one or more of its
Subsidiaries, or sale of all or substantially all the assets of the
Company or one or more of the Subsidiaries, or any division or
business unit of LeapFrog. For purposes of the foregoing,
“immediate reemployment” means that the
employee’s employment with such successor or purchaser, as
the case may be, results in uninterrupted employment such that the
employee does not suffer a lapse in pay as a result of the change
in ownership or sale of assets. Notwithstanding the foregoing, even
if such employee does not suffer a lapse in pay, if such employee
is otherwise an Eligible Employee and terminates employment
pursuant to a Good Reason Resignation, the Eligible Employee shall
be entitled to receive benefits under the Plan in accordance with
Section 4.
| Section |
4. A MOUNT O F B
ENEFIT . |
(a) Severance
Payment. In the event of an Eligible Employee’s Covered
Termination, the Eligible Employee shall be entitled to receive
cash severance benefits equal to following: (i) the number of
months of Base Salary set forth in the second column of the table
in Section 4(d)(i) or 4(d)(ii), as applicable (the
“Base Severance” ), and (ii) if the
Covered Termination occurs during a Change in Control Period (as
defined below), a payment equal to the percentage of the Eligible
Employee’s annual bonus at target (the “Target
Bonus” ) (as such Target Bonus is set forth in the
employee’s governing employment agreement or under the terms
of the applicable bonus program for the calendar year in which the
Eligible Employee’s Covered Termination occurs, as such
agreement or program may be in effect at the time of such Covered
Termination) as set forth in the third column of the table in
Section 4(d)(ii) (the “Bonus
Severance” ). The Base Severance and, if applicable,
the Bonus Severance are intended to provide the Eligible Employee
with compensation for the period following a Covered Termination.
Any bonus or other incentive compensation payable to the Eligible
Employee for services rendered at any time prior to the date of the
Covered Termination shall be determined in accordance with the
terms of the applicable employment agreement or bonus plan or
program. The following shall apply for purposes of determining an
Eligible Employee’s severance benefits:
4
(i) If the Covered
Termination does not occur during a Change in Control Period (as
defined below), the Base Severance shall be determined pursuant to
Section 4(d)(i);
(ii) If the Covered
Termination occurs during the period beginning three
(3) months before and ending twelve (12) months after a
Change in Control (the “Change in Control
Period” ), the Base Severance and Bonus Severance
shall be determined pursuant to Section 4(d)(ii), and the
Eligible Employee shall not be entitled to receive any benefits
pursuant to Section 4(d)(i); and
(iii) The Eligible
Employee’s Base Salary shall be determined at the rate in
effect during the last regularly scheduled payroll period
immediately preceding the date of the Eligible Employee’s
Covered Termination.
(b) Continued
Insurance Benefits . Provided that an Eligible Employee elects
continued coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 ( “COBRA” ),
the Company shall pay the full amount of premiums for the Eligible
Employee’s group medical, dental and vision coverage,
including coverage for the Eligible Employee’s eligible
dependents, through the earlier of (i) the applicable number
of months set forth in Section 4(d) following the Covered
Termination (the “Severance Period” ) or
(ii) the date that the Eligible Employee becomes eligible for
group health coverage through a subsequent employer. Each Eligible
Employee shall be required to notify the Company immediately if the
Eligible Employee becomes eligible to be covered by a group
medical, dental or vision insurance plan of a subsequent employer.
No provision of this Plan will affect the continuation coverage
rules under COBRA, except that the Company’s payment of any
applicable insurance premiums will be credited as payment by the
Eligible Employee for purposes of the Eligible Employee’s
payment required under COBRA. Therefore, the period during which an
Eligible Employee may elect whether or not to continue the
Company’s group medical, dental or vision coverage under
COBRA, the length of time during which COBRA continuation coverage
will be made available to the Eligible Employee, and all other
rights and obligations of the Eligible Employee under COBRA will be
applied in the same manner that such rules would apply in the
absence of this Plan. Upon the expiration of the period during
which the Company will pay the premiums for the Eligible
Employee’s coverage, the Eligible Employee will be
responsible for the entire payment of premiums required under COBRA
for the duration of the COBRA continuation period. For purposes of
this Section 4(b), (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 Eligible
Employee under an Internal Revenue Code Section 125 health
care reimbursement plan, which amounts, if any, are the sole
responsibility of the Eligible Employee. The following shall apply
for purposes of determining the maximum number of months of
premiums that the Company shall pay for the Eligible
Employee’s coverage under COBRA pursuant to the
foregoing:
(i) If the Covered
Termination occurs outside of the Change in Control Period, the
applicable number of months shall be determined pursuant to
Section 4(d)(i);
5
(ii) If the Covered
Termination occurs during the Change in Control Period, the
applicable number of months shall be determined pursuant to
Section 4(d)(ii), and the Eligible Employee shall not be
entitled to receive any benefits pursuant to
Section 4(d)(i).
(c) Acceleration of
Vesting. If an Eligible Employee’s Covered Termination
occurs during the Change in Control Period, upon such Covered
Termination (i) the vesting and exercisability of all
outstanding options to purchase the Company’s stock held by
the Eligible Employee on such date shall be accelerated in full,
and (ii) all other stock awards that are held by the Eligible
Employee on such date shall vest in full, and any reacquisition or
repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to such stock
awards shall lapse. Any such options shall remain exercisable by
the Eligible Employee until the period provided by the agreements
evidencing such options, but in no event beyond the expiration date
of such options. No accelerated vesting benefits will be provided
if an Eligible Employee’s Covered Termination occurs outside
of the Change in Control Period.
(d) Amount of
Benefits.
(i) Covered Termination
Outside of the Change in Control Period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Base Severance
(Months of Base
Salary)
|
|
COBRA |
|
Form of Payment |
|
12
|
|
12 months |
|
Installments |
(ii) Covered Termination
During the Change in Control Period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Base
Severance
(Months of
Base
Salary)
|
|
Bonus
Severance |
|
COBRA |
|
Equity
Acceleration |
|
|
Form of
Payment |
|
24
|
|
200% of
Target Bonus
|
|
24 months |
|
100 |
% |
|
Lump Sum |
| Section |
5. T IME A ND F
ORM O F S EVERANCE P
AYMENTS . |
(a) General
Rules. Any cash severance benefits provided under this Plan
shall be paid, consistent with the terms set forth in
Section 4(d)(i) or 4(d)(ii) (as applicable), in either a lump
sum or in equal bi-monthly installments paid over the number of
months in the Severance Period on the Company’s regularly
scheduled payroll periods, with such payment(s) occurring or
commencing as soon as practicable following the effective date of
the Eligible
6
Employee’s Covered Termination.
Severance payments shall be paid subject to applicable withholding
for federal, state and local taxes. In the event of an Eligible
Employee’s death, any cash severance benefits payable to such
employee shall be made to his/her estate on the same payment
schedule as would have occurred absent the Eligible
Employee’s death. In no event shall payment of any Plan
benefit be made prior to the effective date of the Eligible
Employee’s Covered Termination or prior to the effective date
of the release described in Section 6(a).
(b) Application of
Section 409A. Severance payments pursuant to
Section 4(a), to the extent of payments made from the date of
the Covered Termination through March 15 of the calendar year
following the Covered Termination, are intended to constitute
separate payments for purposes of Section 1.409A-2(b)(2) of
the Treasury Regulations and thus payable pursuant to the
“short-term deferral” rule set forth in
Section 1.409A-1(b)(4) of the Treasury Regulations. To the
extent such payments are made following said March 15, they
are intended to constitute separate payments for purposes of
Section 1.409A-2(b)(2) of the Treasury Regulations made upon
an involuntary termination from service and payable pursuant to
Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) of the Treasury Regulations, to
the maximum extent permitted by such provision, with any excess
amount being regarded as subject to the distribution requirements
of Section 409A(a)(2)(A) of the Code, including, without
limitation, the requirement of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the
Code that payment be delayed until six (6) months after
separation from service if the Eligible Employee is a
“specified employee” within the meaning of
Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code at the time of such
separation from service.
| Section |
6. L IMITATIONS ON B
ENEFITS . |
(a) Release. In
order to be eligible to receive benefits under the Plan, an
Eligible Employee must execute a general waiver and release in
substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A,
Exhibit B or Exhibit C, as appropriate, and such release
must become effective in accordance with its terms. The Company, in
its discretion, may modify the form of the required release to
comply with applicable law and shall determine the form of the
required release, which may be incorporated into a termination
agreement or other agreement with the Eligible Employee.
(b) Certain
Reductions and Offsets. The Plan Administrator, in its sole
discretion, shall have the authority to reduce an Eligible
Employee’s severance benefits under the Plan, in whole or in
part, by any other severance benefits, pay in lieu of notice, or
other similar benefits payable to the Eligible Employee by the
Company that become payable in connection with the Eligible
Employee’s termination of employment pursuant to (i) any
applicable legal requirement, including, without limitation, the
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (the
“WARN Act” ), or (ii) any Company
policy or practice providing for the Eligible Employee to remain on
the payroll for a limited period of time after being given notice
of the termination of the Eligible Employee’s employment. The
benefits provided under this Plan are intended to satisfy, in whole
or in part, any and all statutory obligations that may arise out of
an Eligible Employee’s termination of employment, and the
Plan Administrator shall so construe and implement the terms of the
Plan. The Plan Administrator’s decision to apply such
reductions to the severance benefits of one Eligible Employee and
the amount of such reductions shall in no way obligate the Company
to apply the same reductions in the same amounts to the severance
benefits of any other Eligible Employee, even if similarly
situated. In the Company’s sole discretion, such reductions
may be applied on a retroactive basis, with severance benefits
previously paid being re-characterized as payments pursuant to the
Company’s statutory obligation.
7
(c) Mitigation.
Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, an Eligible
Employee shall not be required to mitigate damages or the amount of
any payment provided under this Plan by seeking other employment or
otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment provided for under
this Plan be reduced by any compensation earned by an Eligible
Employee as a result of employment by
|