EXHIBIT _____
CARVE-OUT GUARANTY
THIS UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTY (this
“ Guaranty ”) is dated as of August 1, 2005 and
made by TOUSA HOMES, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“
TOUSA Me TECHNICAL OLYMPIC USA, INC., a Delaware corporation
(together with TOUSA Member, jointly and severally, the “
Guarantors ”), in favor of DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY
AMERICAS, in its capacity as Administrative Agent for the Lenders
described below (in such capacity, together with its successors in
such capacity, the “ Administrative Agent
”).
RECITALS
A. Pursuant to that certain
Credit Agreement dated as of the date hereof (as the same may be
Modified from time to time, the “ Loan Agreement
”) by and among EH/TRANSEASTERN, LLC, a limited liability
company organized under the laws of the state of Delaware and
TE/TOUSA SENIOR, LLC, a limited liability company organized under
the laws of the state of Delaware (together, jointly and severally,
the “ Borrowers ” and each a “
Borrower ”), the Lenders from time to time party
thereto (the “ Lenders ”), and Administrative
Agent, the Lenders have agreed to make a loan to Borrowers in an
initial principal amount of $450,000,000 (the “ Loan
”), consisting of $335,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
Term Loans, and up to $115,000,000 aggregate principal amount of
Revolving Commitments.
B. It is a condition precedent
to the making of the Loan by the Lenders that Guarantors shall have
executed and delivered this Guaranty to the Administrative
Agent.
C. Capitalized terms used and
not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to
such terms in the Loan Agreement.
AGREEMENT
NOW THEREFORE , to induce the
Lenders to extend the Loan to Borrowers, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is
hereby acknowledged, Guarantors hereby covenant and agree, jointly
and severally, as follows:
1. Guarantee of
Obligations . Guarantors do hereby, jointly and severally,
unconditionally, absolutely and irrevocably guarantee to the
Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders and their
respective successors and assigns, as a primary obligor and not
merely as a surety (all the monetary and other obligations referred
to in this Section being collectively referred to as the “
Guaranteed Obligations ”):
(a) any liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties,
actions, judgments, suits, costs, charges, expenses and
disbursements (including reasonable attorney’s fees and
expenses) of any kind or nature whatsoever which may at any time be
imposed on, incurred by or asserted against Administrative Agent or
Lenders and arising out of or in connection with the matters listed
below:
(i) fraud or material misrepresentation by any Transaction
Party in connection with the Loan Documents;
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(ii) the misappropriation by any Transaction Party or any
Affiliate thereof of any Rents or Distributions in violation of
Section 6.8;
(iii) any failure of the Borrower Parties to perform their
obligations to properly account to Administrative Agent for any
proceeds of insurance or awards or condemnation as required by the
Loan Documents, to properly apply same in accordance with the terms
and provisions of the Loan Documents, or for the misapplication or
misappropriation by the Borrower Parties of condemnation or
insurance proceeds;
(iv) any act by a Transaction Party or any Affiliate thereof
constituting intentional misconduct or waste of the Mortgaged
Property;
(v) the Borrower Parties’ failure to observe the
covenants set forth in Sections 6.1 and 6.4 of the Credit
Agreement;
(vi) the Borrowers failure to maintain the insurance required
to be maintained under the Loan Documents or pay Taxes or
Impositions required to be paid under Section 5.8;
(b) upon the occurrence of any of the following events, all of
the Obligations:
(i) any
Transaction Party files a petition or commences any proceeding as
to which such Person is the debtor therein pursuant to the
Bankruptcy Code, any successor statute, any similar debtor relief
law, or any state insolvency proceedings, or
(ii) any
Transaction Party shall institute any proceeding for the
dissolution or liquidation of a Transaction Party, or shall make an
assignment for the benefit of creditors with respect to a
Transaction Party, or
(iii) any of the actions described in subsections (a) or
(b) is commenced or filing is made as to which a Transaction
Party is the debtor therein by any Affiliate of any Transaction
Parties or through collusion with any third party.
Guarantors further agree that the Guaranteed Obligations may be
Modified, waived, accelerated or compromised from time to time, in
whole or in part, without notice to or further assent from them,
and that they will remain bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding
any Modification, waiver, acceleration or compromise of any of the
Guaranteed Obligations.
2. Nature of Guaranty .
This is an irrevocable, absolute, continuing guaranty of payment
and performance and not a guaranty of collection. Guarantors waive
any right to require that any resort be had by the Administrative
Agent or any Lender to any of the security held for payment of the
Guaranteed Obligations or to any balance of any deposit account or
credit on the books of the Administrative Agent or any Lender in
favor of Borrowers or any other person. This Guaranty may not be
revoked by Guarantors and shall continue to be effective with
respect to the Guaranteed Obligations arising or created after any
attempted revocation by Guarantors. It is the intent of Guarantors
that the obligations and liabilities of Guarantors hereunder are
absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances and
that
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until
the Guaranteed Obligations are fully and finally satisfied, such
obligations and liabilities shall not be discharged or released in
whole or in part, by any act or occurrence which might, but for the
provisions of this Guaranty, be deemed a legal or equitable
discharge or release of Guarantors.
3. Rights Independent.
The obligations of Guarantors hereunder are independent of the
Obligations of Borrowers or the obligations of any other Person,
including any other Person executing a guaranty of any or all of
the Guaranteed Obligations (such Person, an “ Other
Guarantor ”) or any security for the Guaranteed
Obligations, and the Administrative Agent may proceed in the
enforcement hereof independently of any other right or remedy that
the Administrative Agent may at any time hold with respect to the
Guaranteed Obligations or any security or other guarantee therefor.
The Administrative Agent may file a separate action or actions
against Guarantors hereunder, whether action is brought and
prosecuted with respect to any security or against Borrowers or any
Other Guarantor or any other Person, or whether Borrowers or any
Other Guarantor or any other Person is joined in any such action or
actions. Guarantors waive the benefit of any statute of limitations
affecting their liability hereunder or the enforcement of the
Guaranteed Obligations. The liability of Guarantors hereunder shall
be reinstated and revived, and the rights of the Administrative
Agent and each Lender shall continue, with respect to any amount at
any time paid on account of the Guaranteed Obligations which shall
thereafter be required to be restored or returned by the
Administrative Agent or any Lender upon the bankruptcy, insolvency,
or reorganization of Borrowers or any other Person, or otherwise,
all as though such amount had not been paid. Guarantors further
agree to the extent (i) Borrowers or Guarantors make any
payment to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection
with the Guaranteed Obligations and all or any part of such payment
is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or
preferential, set aside or required to be repaid by the trustee,
receiver or any other entity, whether under any Bankruptcy Law or
otherwise, or (ii) in the event following the payment in full
of the principal amount of the Loan, the Administrative Agent or
any Lender is subject to further liability, loss, or expense
covered by the indemnification obligations set forth in the Loan
Documents (the payments and obligations referred to in clauses
(i) and (ii) above are hereafter referred to,
collectively, as “ Preferential Payments ”),
then this Guaranty shall continue to be effective or shall be
reinstated, as the case may be, and, to the extent of such payment
or repayment by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, the
Guaranteed Obligations or part thereof intended to be satisfied by
such Preferential Payment shall be revived and continued in full
force and effect as if said Preferential Payment had not been
made.
4. Authority to Modify the
Guaranteed Obligations . Each Guarantor authorizes the
Administrative Agent and each Lender, without notice to or demand
on Guarantors and without affecting its liability hereunder or the
enforceability hereof, from time to time to: (a) Modify,
waive, accelerate or compromise the time for payment or the terms
of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, including
increase or decrease the rates of interest thereon;
(b) Modify, waive, accelerate, compromise, or enter into or
give any agreement, approval, or consent with respect to, the
Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof or any of the Loan
Documents or any security or additional guaranties, or any
condition, covenant, default, remedy, right, representation, or
term thereof or thereunder; (c) accept new or additional
instruments, documents, or agreements in exchange for or relative
to any of the Loan Documents or the Guaranteed Obligations or any
part thereof; (d) accept partial payments on the Guaranteed
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Obligations; (e) receive and hold additional security or
guaranties for the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof or
this Guaranty; (f) release, reconvey, terminate, waive,
abandon, subordinate, exchange, substitute, transfer, and enforce
the Guaranteed Obligations or any security or any other guaranties,
and apply any security and direct the order or manner of sale
thereof as the Administrative Agent or such Lender in its
discretion may determine; (g) release Borrowers or any other
Person or any Other Guarantor from any personal liability with
respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof;
(h) settle, release on terms reasonably satisfactory to the
Administrative Agent or such Lender or by operation of law or
otherwise, compound, compromise, collect, or otherwise liquidate or
enforce any of the Guaranteed Obligations and any security or other
guarantee in any manner, consent to the transfer of any security,
and bid and purchase at any sale; and (i) consent to the
merger or any other change, restructure, or termination of the
corporate existence of Borrowers or any other Person and
correspondingly restructure the Guaranteed Obligations, and any
such merger, change, restructure, or termination shall not affect
the liability of Guarantors hereunder or the enforceability hereof
with respect to all Guaranteed Obligations.
5. Waiver of
Defenses.
(a) Each Guarantor waives any right to require the
Administrative Agent or any Lender, prior to or as a condition to
the enforcement of this Guaranty, to: (i) proceed against
Borrowers or any other Person or any Other Guarantor;
(ii) proceed against or exhaust any security for the
Guaranteed Obligations or to marshal assets in connection with
foreclosing collateral security; (iii) give notice of the terms,
time, and place of any public or private sale of any security for
the Guaranteed Obligations; or (iv) pursue any other remedy in
the Administrative Agent’s or such Lender’s power
whatsoever.
(b) Each Guarantor waives any defense arising by reason of:
(i) any disability or other defense of Borrowers or any other
Person with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations; (ii) the
unenforceability or invalidity of the Guaranteed Obligations, any
of the Loan Documents or any security or any other guarantee for
the Guaranteed Obligations, or the lack of perfection or failure of
priority of any security for the Guaranteed Obligations;
(iii) the cessation from any cause whatsoever of the liability
of Borrowers or any other Person or any Other Guarantor (other than
by reason of the full payment and discharge of the Guaranteed
Obligations); (iv) any act or omission of the Administrative
Agent or any Lender or any other Person which directly or
indirectly results in or aids the discharge or release of Borrowers
or any other Person or the Guaranteed Obligations or any security
or other guarantee therefor by operation of law or otherwise;
(v) the taking or accepting of any other security, collateral
or guaranty, or other assurance of the payment or performance of
all or any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (vi) any release,
surrender, exchange, subordination, deterioration, waste, loss or
impairment by the Administrative Agent or any Lender (including any
negligent impairment but excluding any gross negligent or willful
impairment) of any collateral, property or security, at any time
existing in connection with, or assuring or securing payment of,
all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations; (vii) the
failure of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any other Person
to exercise diligence or reasonable care in the preservation,
protection, enforcement, sale or other handling or treatment of all
or any part of any collateral, property or security (but excluding
any gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the
Administrative Agent or any Lender); (viii) the fact that any
collateral, security, security interest or lien contemplated or
intended to be
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given,
created or granted as security for the repayment of the
indebtedness evidenced by the Notes or the Guaranteed Obligations
shall not be properly perfected or created, or shall prove to be
unenforceable or subordinate to any other security interest or
lien, it being recognized and agreed by Guarantors that Guarantors
are not entering into this Guaranty in reliance on, or in
contemplation of the benefits of, the validity, enforceability,
collectibility or value of any of the collateral for the Guaranteed
Obligations or any security interest in such collateral;
(ix) any payment by Borrowers to the Administrative Agent or
any Lender is held to constitute a preference under the Bankruptcy
Code or any another federal, state or local laws concerning
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or relief of debtors, or for
any reason the Administrative Agent or any Lender is required to
refund such payment or pay such amounts to Borrowers or
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