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EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

Employment Agreement

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT | Document Parties: EXPEDIA, INC. You are currently viewing:
This Employment Agreement involves

EXPEDIA, INC.

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Title: EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Governing Law: Washington     Date: 7/30/2009
Industry: Personal Services     Sector: Services

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT, Parties: expedia  inc.
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Exhibit 10.1

Execution Copy

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

          THIS EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into by and between Dara Khosrowshahi (“Executive”) and Expedia, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and is effective as of May 28, 2009 (the “Effective Date”).

          WHEREAS, the Company desires to establish its right to the services of Executive, in the capacity described below, on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, and Executive is willing to accept such employment on such terms and conditions.

          NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements hereinafter set forth, Executive and the Company have agreed and do hereby agree as follows:

1.A. EMPLOYMENT . The Company agrees to employ Executive as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company; Executive accepts and agrees to such employment. During Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive shall perform all services and acts necessary or advisable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities as are commensurate and consistent with Executive’s position and shall render such services on the terms set forth herein. During Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive shall report directly to the Chairman and Senior Executive of the Company. Executive shall have such powers and duties with respect to the Company as may reasonably be assigned to Executive by the Chairman and Senior Executive, to the extent consistent with Executive’s position and status. Executive agrees to devote all of Executive’s working time, attention and efforts to the Company and to perform the duties of Executive’s position in accordance with the Company’s policies as in effect from time to time. Executive’s principal place of employment shall be the Company’s offices located in Bellevue, Washington.

2.A. TERM OF AGREEMENT . The term (“Term”) of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue through the third anniversary of the Effective Date, unless sooner terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 1 of the Standard Terms and Conditions.

3.A. COMPENSATION .

(a)  BASE SALARY . During the Term, the Company shall pay Executive an annual base salary of $1,000,000.00 (the “Base Salary”), payable in equal biweekly installments or in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice as in effect from time to time. For all purposes under this Agreement, the term “Base Salary” shall refer to Base Salary as in effect from time to time.

(b)  DISCRETIONARY BONUS . During the Term, Executive shall be eligible to receive discretionary annual bonuses. Any such annual bonus shall be paid not later than March 15 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year with respect to which such annual bonus relates (unless Executive has elected to defer receipt of such bonus pursuant to an arrangement that meets the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)).

 


 

(c) BENEFITS . During the Term, from the Effective Date through the date of termination of Executive’s employment with the Company for any reason, Executive shall be entitled to participate in any welfare, health and life insurance and pension benefit and incentive programs as may be adopted from time to time by the Company on the same basis as that provided to similarly situated executives of the Company generally. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Executive shall be entitled to the following benefits:

     (i) Reimbursement for Business Expenses . During the Term, the Company shall reimburse Executive for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred by Executive in performing Executive’s duties for the Company, on the same basis as similarly situated executives of the Company generally and in accordance with the Company’s policies as in effect from time to time.

     (ii) Vacation . During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to annual paid vacation in accordance with the plans, policies, programs and practices of the Company applicable to similarly situated executives of the Company generally.

4.A. NOTICES . All notices and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given by first-class mail, certified or registered with return receipt requested or hand delivery acknowledged in writing by the recipient personally, and shall be deemed to have been duly given three days after mailing or immediately upon duly acknowledged hand delivery to the respective persons named below:

 

If to the Company: 

     

Expedia, Inc.
333 108
th Avenue NE
Bellevue, Washington 98004
Attention: General Counsel

 

 

If to Executive: 

     

At the most recent address on record for Executive at the Company

Either party may change such party’s address for notices by notice duly given pursuant hereto.

5.A. GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION . This Agreement and the legal relations thus created between the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed under and in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Washington without reference to the principles of conflicts of laws. Any and all disputes between the parties which may arise pursuant to this Agreement will be heard and determined before an appropriate federal court in Washington, or, if not maintainable therein, then in an appropriate Washington state court. The parties acknowledge that such courts have jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the provisions of this Agreement, and the parties consent to, and waive any and all objections that they may have as to, personal jurisdiction and/or venue in such courts.

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6.A COUNTERPARTS . This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Executive expressly understands and acknowledges that the Standard Terms and Conditions attached hereto are incorporated herein by reference, deemed a part of this Agreement and are binding and enforceable provisions of this Agreement. References to “this Agreement” or the use of the term “hereof” shall refer to this Agreement and the Standard Terms and Conditions attached hereto, taken as a whole.

          IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered by its duly authorized officer and Executive has executed and delivered this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPEDIA, INC.
 

 

 

/s/ Burke F. Norton  

 

 

By: Burke F. Norton 

 

 

Title:  

Executive Vice President, General Counsel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Dara Khosrowshahi  

 

 

Dara Khosrowshahi 

 

 

 

 

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STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.  TERMINATION OF EXECUTIVE’S EMPLOYMENT .

(a)  DEATH . Upon termination of Executive’s employment prior to the expiration of the Term by reason of Executive’s death, the Company shall pay Executive’s designated beneficiary or beneficiaries, within 30 days of Executive’s death in a lump sum in cash, (i) Executive’s Base Salary from the date of Executive’s death through the end of the month in which Executive’s death occurs and (ii) any Accrued Obligations (as defined in Section l(f) below) in a lump sum in cash.

(b)  DISABILITY . If, as a result of Executive’s incapacity due to physical or mental illness (“Disability”), Executive shall have been absent from the full-time performance of Executive’s duties with the Company for a period of four consecutive months and, within 30 days after written notice is provided to Executive by the Company (in accordance with Section 4A hereof), Executive shall not have returned to the full-time performance of Executive’s duties, Executive’s employment under this Agreement may be terminated by the Company for Disability. During any period prior to such termination during which Executive is absent from the full-time performance of Executive’s duties with the Company due to Disability, the Company shall continue to pay Executive’s Base Salary at the rate in effect at the commencement of such period of Disability, offset by any amounts payable to Executive under any disability insurance plan or policy provided by the Company. Upon termination of Executive’s employment due to Disability, the Company shall pay Executive within 30 days of such termination (i) Executive’s Base Salary through the end of the month in which Executive’s termination of employment for Disability occurs in a lump sum in cash, offset by any amounts payable to Executive under any disability insurance plan or policy provided by the Company; and (ii) any Accrued Obligations in a lump sum in cash.

(c)  TERMINATION FOR CAUSE; RESIGNATION WITHOUT GOOD REASON . The Company may terminate Executive’s employment under this Agreement with or without Cause at any time and Executive may resign under this Agreement with or without Good Reason at any time. As used herein, “Cause” shall mean: (i) the plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, conviction for, or the commission of, a felony offense by Executive; provided , however , that after indictment, the Company may suspend Executive from the rendition of services, but without limiting or modifying in any other way the Company’s obligations under this Agreement; (ii) a material breach by Executive of a fiduciary duty owed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (iii) a material breach by Executive of any of the covenants made by Executive in Section 2 hereof; (iv) the willful or gross neglect by Executive of the material duties required by this Agreement; or (v) a knowing and material violation by Executive of any Company policy pertaining to ethics, legal compliance, wrongdoing or conflicts of interest that, in the case of the conduct described in clauses (iv) or (v) above, if curable, is not cured by Executive within 30 days after Executive is provided with written notice thereof. Upon Executive’s (A) termination of employment by the Company for Cause prior to the expiration of the Term or (B) resignation without Good Reason prior to the expiration of the Term, this Agreement shall terminate without

 


 

further obligation by the Company, except for the payment of any Accrued Obligations in a lump sum in cash within 30 days of such termination.

(d)  TERMINATION BY THE COMPANY OTHER THAN FOR DEATH, DISABILITY OR CAUSE OR RESIGNATION BY EXECUTIVE FOR GOOD REASON . Upon termination of Executive’s employment prior to the expiration of the Term by the Company without Cause (other than for death or Disability) or by Executive for Good Reason (as defined below), then:

(i) the Company shall continue to pay Executive the Base Salary through the longer of (x) the end of the Term over the course of the then remaining Term and (y) 12 months (such period, the “Salary Continuation Period” and such payments, the “Cash Severance Payments”), in each case payable in equal biweekly installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice as in effect from time to time;

(ii) the Company shall pay Executive within 30 days of the date of such termination in a lump sum in cash any Accrued Obligations;

(iii) the Company will consider in good faith the payment of a discretionary bonus on a pro rata basis for the year in which the Termination of Employment occurs, any such payment to be paid (if at all) based on actual performance during the year in which termination has occurred and based on the number of days of employment during such year relative to 365 days (payable in a lump sum at the time such annual bonus would otherwise have been paid);

(iv) other than with respect to restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Expedia Restricted Stock Agreement between Executive and the Company, dated March 7, 2006, as amended, with respect to which this clause (iv) shall not apply, any compensation awards of Executive based on, or in the form of, Company equity (e.g. restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock options or similar instruments) (“Equity Awards”) that are outstanding and unvested at the time of such termination but which would, but for a termination of employment, have vested during the 12 months following such termination (such period, the “Equity Acceleration Period”) shall vest (and with respect to awards other than stock options and stock appreciation rights, settle) as of the date of such termination of employment; provided that any outstanding award with a vesting schedule that would, but for a termination of employment, have resulted in a smaller percentage (or none) of the award being vested through the end of such Equity Acceleration Period than if it vested annually pro rata over its vesting period shall, for purposes of this provision, be treated as though it vested annually pro rata over its vesting period (e.g., if 100 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) were granted 2.7 years prior to the date of the termination and vested pro rata on each of the first five anniversaries of the grant date and 100 RSUs were granted 1.7 years prior to the date of termination and vested on the fifth anniversary of the grant date, then on the date of termination 20 RSUs from the first award and 40 RSUs from the second award would vest and settle); provided further that any amount that would vest under this provision but for the fact that outstanding performance conditions have not been satisfied shall vest (and with respect to awards other than stock options and stock appreciation rights, settle) only if, and at such point as, such performance conditions are

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satisfied; and provided further that to the extent that any such equity awards constitutes “non-qualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409 A, such awards shall vest, but only settle in accordance with their terms (it being understood that it is intended that no equity awards outstanding as of the date of this Agreement constitutes “non-qualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A); and

(v) any then vested options of Executive (including options vesting as a result of (iv) above) granted by the Company to purchase Company equity, shall remain exercisable through the date that is 18 months following the date of such termination or, if earlier, through the scheduled expiration date of such options.

The expiration of the Term shall not give rise to any payment to Executive or acceleration obligation under this Section 1(d). The payment to Executive of the severance benefits described in this Section l(d) shall be subject to Executive’s execution and non-revocation of a general release, within 30 days of the date of termination of Executive’s employment, of the Company and its affiliates in a form substantially similar to that used for similarly situated executives of the Company and Executive’s compliance with the restrictive covenants set forth in Section 2 (other than any non-compliance that is immaterial, does not result in harm to the Company or its affiliates, and, if curable, is cured by Executive promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the Company). Ex


 
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