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AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY

Guarantee Agreement

AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY | Document Parties: ALERIS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH You are currently viewing:
This Guarantee Agreement involves

ALERIS INTERNATIONAL, INC. | DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH

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Title: AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY
Governing Law: New York     Date: 4/2/2007
Industry: Misc. Fabricated Products     Sector: Basic Materials

AMENDED AND RESTATED U.S. SUBSIDIARIES GUARANTY, Parties: aleris international  inc. , deutsche bank ag new york branch
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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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