EXHIBIT
10.16
AMENDED AND RESTATED
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS
AMENDED AND RESTATED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
(the “
Agreement ”), dated April 6, 2007
by and
between:
COATES
INTERNATIONAL, LTD. ., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company ” or the “
Employer ”),
GEORGE
J. COATES , an
individual having an address at
Wall Township,
New Jersey 07719
WHEREAS, Executive is a research scientist in the field
of design and development of power units and propulsion system of
all types, including combustion engines, gas turbines, steam
turbines and pulse detonation rocket engines; and
WHEREAS, Executive is the inventor and designer of the
Coates Spherical Rotary Valve Combustion Engine and has been
awarded eighteen U.S. patents and numerous corresponding patents in
various countries throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Employee signed on October
23, 2006 (the “ Effective Date ”), an
employment agreement (the “ Original Employment
Agreement ”); and
WHEREAS, the parties wish to amend and restate the
terms of the Original Employment Agreement;
NOW
THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH THAT
in consideration of the premises and
the mutual covenants, agreements, representations and warranties
contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the
receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Employee
and the Company hereby agree as follows:
Upon the
effectiveness of this Agreement, the Original Employment Agreement
shall become null and void and of no further effect.
ARTICLE
1
EMPLOYMENT
1,.1
Employee shall continue to be
employed with the Company and Employee hereby affirms and accepts
such employment by Employer for the Term (as defined in Article 3
below), and further agrees that commencing on the date hereof
Employee shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer and President
of the Company, upon the terms and conditions set forth
herein.
1.2
The Employer shall utilize its best
efforts to cause its Board of Directors to appoint the Employee as
a member of the Employer’s Board of Directors commencing on
the date hereof throughout the Term.
ARTICLE
2
DUTIES
During the
Term, Employee shall serve Employer faithfully, diligently and to
the best of his ability, under the direction and supervision of the
Board of Directors of Employer (“ Board of
Directors ”) and shall use his best efforts to
promote the interests and goodwill of Employer and any affiliates,
successors, assigns, parent corporations, subsidiaries, and/or
future purchasers of Employer. Employee shall render such services
during the Term at Employer’s principal place of business or
at such other place of business as may be determined by the Board
of Directors, as Employer may from time to time reasonably require
of him, and shall devote all of his business time to the
performance thereof. Employee shall have those duties and powers as
are assigned to him from time to time by the Board of
Directors.
ARTICLE
3
TERM
The term of
this Agreement (the “ Term ”) has
commenced on the Effective Date, and will continue thereafter for a
term of five (5) years, as may be extended or earlier terminated
pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The Term is
renewable upon the agreement of the parties hereto.
ARTICLE
4
GOVERNANCE AND
COMPENSATION
4.1
Governance. During the term of this
Agreement, Employee agrees to vote all shares of the
Company’s Common Stock owned by him or as to which he had
voting power to elect to the Company’s Board of Directors at
least two directors who qualify as “independent
directors” under the rules of the Securities Exchange
Commission and NASDAQ.
(a) In consideration of Employee’s services
to Employer, Employer shall pay to Employee an annual salary (the
“ Salary ”) of Three Hundred Thousand
Dollars ($300,000.00), payable in equal installments at the end of
each regular payroll accounting period as established by Employer,
or in such other installments upon which the parties hereto shall
mutually agree, and in accordance with Employer’s usual
payroll procedures, but no less frequently than monthly.
Notwithstanding the above, the salary shall be established at One
Hundred Eighty Three Thousand Five Hundred Forty Nine Dollars
($183,549), until the point in time that Employer’s projected
available working capital is sufficient to fund (x) the
Company’s operations, and; (y) payment of the total amount of
salary payments provided for in the Executive Employment Agreements
as determined in the sole discretion of the Company’s Board
of Directors (the “ Full Payment Date
”). For purposes of this provision, the term “Executive
Employment Agreements” shall be the employment agreements in
effect, as amended by and between the Employer and each of the
following executives: George J. Coates and Gregory
Coates.
(b) In addition to the Salary, Employer shall issue
to Employee a Stock Option to purchase 1,000,000 shares of the
Employer’s common stock, at an exercise price equal to
Employer’s common stock fair market value as of the date of
issuance, as determined by the independent members of the Board
(the “ Stock Option ”). The Stock
Option shall vest (i.e., become exercisable) in three equal
installments, as follows: One third of the Stock Options shall vest
on April 30, 2007 and the balance in two equal installments on
October 23, 2008 and 2009. Employee must be continuously a
full-time employee of the Company through the time he exercises
part or all of the Stock Option, except, however, in the event this
Agreement is terminated by the Employee for a Good Reason, as
defined in Article 10.1 and 10.2 below, or by the Employer without
Cause, in which cases the Stock Option shall immediately and fully
vest upon such termination provided further that the events
surrounding any such termination have not been the subject of any
claim, proceeding or lawsuit by either the Employee or the Company
in which further case the Stock Option shall only vest upon final
adjudication, determining that such termination was a valid
termination by the Employee for Good Reason or by the Employer
without Cause. The Stock Option shall be deemed a non-qualified
stock option (i.e., not an ISO). The Stock Option will be issued
out of the Employer’s stock incentive plan, and subject to
such incentive plan.
(c)
Employee hereby acknowledges that
the Stock Option and the shares issuable upon the exercise thereof
shall be “restricted securities” as such term is
defined under Rule 144, unless and until an effective registration
covering these shares takes place, promulgated under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “ 1933 Act
”); that the Employee hereby represents that he shall accept
such compensation and has no present intent to distribute or
transfer such securities; that such securities shall bear the
appropriate restrictive legend providing that they may not be
transferred except pursuant to the registration requirements of the
1933 Act or pursuant to exemptions there from, and; the Employee
further acknowledges that he may be required to hold such
securities for an indeterminable amount of time.
(d)
Employee shall not be entitled to
any other compensation from the Company unless unanimously approved
by the independent directors of the Board.
Upon the Full
Payment Date, and thereafter during the Term, Employee shall be
entitled to participate in all medical, dental, life insurance and
other executive benefit plans, including vacation, sick leave,
retirement accounts and other executive benefits provided by
Employer. Such participation shall be subject to the terms of the
applicable plan documents and Employer’s generally applicable
policies. In addition, upon Full Payment Date, Employer shall pay
the premiums for: (A) Executive’s disability insurance; and
(B) life insurance in the amount of $2,000,000. The beneficiary of
the life insurance policy shall be Bernadette Coates,
Employee’s spouse. Employee also agrees to cooperate with the
Company in obtaining for the benefit of the Company “key
man” life insurance on Employee’s life in the amount of
at least $2,000,000. The amount of such insurance shall be approved
by the independent directors of the Board.
4.4
Expense Reimbursement
Employer shall
reimburse Employee for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred
by him on behalf of Employer in the performance of his duties
hereunder during the Term, including any and all travel and
entertainment expenses related to the Employer’s business in
accordance with Employer's then customary policies, provided that
such expenses are adequately documented.
In addition to
the compensation payable under Section 4.1, Employee shall be
entitled to receive during the Term an annual bonus, the amount of
which shall be determined by the unanimous vote of the independent
members of the Board of Directors (“ Bonus
”). Each year’s Bonus shall be paid to the Employee
within 110 days of the Employer’s calendar year
end.
Commencing upon
the Full Payment Date, Employer shall provide Employee with an
automobile for his exclusive use throughout the Term, including
costs for gasoline, maintenance and comprehensive insurance
including an “umbrella” policy.
ARTICLE
5
OTHER
EMPLOYMENT
During the
Term, Employee shall devote all of his business and professional
time and effort attention, knowledge, and skill to the management,
supervision and direction of Employer’s business and affairs
as Employee’s highest professional priority. Employer shall
be entitled to all benefits, profits or other remuneration arising
from or incidental to all work, services and advice performed or
provided by Employee. Nothing in this Agreement shall preclude
Employee from:
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serving as a
director or member of a committee of any organization or
corporation involving no conflict of interest with the interests of
Employer, provided that Employee must obtain the prior written
approval of the independent members of the Board;
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serving as a
consultant in his area of expertise (in areas other than in
connection with the business of Employer), to government,
industrial, and academic panels provided that only de minimis time
shall be devoted thereto and Employee must obtain the prior written
approval of the independent members of the Board consent of
Employer and where it does not conflict with the interests of
Employer, provided that such written consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned; and
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managing his
personal investments or engaging in any other non-competing
business; provided that such activities do not materially interfere
with the regular performance of his duties and responsibilities
under this Agreement.
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ARTICLE
6
CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION/INVENTIONS
6.1
Confidential Information
Employee shall
not, in any manner, for any reasons, either directly or indirectly,
divulge or communicate to any person, firm or corporation, any
confidential information concerning any matters not generally
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