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Exhibit
10.49
EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT
AGREEMENT
This Executive Employment Agreement
(“Agreement”), dated December 4, 2007
(“Effective Date”), is between Catcher, Inc. a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), and Allan Rakos
(“Executive”).
| 1. |
POSITION, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND TERM |
a. Position. Executive
is employed by the Company to render services to the Company in the
positions of President and Chief Operations Officer of the Company
and Catcher Holding, Inc (“Catcher Holdings”) or other
executive management position as requested by the Company’s
or Catcher Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer
(“CEO”) and/or respective Boards of Directors
(“Board”). Executive shall perform such duties and
responsibilities as are normally related to Executive’s
positions as President and Chief Operations Officer in accordance
with the standards of the industry and any additional duties now or
hereafter assigned to Executive by the CEO and/or the Board
(collectively “Services”). Executive shall abide by the
rules, regulations, and practices as adopted or modified from time
to time in the Company’s sole discretion. Executive will
devote Executive’s full time efforts to the provision of
Services under this Agreement, except as set forth in paragraph
(b) below.
b. Other Activities.
Except upon the prior written consent of the Company, Executive
will not, during the term of this Agreement: (i) be employed
elsewhere; (ii) engage, directly or indirectly, in any other
business activity (whether or not pursued for pecuniary advantage)
that might interfere with Executive’s duties and
responsibilities hereunder or create a conflict of interest with
the Company; or (iii) acquire any interest of any type in any
other business which is in competition with the Company, provided,
however, that the foregoing shall not be deemed to prohibit the
Executive from acquiring solely as an investment up to five percent
(5%) of the outstanding equity interests of any publicly-held
company.
c. No Conflict.
Executive represents and warrants that Executive’s execution
of this Agreement and performance of Services under this Agreement
will not violate any obligations Executive may have to any other
employer, person or entity, including any obligations to keep in
confidence proprietary information, knowledge, or data acquired by
Executive in confidence or in trust prior to becoming an employee
of the Company.
d. Term of Employment.
The term of this Agreement shall be for: (i) a period of three
years after the Effective Date (“Term”); or
(ii) the date upon which Executive’s employment is
terminated in accordance with Section 3. Where the Agreement
is terminated upon expiration of the Term, the Company shall pay to
Executive all compensation to which Executive is entitled up
through the effective date of termination according to its normal
payroll practices, and the Company shall not have any further
obligations under this Agreement.
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| 2. |
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS |
a. Base Salary. In
consideration of the Services to be rendered under this Agreement,
the Company shall pay Executive a gross salary at the rate of
Fourteen Thousand Five Hundred And Eighty-Three Dollars And
Thirty-Three Cents ($14,583.33) per month, less applicable
withholdings (“Base Salary”). The Base Salary shall be
paid in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll
practices.
b. Annual Bonus. In
further consideration of the Services to be rendered under this
Agreement, Executive shall be eligible to receive an annual bonus
between zero percent (0%) and fifty percent (50%) of
Executive’s annual Base Salary based on achievement of goals
and objectives established by the Company (“Annual
Bonus”). Any Annual Bonus earned by Executive will be paid
within two-and-one-half months of the end of the year in which it
was earned. Executive must remain employed with the Company through
the end of the calendar year at issue in order to be eligible to
receive the Annual Bonus.
c. Stock Options. In
further consideration of the Services to be rendered under this
Agreement, Catcher Holdings shall grant Executive an option to
purchase three hundred thousand (300,000) shares of Catcher
Holdings’ Common Stock (“Stock Option”) vesting
over a three (3) year period as follows: (i) 1/3 of the
shares shall vest on the first anniversary of the grant date; and
(ii) 1/24 of the remaining shares or equity interest shall
vest monthly thereafter commencing with the date which is one
(1) month after the first anniversary of the grant date, until
all shares are fully vested. Executive’s entitlement to the
Stock Option is conditioned upon the Board’s approval of the
Stock Option and Executive’s signing of Catcher
Holdings’ Stock Option Agreement. The Stock Option is subject
to the terms of the Stock Option Agreement, the 2005 Stock
Incentive Plan and related documents adopted by Catcher
Holdings’ Board (“Stock Option
Documents”).
d. Restricted Stock.
In further consideration of the Services to be rendered under this
Agreement, Catcher Holdings shall grant Executive one hundred
thousand (100,000) shares of Catcher Holdings’
Restricted Stock (“Restricted Stock”) vesting over a
three (3) year period as follows: (i) 1/3 of the shares
shall vest on the first anniversary of the grant date; and
(ii) 1/24 of the remaining shares or equity interest shall
vest monthly thereafter commencing with the date which is one
(1) month after the first anniversary of the grant date, until
all shares are fully vested. Executive’s entitlement to the
Restricted Stock is conditioned upon Catcher Holdings’
Board’s approval and Executive’s signing of Catcher
Holdings’ Restricted Stock Award Agreement. The Restricted
Stock is subject to the terms of the Restricted Stock Award
Agreement, the Catcher Holdings, Inc. 2005 Stock Incentive Plan and
related documents adopted by Catcher Holdings’ Board and is
subject to compliance with all applicable federal and state
securities laws (“Restricted Stock Documents”).
Executive acknowledges that Catcher Holdings will not grant the
Restricted Stock until such time as an S-8 Registration Statement
covering such shares of Restricted Stock has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and is effective. Executive
understands and acknowledges that Executive is solely responsible
for payment of all taxes relating to the Restricted Stock and will
not request any assistance from the Company in the payment of these
taxes.
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e. Stock Bonus. In
consideration of achieving the objectives set forth in this
paragraph, Catcher Holdings shall grant Executive up to two hundred
fifty thousand (250,000) fully vested shares of Catcher
Holdings’ Common Stock (the “Stock Bonus”) as
follows: (i) sixty two thousand five hundred
(62,500) shares of the Stock Bonus shall be granted upon the
realization by Vivato Networks, Inc., Catcher Holdings’
wholly owned subsidiary (“Vivato”), of revenue in
excess of $625,000 for the fiscal quarter ended December 31,
2007 and (ii) an additional one share of the Stock Bonus shall
be granted upon the realization by Vivato of each $2.00 of revenue
in excess of $625,000 for the fiscal quarter ended
December 31, 2007 up to the full amount of the Stock Bonus
upon the realization by Vivato of $1,000,000 of revenue for the
fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2007. The Stock Bonus is
subject to the terms of the Catcher Holdings, Inc. 2005 Stock
Incentive Plan and related documents adopted by Catcher
Holdings’ Board and is subject to compliance with all
applicable federal and state securities laws (“Stock Bonus
Documents”). Executive acknowledges that Catcher Holdings
will not grant the Stock Bonus until such time as an S-8
Registration Statement covering such shares of the Stock Bonus has
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is
effective. Executive understands and acknowledges that Executive is
solely responsible for payment of all taxes relating to the Stock
Bonus and will not request any assistance from the Company in the
payment of these taxes.
f. Employment Benefit
Plans. In further consideration of the Services to be rendered
under this Agreement, Executive will be entitled to participate in
retirement plans, group health, hospitalization and disability or
other insurance plans, and other employee welfare benefit plans
generally made available to other similarly-situated employees of
the Company, in accordance with the benefit plans established by
the Company, and as may be amended from time to time in the
Company’s sole discretion.
g. Expenses. The
Company will pay or reimburse Executive for all normal and
reasonable travel and entertainment expenses incurred by Executive
in connection with Executive’s responsibilities to the
Company upon submission of proper vouchers and documentation in
accordance with the Company’s expense reimbursement
policy.
The employment of Executive shall be
“at-will” at all times. The Company or Executive may
terminate Executive’s employment with the Company at any
time, without any advance notice, for any reason or no reason at
all, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in or
arising from any statements, policies or practices of the Company
relating to the employment, discipline or termination of its
employees. Following the termination of Executive’s
employment, the Company shall pay to Executive all compensation to
which Executive is entitled up through the date of termination.
Thereafter, all obligations of the Company under this Agreement
shall cease other than those set forth in
Section 4.
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| 4. |
COMPANY TERMINATION OBLIGATIONS |
h. Termination by Company
for Cause. Where the Company terminates Executive’s
employment for Cause, all obligations of the Company under this
Agreement shall cease. For purposes of this Agreement,
“Cause” shall mean: (i) Executive engages in a
material act of misconduct, including but not limited to
misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud, or embezzlement;
(ii) Executive commits a crime involving dishonesty, breach of
trust, or physical harm to any person; (iii) Executive
breaches this Agreement; (iv) Executive refuses to implement
or follow a lawful policy or directive of the Company;
(v) Executive engages in malfeasance demonstrated by
Executive’s failure to perform Executive’s job duties;
(vi) Executive violates a Company policy or procedure which is
materially injurious to the Company, including violation of the
Company’s policy concerning sexual harassment, discrimination
or retaliation; or (vii) Executive defames the Company, its
employees, or its Board members in any manner; provided, however,
that to the extent the termination of Executive’s employment
for Cause is pursuant to (iii), (iv), and/or (v) and the event
constituting Cause can be cured, the Company shall provide written
notice to Executive of the Cause for termination of
Executive’s employment and Executive shall thereafter have
thirty (30) days to cure such event to the reasonable
satisfaction of the Board.
i. Termination by Company
without Cause. Where the Company terminates Executive’s
employment without Cause, and Executive’s employment is not
terminated due to death or Disability (as defined below), Executive
will be eligible to receive continued payment of Executive’s
Base Salary at the time of Executive’s termination according
to the Company’s normal payroll practices, less applicable
withholdings, for six months (“Severance Period”)
(“Severance”). Executive’s eligibility to receive
the Severance set forth in this Section 4(b) is conditioned on
Executive having first signed a release agreement in the form
attached as Exhibit A and an agreement not to compete with the
business of the Company during the Severance Period. All other
obligations of the Company under this Agreement shall
cease.
j. Termination Due to
Disability. Executive’s employment shall terminate
automatically if Executive becomes Disabled. Executive shall be
deemed Disabled if Executive is unable for medical reasons to
perform Executive’s essential job duties for either ninety
(90) consecutive calendar days or one hundred twenty
(120) business days in a twelve (12) month period and,
within thirty (30) days after a notice of termination is given
to Executive, Executive has not returned to work. If
Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company due to
Executive’s Disability, all obligations of the Company under
this Agreement shall cease.
k. Termination Due to
Death. Executive’s employment shall terminate
automatically upon Executive’s death. If Executive’s
employment is terminated due to Executive’s death, all
obligations of the Company under this Agreement shall
cease.
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l. Executive’s
Resignation. Executive may resign Executive’s employment
at any time during the Term of this Agreement pursuant to
Section 3, and thereafter, all obligations of the Company
under this Agreement shall cease.
m. Delayed Payments.
In the event that Section 409A (“409A”) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”),
applies to any compensation with respect to Executive’s
termination, payment of that compensation shall be delayed if
Executive is a “specified employee,” as defined in
409A(a)(2)(B)(i), and such delayed payment is required by 409A.
Such delay shall last six (6) months from the date of
Executive’s termination. On the day following the end of such
six-month period, the Company shall make a catch-up payment to
Executive equal to the total amount of such payments that would
have been made during the six-month period but for this
Section 4(f).
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EXECUTIVE TERMINATION OBLIGATIONS |
n. Return of Property.
Executive agrees that all property (including without limitation
all equipment, tangible proprietary information, documents,
records, notes, contracts and computer-generated materials)
furnished to or created or prepared by Executive incident to
Executive’s employment belongs to the Company and shall be
promptly returned to the Company upon termination of
Executive’s employment.
o. Resignation and
Cooperation. Upon termination of Executive’s employment,
Executive shall be deemed to have resigned from all offices and
directorships then held with Catcher Holdings and the Company.
Following any termination of employment, Executive shall cooperate
with the Company in the winding up of pending work on behalf of the
Company and the orderly transfer of work to other employees.
Executive shall also cooperate with the Company in the defense of
any action brought by any third party against the Company that
relates to Executive’s employment by the Company.
p. Continuing
Obligations. Executive understands and agrees that
Executive’s obligations under Sections 6 and 7 herein
(including Exhibits B and C) shall survive the termination of
Executive’s employment for any reason and the termination of
this Agreement.
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INVENTIONS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION |
Executive agrees to sign and be bound by
the terms of the Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement,
which is attached as Exhibit B (“Proprietary Information
Agreement”).
Executive agrees to sign and be bound by
the terms of the Arbitration Agreement, which is attached as
Exhibit C.
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| 8. |
AMENDMENTS; WAIVERS; REMEDIES |
This Agreement may not be amended or
waived except by a writing signed by Executive and by the CEO.
Failure to exercise any right under this Agreement shall not
constitute a waiver of such right. Any waiver of any breach of this
Agreement shall not operate as a waiver of any subsequent breaches.
All rights or remedies specified for a party herein shall be
cumulative and in addition to all other rights and remedies of the
party hereunder or under applicable law.
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ASSIGNMENT; BINDING EFFECT |
q. Assignment. The
performance of Executive is personal hereunder, and Executive
agrees that Executive shall have no right to assign and shall not
assign or purport to assign any rights or obligations under this
Agreement. This Agreement may be assigned or transferred by the
Company; and nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the
consolidation, merger or sale of the Company or a sale of any or
all or substantially all of its assets.
r. Binding Effect.
Subject to the foregoing restriction on assignment by Executive,
this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon
each of the parties; the affiliates, officers, directors, agents,
successors and assigns of the Company; and the heirs, devisees,
spouses, legal representatives and successors of
Executive.
All notices or other communications
required or permitted hereunder shall be made in writing and shall
be deemed to have been duly given if delivered: (a) by hand;
(b) by a nationally recognized overnight courier service; or
(c) by United States first class registered or certified mail,
return receipt requested, to the principal address of the other
party, as set forth below. The date of notice shall be deemed to be
the earlier of (i) actual receipt of notice by any permitted
means, or (ii) five business days following dispatch by
overnight delivery service or the United States Mail. Executive
shall be obligated to notify the Company in writing of any change
in Executive’s address. Notice of change of address shall be
effective only when done in accordance with this
paragraph.
Company’s Notice
Address:
Catcher, Inc.
44084 Riverside Parkway, Suite
320
Leesbur, Virginia 20176
Executive’s Notice
Address:
_______________________
_______________________
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If any provision of this Agreement shall
be held by a court or arbitrator to be invalid, unenforceable, or
void, such provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent
permitted by law, and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain
in full force and effect. In the event that the time period or
scope of any provision is declared by a court or arbitrator of
competent jurisdiction to exceed the maximum time period or scope
that such court or arbitrator deems enforceable, then such court or
arbitrator shall reduce the time period or scope to the maximum
time period or scope permitted by law.
All amounts paid under this Agreement
shall be paid less all applicable state and federal tax
withholdings and any other withholdings required by any applicable
jurisdiction.
This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
Virginia.
This Agreement shall be construed as a
whole, according to its fair meaning, and not in favor of or
against any party. Sections and section headings contained in this
Agreement are for reference purposes only, and shall not affect in
any manner the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Whenever the context requires, references to the singular shall
include the plural and the plural the singular.
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OBLIGATIONS SURVIVE TERMINATION OF
EMPLOYMENT |
Executive agrees that any and all of
Executive’s obligations under this Agreement, including but
not limited to Exhibits B and C, shall survive the termination of
employment and the termination of this Agreement.
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This Agreement may be executed in any
number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original
of this Agreement, but all of which together shall constitute one
and the same instrument.
Each party represents and warrants that
such party has the right, power and authority to enter into and
execute this Agreement and to perform and discharge all of the
obligations hereunder; and that this Agreement constitutes the
valid and legally binding agreement and obligation of such party
and is enforceable in accordance with its terms.
This Agreement is intended to be the
final, complete, and exclusive statement of the terms of
Executive’s employment by the Company and may not be
contradicted by evidence of any prior or contemporaneous statements
or agreements, except for agreements specifically referenced herein
(including the Proprietary Information Agreement attached as
Exhibit B, the Arbitration Agreement attached as Exhibit C, the
Stock Option Documents, Restricted Stock Documents and Stock Bonus
Documents). To the extent that the practices, policies or
procedures of the Company, now or in the future, apply to Executive
and are inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement, the
provisions of this Agreement shall control. Any subsequent change
in Executive’s duties, position, or compensation will not
affect the validity or scope of this Agreement.
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EXECUTIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT |
EXECUTIVE ACKNOWLEDGES EXECUTIVE HAS
HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSULT LEGAL COUNSEL CONCERNING THIS
AGREEMENT, THAT EXECUTIVE HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS THE AGREEMENT,
THAT EXECUTIVE IS FULLY AWARE OF ITS LEGAL EFFECT, AND THAT
EXECUTIVE HAS ENTERED INTO IT FREELY BASED ON EXECUTIVE’S OWN
JUDGMENT AND NOT ON ANY REPRESENTATIONS OR PROMISES OTHER THAN
THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT.
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I N W
ITNESS W HEREOF , the parties
have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written
above.
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| C ATCHER , I NC
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Allan Rakos |
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Dated: |
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9
EXHIBIT A
GENERAL RELEASE OF
CLAIMS
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EXHIBIT A
GENERAL RELEASE OF
CLAIMS
This General Release of
Claims (hereinafter “Release”) is entered into this [
] day of [
], by and between Allan Rakos (“Executive”) and
Catcher, Inc. a Delaware corporation
(“Company”).
RECITALS
A. On December 4, 2007,
Executive became employed by the Company according to the terms and
conditions of the Executive Employment Agreement between the
parties (“Employment Agreement”).
B. On or about [
], Executive’s employment with the Company was
terminated pursuant to Section 3 of the Employment
Agreement.
C. According to the terms and
conditions of the Employment Agreement, Executive is entitled to
certain severance payments and other benefits if Executive executes
this Release. By execution hereof, Executive understands and agrees
that this Release is a compromise of doubtful and disputed claims,
if any, which remain untested; that there has not been a trial or
adjudication of any issue of law or fact herein; that the terms and
conditions of this Release are in no way to be construed as an
admission of liability on the part of the Company and that the
Company denies any liability and intends merely to avoid litigation
with this Release.
AGREEMENT
NOW THEREFORE FOR MUTUAL CONSIDERATION,
the receipt and sufficiency of which the parties hereto
acknowledge, the parties agree as follows:
1. Executive, for Executive
and Executive’s spouse, heirs, assigns, executors,
administrators, agents, successors and affiliates, hereby
unconditionally, irrevocably and absolutely releases and discharges
the Company, Catcher Holdings, Inc., and their respective past
and
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