EXHIBIT 10.4
PERFORMANCE AWARD AGREEMENT
(Three-Year)
[Full Name of Employee]
[Address]
[February __, 2005]
Dear [First Name]:
Pursuant to the
Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”) of
Cablevision Systems Corporation (the “ Company
”), you have been selected by the Compensation Committee of
the Board of Directors (as defined in Section 12 below) to receive
a contingent cash award (the “ Award ”) of
_________________ Dollars ($_______) effective as of the close of
business on February __, 2005 (the “ Effective Date
”).
Capitalized
terms used, but not defined, in this agreement (this “
Agreement ”) have the meanings given to them in the
Plan. The Award is subject to the terms and conditions set forth
below:
1. Payment of Award. The Award
will be paid to you on March 1, 2008 provided , that (i) the
net revenue and adjusted operating cash flow performance objectives
set forth on Annex 1 hereto (the “ Objectives
”) have been attained and (ii) you have remained in the
continuous employ of the Company or one of its Affiliates from the
Effective Date through March 1, 2008.
2. Termination for Cause and Certain
Other Employment Termination Events Prior to July 1, 2006. If
(i) the Company or one of its Affiliates terminates your employment
for Cause (as defined below) at any time or (ii) prior to July 1,
2006 you are no longer employed by the Company or one of its
Affiliates for any reason, other than as a result of your death or
Disability (as defined below), then you will automatically forfeit
all of your rights and interest in the Award regardless of whether
the Objectives are ultimately attained.
For purposes of
this Agreement, “ Cause ” means, as determined
by the Committee, your (i) commission of an act of fraud,
embezzlement, misappropriation, willful misconduct, gross
negligence or breach of fiduciary duty against the Company or an
Affiliate thereof, or (ii) commission of any act or omission that
results in a conviction, plea of no contest, plea of nolo
contendere , or imposition of unadjudicated probation for any
crime involving moral turpitude or any felony.
For purposes of
this Agreement, “ Disability ” shall have the
meaning specified in Section 409A(a)(2)(C) of the Internal Revenue
Code, as amended (the “IRC”).
3. Employment Termination Events On
or After July 1, 2006. If on or after July 1, 2006 you are no
longer employed by the Company or one of its Affiliates for any
reason, other than as a result of the termination of your
employment by the Company or one of its Affiliates for Cause or by
reason of your death or Disability, then on March 1, 2008 you will
be paid the Applicable
Portion (as defined below) of the Award provided , that
(i) the Objectives are attained; (ii) you have fully complied with
all of your obligations set forth in this Agreement, including,
without limitation, the covenants set forth in Section 6 below; and
(iii) you have executed and delivered to the Company a separation
agreement to the Company’s satisfaction (which agreement
shall include, without limitation, non-disparagement,
non-solicitation, confidentiality and further cooperation
obligations/restrictions on you, as well as a general release by
you of the Company and its Affiliates).
For purposes of
this Agreement, “ Applicable Portion ” means a
dollar amount equal to eighteen thirty-sixths (18/36) of the Award
if the effective date of the termination of your employment with
the Company or one of its Affiliates is July 1, 2006, which amount
shall thereafter increase by one thirty-sixth (1/36) on the first
day of each subsequent calendar month (through and including
January 1, 2008) that you remained in the continuous employ of the
Company or one of its Affiliates through the effective date of the
termination of your employment.
4. Disability or Death. If at any
time your employment with the Company or one of its Affiliates is
terminated as a result of your Disability or death then you or your
estate, as the case may be, will receive, promptly following the
date of such termination, payment of the Award regardless of
whether the Objectives have been attained.
5. Change of Control Event.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
Agreement, if at any time a Change of Control (as defined below) of
the Company occurs, whether or not the Objectives have been
attained, you will be entitled to the following:
a. If
immediately prior to the Change of Control:
i you
are employed by the Company or one of its Affiliates, you shall be
entitled to full payment of the Award in accordance with Section
5(b) below; or
ii you
are not then employed by the Company or one of its Affiliates, you
shall be entitled to full payment of the Applicable Portion of the
Award (to the extent your termination of employment qualified for
an Applicable Portion under Section 3 above) in accordance with
Section 5(b) below.
b. If
the actual Change of Control event:
i is
a permissible distribution event under Section 409A of the IRC or
payment of the Award promptly upon such event is otherwise
permissible under Section 409A of the IRC (including, for the
avoidance of doubt, by reason of the inapplicability of Section
409A of the IRC to the Award), then the applicable amount set forth
under Section
-2-
5(a) above shall be paid to you by the Company promptly
following the Change of Control; or
ii is
not a permissible distribution event under Section 409A of the IRC
and payment of the Award promptly upon such event is not otherwise
permissible under Section 409A of the IRC (including, for the
avoidance of doubt, by reason of the inapplicability of Section
409A of the IRC to the Award), then the applicable amount set forth
under Section 5(a) above shall be paid to you by the Company
(together with interest thereon pursuant to Section 5(c) below) on
the earliest to occur of:
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(1)
any subsequent date on which you are no longer employed by the
Company or any of its Affiliates for any reason other than
termination by one of such entities for “Cause”
(provided that if you are determined by the Company to be a
“key employee” within the meaning of Section 409A of
the IRC, six months from such date);
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(2)
any other date on which such payment or any portion thereof would
be a permissible distribution under Section 409A of the IRC; or
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c. Upon
any Change of Control, to the extent any amounts are due to be paid
to you at a later date pursuant to Section 5(b)(ii) above, the
Company shall promptly following the Change of Control set aside
such amount for your benefit in a “rabbi trust” that
satisfies the requirements of Revenue Procedure 92-64, and on a
monthly basis shall deposit into such trust interest in arrears
(compounded quarterly at the rate provided below) until such time
as such amount, together with all accrued interest thereon, is paid
to you in full pursuant to Section 5(b)(ii) above. The initial
interest rate shall be the average of the one-year LIBOR fixed rate
equivalent for the ten business days prior to the date of the
Change of Control and shall adjust annually based on the average of
such rate for the ten business days prior to each anniversary of
the Change of Control.
For purposes of
this Agreement, “ Change of Control ” means the
acquisition, in a transaction or a series of related transactions,
by any person or group, other than Charles F. Dolan or members
of the immediate family of Charles F. Dolan or trusts for the
benefit of Charles F. Dolan or his immediate family (or an
entity or entities controlled by any of them) or any employee
benefit plan sponsored or maintained by the Company, of
(i) the power to direct the management of substantially all
the cable television systems then owned by the Company in the
New York City Metropolitan Area (as defined below) or
(ii) after any fiscal year of the Company in which all the
systems referred to in clause (i) above shall have contributed
in the aggregate less than a majority of the net revenues of the
Company and its consolidated