Randall Gort
[address]
As of April 8, 2009
Board of
Directors
WorldGate
Communications, Inc.
WorldGate
Service, Inc.
3190 Tremont
Avenue
Trevose, PA
19355
Gentlemen:
As was
discussed on April 8, 2009 (the "Resignation Date"), I am hereby
tendering my resignation as Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel
and Secretary of WorldGate Communications, Inc., and any other
offices or positions I may hold in WorldGate Communications, Inc.
or any of its affiliates, including without limitation WorldGate
Service, Inc., and each of WorldGate Communications, Inc.’s
subsidiaries (collectively with WorldGate Communications, Inc., the
“Company”). We have mutually agreed
that my resignation is to be treated as a termination without cause
effective on the Resignation Date under that certain Employment
Agreement between me and the Company dated April 6, 2009 (the
“Employment Agreement”).
The Employment
Agreement calls for me to be provided with certain post-termination
benefits in the event that my employment is terminated by the
Company without cause. In exchange for my resignation
and undertakings in this letter, and in exchange for the general
release upon which any severance benefits are conditioned by the
Employment Agreement, which release is set forth in this letter,
the Company is offering me the following severance benefits (the
“Severance Benefits”):
(a) beginning
with the next regular payday following the Resignation Date, and in
accordance with the Company’s regularly-scheduled paydays
thereafter, the Company will continue to pay me my monthly base
salary amount of $16,690.75 (which equals $200,289 annually), less
applicable withholdings from April 9, 2009 through April 7, 2010
(the "Severance Period"), with the first payment to be retroactive
to the Resignation Date;
(b) because
I have been employed by the Company for the first eight days of the
91-day second quarter of 2009, the Company will pay me the accrued
portion of the cash bonus for the second quarter of 2009 as
described in Section 2(a) of the Employment Agreement, in the
amount of $1,540.70, which shall be paid on August 14,
2009;
(c) notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in the Company’s 2003 Equity
Incentive Plan, as amended to date (the “2003 Plan”),
or in any award agreement issued to me thereunder, if and to the
extent any options I hold were vested as of the Resignation Date,
then any such options will continue to be exercisable (as to such
vested portion only) until 5:00pm Eastern time on April 7, 2010,
and shall thereupon terminate if not so exercised; and
(d) the Company will retain me as part of its
insured group covered by the Company’s health, dental and
vision benefits providers, and will continue to pay the employer
portion of the insurance premiums for such benefits, and will
continue to deduct my portion from the severance
payments. COBRA notice and coverage will begin upon the
cessation of the Severance Period.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if at any time during the Severance Period I breach
the terms of the Non-Disclosure, Non-Circumvention and
Non-Competition Agreement dated April 6, 2009 (the
“Non-Disclosure Agreement”), or the terms of this
letter, I shall have no further right to receive the Severance
Benefits. I also agree that I will return to the Company
any Severance Benefits (or portions thereof) made to me for any
time period after I first breach the Non-Disclosure Agreement or
the terms of this letter. During the Severance Period, I
will immediately notify the Company, in writing, of the date on
which I will begin non-competing employment with another company,
my position and annual salary or wages. During the
Severance Period, the Company may reasonably request in writing
from me, and I will not withhold, information reflecting my
employment status and salary, including my paystubs and earnings
statements.
I acknowledge
that I am receiving the Severance Benefits outlined above in
consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, for
my undertakings set forth in this letter, including releasing and
waiving my rights to claims referred to below, and that I would not
otherwise be entitled to receive the Severance Benefits.
I agree that
the Severance Benefits shall be in full and complete satisfaction
of any and all sums which are now or might hereafter become owing
to me for services rendered by me during my employment or in
connection with my resignation of employment. I
acknowledge that I have received from the Company all wages,
expense reimbursements, accrued but unused vacation pay, and
incentive compensation of all types, including deferred or foregone
salary or cash or equity compensation, due and owing to me by the
Company. I hereby waive all claims or entitlement to any
deferred salary, and to any unvested stock option or other unvested
equity grants, and I also waive any entitlement to the unvested
stock options that might have been granted to me in accordance with
Section 2.2(b) of the Employment Agreement. I
acknowledge this letter does not constitute an admission of
wrongdoing of any kind by me or by the Company and agree that I
have not suffered any wrongdoing by the Company. I
acknowledge and agree that I have not suffered any discrimination
or harassment based on any category protected by law including, but
not limited to, age, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation,
national original, and disability. I acknowledge and
represent that the Company has not violated or denied me any right
under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or any other federal,
state or local law, statute or ordinance. I acknowledge
and agree that the Company has not interfered with, restrained, or
denied the exercise of or the attempt to exercise any rights under
the FMLA, and that the Company has not discriminated against or
retaliated against me in any way regarding the exercise of any
rights under the FMLA. I agree that my resignation from
the Company is final, and that the Company has no obligation to
consider me for rehire or reinstatement. I represent
that all of the factual representations made herein, which induced
the Company to enter into this letter, are true in all material
respects.
I acknowledge
and agree that all of my options that were not vested as of the
Resignation Date and all other equity or similar awards granted to
me under the 2003 Plan or otherwise, including all performance
shares, terminate in full upon the Resignation Date prior to the
existence of any right of exercise, payment or other benefit
thereunder. I also acknowledge and understand that as a
result of the extension of my exercise period for vested stock
options described in paragraph (c) above, any such stock options
affected thereby that were granted as incentive stock options will
be treated for tax purposes as non-qualified stock options, and I
will be solely responsible for any tax consequences to me resulting
from such change in treatment.
I agree that I
will not, at any time following the Resignation Date, disparage the
Company or any of the people or organizations associated with it
currently, in the
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