Exhibit 10.9
EXECUTION COPY
AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S.
SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY
AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY,
dated as of August 1, 2006 and amended and restated as of December
19, 2006 (as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time,
this “ Guaranty ”), made by each of the
undersigned guarantors (each a “ Guarantor ”
and, together with any other entity that becomes a guarantor
hereunder pursuant to Section 22 hereof, collectively, the “
Guarantors ”) in favor of DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK
BRANCH, as Administrative Agent (together with any successor
administrative agent, the “ Administrative Agent
”), for the benefit of the Secured Creditors (as defined
below). Except as otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used
herein and defined in the Credit Agreement (as defined below) shall
be used herein as therein defined.
WITNESSETH
:
WHEREAS, Aurora Acquisition Merger Sub, Inc.,
Aleris International, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“
Aleris ” or the “ U.S. Borrower ”),
Aleris Deutschland Holdings GmbH, a company with limited liability
formed under the laws of Germany (the “ German
Borrower ” and, together with the U.S. Borrower,
collectively, the “ Borrowers ” and each, a
“ Borrower ”), the lenders party thereto from
time to time (the “ Lenders ”), and the
Administrative Agent, have entered into an Amended and Restated
Term Loan Agreement, dated as of August 1, 2006 and amended and
restated as of the date hereof, providing among other things for
the making of Loans to the Borrowers as contemplated therein (the
Lenders and the Administrative Agent are herein called the “
Lender Creditors ”) (as used herein, the term “
Credit Agreement ” means the Amended and Restated Term
Loan Agreement described above in this paragraph, as the same may
be amended, modified, extended, renewed, replaced, restated,
supplemented or refinanced from time to time, and including any
agreement extending the maturity of, or refinancing or
restructuring (including, but not limited to, the inclusion of
additional borrowers or guarantors thereunder or any increase in
the amount borrowed) all or any portion of, the indebtedness under
such agreement or any successor agreement, whether or not with the
same agent, trustee, representative, lenders or holders;
provided that, with respect to any agreement providing for
the refinancing or replacement of indebtedness under the Credit
Agreement, such agreement shall only be treated as, or as part of,
the Credit Agreement hereunder if (i) either (A) all obligations
under the Credit Agreement being refinanced or replaced shall be
paid in full at the time of such refinancing or replacement, and
all commitments issued pursuant to the refinanced or replaced
Credit Agreement shall have terminated in accordance with their
terms, or (B) the Required Lenders shall have consented in writing
to the refinancing or replacement indebtedness being treated as
indebtedness pursuant to the Credit Agreement, and (ii) a notice to
the effect that the refinancing or replacement indebtedness shall
be treated as issued under the Credit Agreement shall be delivered
by Aleris to the Collateral Agent);
WHEREAS, the U.S. Borrower and/or one or more of
its Subsidiaries may at any time and from time to time enter into
one or more Secured Hedging Agreements with one or more Persons
other than the Borrowers and their Subsidiaries (the “
Other Creditors ” and collectively, with the Lender
Creditors, the “ Secured Creditors
”);
WHEREAS, each Guarantor is a direct or indirect
Wholly-Owned Domestic Subsidiary of Aleris;
WHEREAS, it is a condition precedent to (i) the
making of Loans to the Borrowers under the Credit Agreement and
(ii) the Other Creditors entering into Secured Hedging Agreements,
that each Guarantor shall have executed and delivered to the
Administrative Agent this Guaranty; and
WHEREAS, each Guarantor will obtain benefits
from the incurrence of Loans by the Borrowers under the Credit
Agreement and the entering into by the Borrowers and/or one or more
of their Subsidiaries of Secured Hedging Agreements with the Other
Creditors, accordingly, desires to execute this Guaranty in order
to (i) satisfy the condition described in the preceding paragraph
and (ii) induce (x) the Lenders to make Loans to the Borrowers and
(y) the Other Creditors to enter into Secured Hedging Agreements
with the Borrowers and/or one or more of their
Subsidiaries;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the
foregoing and other benefits accruing to each Guarantor, the
receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, each
Guarantor hereby makes the following representations and warranties
to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured
Creditors and hereby covenants and agrees with each other Guarantor
and the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured
Creditors as follows:
1.
GUARANTY . (a) Each Guarantor, jointly and severally,
irrevocably, absolutely and unconditionally guarantees as a primary
obligor and not merely as surety (i) to the Lender Creditors the
full and prompt payment when due (whether at the stated maturity,
by required prepayment, declaration, acceleration, demand or
otherwise) of (x) the principal of, premium, if any, and interest
on the Notes issued by, and the Loans made to, the Borrowers under
the Credit Agreement and (y) all other obligations (including,
without limitation, obligations which, but for the commencement of
any insolvency proceeding, would become due), liabilities and
indebtedness owing by each Borrower to the Lender Creditors under
the Credit Agreement and each other Credit Document to which such
Borrower is a party (including, without limitation, indemnities,
Fees and interest thereon (including, without limitation, in each
case, any interest accruing after the commencement of any
bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar proceeding at the
rate provided for in the Credit Agreement, whether or not such
interest is an allowed claim in any such proceeding)), whether now
existing or hereafter incurred under, arising out of, or in
connection with, the Credit Agreement and each such other Credit
Document (all such principal, premium, interest, liabilities,
indebtedness and other obligations under this clause (i), except to
the extent consisting of obligations, liabilities or indebtedness
with respect to Secured Hedging Agreements are herein collectively
called the “ Credit Document Obligations ”) and
(ii) to each Other Creditor the full and prompt payment when due
(whether at the stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) of
all obligations (including obligations which, but for the
commencement of any insolvency proceeding, would become due),
liabilities and indebtedness (including, in each case, any interest
accruing after the commencement of any bankruptcy, insolvency,
receivership or similar proceeding at the rate provided for in the
respective Secured Hedging Agreements, whether or not such interest
is an allowed claim in any such proceeding) owing by the Borrowers
and their Subsidiaries under any Secured Hedging Agreement, whether
now in existence or hereafter arising, (all such obligations,
liabilities and indebtedness described in this clause (ii) being
herein collectively called the “ Other Obligations
” and together with the Credit Document Obligations, the
“ Guaranteed Obligations ”). Each Guarantor
understands, agrees and confirms that the Secured Creditors may
enforce this Guaranty up to the full amount of the Guaranteed
Obligations against such Guarantor without proceeding against any
other Guarantor, the Borrowers, any other Guaranteed Party, against
any security for the Guaranteed Obligations, or under any other
guaranty covering all or a portion of the Guaranteed
Obligations.
The following capitalized terms used herein
shall have the definitions specified below:
“ Guaranteed Party ” shall
mean (x) each Borrower and (y) each Subsidiary of Aleris party to a
Secured Hedging Agreement.
“ Secured Debt Agreements ”
shall mean and include (i) this Agreement, (ii) the other Credit
Documents, (iii) the Secured Hedging Agreements and (iv) the
Secured Hedging Agreement Intercreditor Agreement entered into by
the Collateral Agent with an Other Creditor.
“ Secured Hedging Agreement ”
shall mean each Interest Rate Protection Agreement and/or Other
Hedging Agreements provided that (i) such Interest Rate
Protection Agreement and/or Other Hedging Agreement expressly
states that (x) it constitutes a “Secured Hedging
Agreement” for purposes of this Agreement and the other
Credit Documents and (y) does not constitute a “Secured
Hedging Agreement” for purposes of the ABL Credit Agreement,
the ABL Security Documents or any guaranties relating to the ABL
Credit Agreement, (ii) Aleris and the other parties thereto shall
have delivered to the Collateral Agent a written notice specifying
that such Interest Rate Protection Agreement and/or Other Hedging
Agreement (x) constitutes a “Secured Hedging Agreement”
for purposes of this Agreement and the other Credit Documents, (y)
does not constitute a “Secured Hedging Agreement” for
purposes of the ABL Credit Agreement, the ABL Security Documents or
any guaranties relating to the ABL Credit Agreement and (z) in the
case of Aleris, that such Interest Rate Protection Agreement and/or
Other Hedging Agreement and the obligations of Aleris and its
Subsidiaries thereunder have been, and will be, incurred in
compliance with this Agreement and (iii) such Other Creditor has
become party to the Secured Hedging Agreement Intercreditor
Agreement with respect to the relevant Interest Rate Protection
Agreement or Other Hedging Agreement on terms reasonably
satisfactory to the Collateral Agent.
“ Secured Hedging Agreement
Intercreditor Agreement ” shall mean that certain Secured
Hedging Agreement Intercreditor Agreement dated as of December 19,
2006 among Aleris, the other grantors party thereto from time to
time, the secured hedge counterparties party thereto from time to
time and the Collateral Agent and the Administrative Agent (as
amended, modified or supplemented from time to time).
(b) Additionally, each Guarantor, jointly and
severally, unconditionally, absolutely and irrevocably, guarantees
the payment of any and all Guaranteed Obligations whether or not
due or payable by any Borrower or any such other Guaranteed Party
upon the occurrence in respect of any Borrower or any such other
Guaranteed Party of any of the events specified in Section 9.05 of
the Credit Agreement, and unconditionally, absolutely and
irrevocably, jointly and severally, promises to pay such Guaranteed
Obligations to the Secured Creditors, or order, on demand. This
Guaranty shall constitute a guaranty of payment, and not of
collection.
2.
LIABILITY OF GUARANTORS
ABSOLUTE . The liability
of each Guarantor hereunder is primary, absolute, joint and
several, and unconditional and is exclusive and independent of any
security for or other guaranty of the indebtedness of any Borrower
or any other Guaranteed Party, whether executed by such Guarantor,
any other Guarantor, any other guarantor or by any other party, and
the liability of each Guarantor hereunder shall not be affected or
impaired by any circumstance or occurrence whatsoever, including,
without limitation: (a) any direction as to application of payment
by any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party or any other party, (b)
any other continuing or other guaranty, undertaking or maximum
liability of a Guarantor or of any other party as to the Guaranteed
Obligations, (c) any payment on or in reduction of any such other
guaranty or undertaking, (d) any dissolution, termination or
increase, decrease or change in personnel by any Borrower or any
other Guaranteed Party, (e) the failure of the Guarantor to receive
any benefit from or as a result of its execution, delivery and
performance of this Guaranty, (f) any payment made to any Secured
Creditor on the indebtedness which any Secured Creditor repays any
Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party pursuant to court order in
any bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium or other
debtor relief proceeding, and each Guarantor waives any right to
the deferral or modification of its obligations hereunder by reason
of any such proceeding, (g) any action or inaction by the Secured
Creditors as contemplated in Section 5 hereof or (h) any
invalidity, rescission, irregularity or unenforceability of all or
any part of the Guaranteed Obligations or of any security
therefore; provided that nothing in this Guaranty shall prevent the
Guarantor from asserting the defense of payment of all or any
portion of the Guaranteed Obligations.
3.
OBLIGATIONS OF GUARANTORS
INDEPENDENT . The
obligations of each Guarantor hereunder are independent of the
obligations of any other Guarantor, any other guarantor, any
Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party, and a separate action or
actions may be brought and prosecuted against each Guarantor
whether or not action is brought against any other Guarantor, any
other guarantor, any Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party and
whether or not any other Guarantor, any other guarantor, any
Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party be joined in any such action
or actions. Each Guarantor waives, to the fullest extent permitted
by law, the benefits of any statute of limitations affecting its
liability hereunder or the enforcement thereof. Any payment by any
Borrower or any Guaranteed Party or other circumstance which
operates to toll any statute of limitations as to any Borrower or
any such other Guaranteed Party shall operate to toll the statute
of limitations as to each Guarantor.
4.
WAIVERS BY GUARANTORS
. (a) To the fullest extent
permitted under applicable law, each Guarantor hereby waives notice
of acceptance of this Guaranty and notice of the existence,
creation or incurrence of any new or additional liability to which
it may apply, and waives promptness, diligence, presentment, demand
of payment, demand for performance, protest, notice of dishonor or
nonpayment of any such liabilities, suit or taking of other action
by the Administrative Agent or any other Secured Creditor against,
and any other notice to, any party liable thereon (including such
Guarantor, any other Guarantor, any other guarantor, any Borrower
or any other Guaranteed Party) and each Guarantor further hereby
waives any and all notice of the creation, renewal, extension or
accrual of any of the Guaranteed Obligations and notice or proof of
reliance by any Secured Creditor upon this Guaranty, and the
Guaranteed Obligations shall conclusively be deemed to have been
created, contracted or incurred, or renewed, extended, amended,
modified, supplemented or waived, in reliance upon this
Guaranty.
(b) Each Guarantor waives any right to require the
Secured Creditors to: (i) proceed against any Borrower, any other
Guaranteed Party, any other Guarantor, any other guarantor of the
Guaranteed Obligations or any other party; (ii) proceed against or
exhaust any security held from any Borrower, any other Guaranteed
Party, any other Guarantor, any other guarantor of the Guaranteed
Obligations or any other party; or (iii) pursue any other remedy in
the Secured Creditors’ power whatsoever. Each Guarantor
waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of any
Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party, any other Guarantor, any
other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations or any other party
other than payment in full in cash of the Guaranteed Obligations,
including, without limitation, any defense based on or arising out
of the disability of any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party, any
other Guarantor, any other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations
or any other party, or the unenforceability of the Guaranteed
Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation
from any cause of the liability of any Borrower or any other
Guaranteed Party other than payment in full in cash of the
Guaranteed Obligations. The Secured Creditors may, at their
election, foreclose on any collateral serving as security held by
the Administrative Agent, the Collateral Agent or the other Secured
Creditors by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, whether or
not every aspect of any such sale is commercially reasonable (to
the extent such sale is permitted by applicable law), or exercise
any other right or remedy the Secured Creditors may have against
any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party or any other party, or any
security, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability
of any Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Guaranteed
Obligations have been paid in full in cash. Each Guarantor waives
any defense arising out of any such election by the Secured
Creditors, even though such election operates to impair or
extinguish any right of reimbursement, contribution,
indemnification or subrogation or other right or remedy of such
Guarantor against any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party, any
other guarantor of the Guaranteed Obligations or any other party or
any security.
(c) Each Guarantor has knowledge and assumes all
responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of each
Borrower’s, each other Guaranteed Party’s and each
other Guarantor’s financial condition, affairs and assets,
and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment
of the Guaranteed Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of
the risks which such Guarantor assumes and incurs hereunder, and
has adequate means to obtain from each Borrower, each other
Guaranteed Party and each other Guarantor on an ongoing basis
information relating thereto and each Borrower’s, each other
Guaranteed Party’s and each other Guarantor’s ability
to pay and perform its respective Guaranteed Obligations, and
agrees to assume the responsibility for keeping, and to keep, so
informed for so long as this Guaranty is in effect. Each Guarantor
acknowledges and agrees that (x) the Secured Creditors shall have
no obligation to investigate the financial condition or affairs of
any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party or any other Guarantor for
the benefit of such Guarantor nor to advise such Guarantor of any
fact respecting, or any change in, the financial condition, assets
or affairs of any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party or any other
Guarantor that might become known to any Secured Creditor at any
time, whether or not such Secured Creditor knows or believes or has
reason to know or believe that any such fact or change is unknown
to such Guarantor, or might (or does) increase the risk of such
Guarantor as guarantor hereunder, or might (or would) affect the
willingness of such Guarantor to continue as a guarantor of the
Guaranteed Obligations hereunder and (y) the Secured Creditors
shall have no duty to advise any Guarantor of information known to
them regarding any of the aforementioned circumstances or
risks.
(d) Each Guarantor hereby acknowledges and affirms
that it understands that to the extent the Guaranteed Obligations
are secured by Real Property located in the State of California,
such Guarantor shall be liable for the full amount of the liability
hereunder notwithstanding foreclosure on such Real Property by
trustee sale or any other reason impairing such Guarantor’s
or any Secured Creditors’ right to proceed against any
Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party or any other guarantor of the
Guaranteed Obligations.
(e) Each Guarantor hereby waives (to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law) all rights and benefits under
Section 580a, 580b, 580d and 726 of the California Code of Civil
Procedure. Each Guarantor hereby further waives (to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law), without limiting the
generality of the foregoing or any other provision hereof, all
rights and benefits which might otherwise be available to such
Guarantor under Sections 2809, 2810, 2815, 2819, 2821, 2839, 2845,
2848, 2849, 2850, 2899 and 3433 of the California Civil
Code.
(f) Until the Guaranteed Obligations have been paid
in full in cash, each Guarantor waives its rights of subrogation
and reimbursement and any other rights and defenses available to
such Guarantor by reason of Sections 2787 to 2855, inclusive, of
the California Civil Code, including, without limitation, (1) any
defenses such Guarantor may have to this Guaranty by reason of an
election of remedies by the Secured Creditors and (2) any rights or
defenses such Guarantor may have by reason of protection afforded
to any Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party pursuant to the
antideficiency or other laws of California limiting or discharging
such Borrower’s, such other Guaranteed Party’s
indebtedness, including, without limitation, Section 580a, 580b,
580d or 726 of the California Code of Civil Procedure. In
furtherance of such provisions, each Guarantor hereby waives all
rights and defenses arising out of an election of remedies by the
Secured Creditors, even though that election of remedies, such as a
nonjudicial foreclosure, destroys such Guarantor’s rights of
subrogation and reimbursement against any Borrower or any other
Guaranteed Party by the operation of Section 580d of the California
Code of Civil Procedure or otherwise.
(g) Each Guarantor hereby acknowledges and agrees
that no Secured Creditor nor any other Person shall be under any
obligation (a) to marshal any assets in favor of such Guarantor or
in payment of any or all of the liabilities of any Guaranteed Party
under the Secured Debt Agreements or the obligation of such
Guarantor hereunder or (b) to pursue any other remedy that such
Guarantor may or may not be able to pursue itself any right to
which such Guarantor hereby waives.
(h) Each Guarantor warrants and agrees that each of
the waivers set forth in Section 3 and in this Section 4 is made
with full knowledge of its significance and consequences and that
if any of such waivers are determined to be contrary to any
applicable law or public policy, such waivers shall be effective
only to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.
5.
RIGHTS OF SECURED
CREDITORS . Subject to
Sections 4 and 13, the Secured Creditors may (except as shall be
required by applicable statute and cannot be waived) at any time
and from time to time without the consent of, or notice to, any
Guarantor, without incurring responsibility to such Guarantor,
without impairing or releasing the obligations or liabilities of
such Guarantor hereunder, upon or without any terms or conditions
and in whole or in part:
(a) change the manner, place or terms of payment of,
and/or change, increase or extend the time of payment of, renew,
increase, accelerate or alter, any of the Guaranteed Obligations
(including, without limitation, any increase or decrease in the
rate of interest thereon or the principal amount thereof), any
security therefor, or any liability incurred directly or indirectly
in respect thereof, and the guaranty herein made shall apply to the
Guaranteed Obligations as so changed, extended, increased,
accelerated, renewed or altered;
(b) take and hold security for the payment of the
Guaranteed Obligations and sell, exchange, release, surrender,
impair, realize upon or otherwise deal with in any manner and in
any order any property or other collateral by whomsoever at any
time pledged or mortgaged to secure, or howsoever securing, the
Guaranteed Obligations or any liabilities (including any of those
hereunder) incurred directly or indirectly in respect thereof or
hereof, and/or any offset thereagainst;
(c) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights
against any Borrower, any other Guaranteed Party, any other Credit
Party, any Subsidiary thereof, any other guarantor of any Borrower
or others or otherwise act or refrain from acting;
(d) release or substitute any one or more endorsers,
Guarantors, other guarantors, any Borrower, any other Guaranteed
Party, any other Credit Party or other obligors;
(e) settle or compromise any of the Guaranteed
Obligations, any security therefor or any liability (including any
of those hereunder) incurred directly or indirectly in respect
thereof or hereof, and may subordinate the payment of all or any
part thereof to the payment of any liability (whether due or not)
of any Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party to creditors of such
Borrower or such other Guaranteed Party other than the Secured
Creditors;
(f) except as otherwise expressly required by the
Security Documents, apply any sums by whomsoever paid or howsoever
realized to any liability or liabilities of any Borrower or any
other Guaranteed Party to the Secured Creditors regardless of what
liabilities of such Borrower or such other Guaranteed Party remain
unpaid;
(g) consent to or waive any breach of, or any act,
omission or default under, any of the Secured Debt Agreements or
any of the instruments or agreements referred to therein, or
otherwise amend, modify or supplement any of the Secured Debt
Agreements or any of such other instruments or
agreements;
(h) act or fail to act in any manner which may
deprive such Guarantor of its right to subrogation against any
Borrower or any other Guaranteed Party to recover full indemnity
for any payments made pursuant to this Guaranty; and/or
(i) take any action or omit to take any other action
which would, under otherwise applicable principles of common law,
give rise to a legal or equitable discharge of such Guarantor from
its liabilities under this Guaranty (including, without limitation,
any action or omission whatsoev
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