Exhibit 10.50
GUARANTY
This
GUARANTY (as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise
modified and in effect from time to time, this “
Guaranty ”) is made as of this 31 st day of
October, 2007, jointly and severally, by each of
Averion, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Averion
Inc.”) and IT&E International, a California corporation
(“IT&E,” and together with Averion Inc. and each
other person or entity who becomes a party to this Guaranty by
execution of a joinder in the form of Exhibit A
attached hereto, is referred to individually as a
“Guarantor” and collectively as the “
Guarantors ”) in favor of Cumulus Investors, LLC, a
Nevada limited liability company, on its own behalf and in its
capacity as collateral agent (together with its successors and
assigns in such capacity, the “ Collateral Agent
”) for the benefit of the Buyers (as defined in the Purchase
Agreement described below).
W I T
N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, as of the
date hereof, Buyers have made certain financial accommodations to
AVERION INTERNATIONAL CORP. , a Delaware corporation (the
“ Company ”) and purchased certain secured
senior notes in an original aggregate principal amount of up to
$26,000,000 (such notes, together with any promissory notes or
other securities issued in exchange or substitution therefor or
replacement thereof, as any of the same may be amended,
supplemented, restated or modified and in effect from time to time,
the “ Notes ”);
WHEREAS, the Notes
are being acquired by Buyers pursuant to a Securities Purchase
Agreement dated as of October 31, 2007 among the Buyers and
the Company (as the same may be amended, restated,
supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “
Purchase Agreement ”);
WHEREAS, pursuant
to a Pledge Agreement of even date herewith (as the same
may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified
and in effect from time to time, the “ Company Pledge
Agreement ”) by the Company in favor of the Collateral
Agent, the Company has pledged and granted a lien on and security
interest in all of the capital stock and other equity interests of
each of Averion Inc. and IT&E to Collateral Agent, for its
benefit and the benefit of the Buyers;
WHEREAS, pursuant
to a Security Agreement of even date herewith (as the same
may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified
and in effect from time to time, the “ Security
Agreement ”) by the “ Debtors ” (as
defined therein), in favor of the Collateral Agent, each of the
Debtors (including the Company and the Guarantors) has granted the
Collateral Agent, for its benefit and the benefit of the Buyers, a
first priority security interest in, lien upon and pledge of each
of its rights in the Collateral (as defined in the Security
Agreement); and
WHEREAS, the
Guarantors are direct or indirect subsidiaries of the Company and,
as such, will derive substantial benefit and advantage from the
financial accommodations available to the Company set forth in the
Purchase Agreement, the Notes and the other Transaction Documents,
and it will be to each Guarantor’s direct interest and
economic benefit to assist the Company in procuring said financial
accommodations from Buyers.
NOW, THEREFORE ,
for and in consideration of the premises and in order to induce
Buyers to purchase the notes and make the financial accommodations
contemplated by the Purchase Agreement, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, each Guarantor hereby jointly and severally
agrees as follows:
1.
Definitions : Capitalized terms used herein without
definition and defined in the Purchase Agreement are used herein as
defined therein. In addition, as used herein:
“
Bankruptcy Code ” shall mean the Federal Bankruptcy
Reform Act of 1978 (11 U.S.C. §101, et seq .), as
amended and in effect from time to time thereunder.
“ Event
of Default ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term
in the Notes.
“
Obligations ” shall mean (i) all obligations,
liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the Company from
time to time owed or owing to the Buyers and Collateral Agent,
including, without limitation, all obligations, liabilities and
indebtedness of every nature of the Company under the Security
Documents, the Purchase Agreement, the Notes, the Registration
Rights Agreement and the other Transaction Documents, including,
without limitation, the principal amount of all debts, claims and
indebtedness, accrued and unpaid interest and all fees, taxes,
indemnities, costs and expenses, whether primary, secondary,
direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise, heretofore, now and/or from
time to time hereafter owing, due or payable whether before or
after the filing of a bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding
under applicable federal, state, foreign or other law and whether
or not an allowed claim in any such proceeding, and (ii) all
obligations, liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the
Guarantors from time to time owed or owing to the Buyers and/or
Collateral Agent, including, without limitation, all obligations,
liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the Guarantors
under or in respect of this Guaranty, the Security Documents, the
Purchase Agreement, the Notes, the Registration Rights Agreement
and the other Transaction Documents, as the case may be,
including, without limitation, the principal amount of all debts,
claims and indebtedness, accrued and unpaid interest and all fees,
taxes, indemnities, costs and expenses, whether primary, secondary,
direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise, heretofore, now and/or from
time to time hereafter owing, due or payable whether before or
after the filing of a bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding
under applicable federal, state, foreign or other law and whether
or not an allowed claim in any such proceeding.
2.
Guaranty of Payment .
(a)
Each Guarantor, jointly and severally, hereby unconditionally and
irrevocably guaranties (as primary obligor and not merely as a
surety) the full and prompt payment and performance to Buyers and
Collateral Agent, on behalf of itself and in its capacity as
collateral agent for the benefit of Buyers, when due, upon demand,
at maturity or by reason of acceleration or otherwise and at all
times thereafter, of any and all of the Obligations.
(b)
Each Guarantor acknowledges that valuable consideration supports
this Guaranty, including, without limitation, the consideration set
forth in the recitals above, as well as any commitment to lend,
extension of credit or other financial accommodation, whether
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heretofore or hereafter made by Buyers to the
Company; any extension, renewal or replacement of any of the
Obligations; any forbearance with respect to any of the Obligations
or otherwise; any cancellation of an existing guaranty; any
purchase of any of the Company’s assets by any Buyer or
Collateral Agent; or any other valuable consideration.
(c)
Each Guarantor agrees that all payments under this Guaranty shall
be made in United States currency and in the same manner as
provided for the Obligations.
(d)
Notwithstanding any provision of this Guaranty to the contrary, it
is intended that this Guaranty, and any interests, liens and
security interests granted by any Guarantor as security for this
Guaranty, not constitute a “Fraudulent Conveyance” (as
defined below) in the event that this Guaranty or such interest is
subject to the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable fraudulent
conveyance or fraudulent transfer law or similar law of any state.
Consequently, Guarantors, Collateral Agent and Buyers agree that if
this Guaranty, or any such interests, liens or security interests
securing this Guaranty, would, but for the application of this
sentence, constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance, this Guaranty and
each such lien and security interest shall be valid and enforceable
only to the maximum extent that would not cause this Guaranty or
such interest, lien or security interest to constitute a Fraudulent
Conveyance, and this Guaranty shall automatically be deemed to have
been amended accordingly at all relevant times. For purposes
hereof, “ Fraudulent Conveyance ” means a
fraudulent conveyance under Section 548 of the Bankruptcy Code
or a fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer under the
provisions of any applicable fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent
transfer law or similar law of any state, as in effect from time to
time.
3.
Costs and Expenses . Each Guarantor, jointly and severally,
agrees to pay on demand, all reasonable costs and expenses of every
kind incurred by any Buyer or Collateral Agent: (a) in
enforcing this Guaranty, (b) in collecting any of the
Obligations from the Company or any Guarantor, and (c) in
realizing upon or protecting or preserving any collateral for this
Guaranty or for payment of any of the Obligations. “ Costs
and expenses ” as used in the preceding sentence shall
include, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees
incurred by any Buyer or Collateral Agent in retaining counsel for
advice, suit, appeal, any insolvency or other proceedings under the
Bankruptcy Code or otherwise, or for any purpose specified in the
preceding sentence.
4.
Nature of Guaranty: Continuing, Absolute and Unconditional
.
(a)
This Guaranty is and is intended to be a continuing guaranty of
payment of the Obligations, and not of collectibility, and is
intended to be independent of and in addition to any other
guaranty, indorsement, collateral or other agreement held by Buyers
or Collateral Agent therefor or with respect thereto, whether or
not furnished by a Guarantor. None of Buyers and Collateral Agent
shall be required to prosecute collection, enforcement or other
remedies against Company, any other Guarantor or guarantor of the
Obligations or any other person or entity, or to enforce or resort
to any of the Collateral or other rights or remedies pertaining
thereto, before calling on a Guarantor for payment. The obligations
of each Guarantor to repay the Obligations hereunder shall be
unconditional. Each Guarantor shall have no right of subrogation
with respect to any payments made by any Guarantor hereunder until
the termination of this Guaranty in accordance with
Section 8 below, and hereby waives any benefit of, and
any
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right to participate in, any security or
collateral given to Buyers to secure payment of the Obligations,
and each Guarantor agrees that it will not take any action to
enforce any obligations of the Company to any Guarantor prior to
the Obligations being finally and irrevocably paid in full in cash,
provided that, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency
of the Company, Collateral Agent, for the benefit of itself and
Buyers, and Buyers shall be entitled notwithstanding the foregoing,
to file in the name of any Guarantor or in its own name a claim for
any and all indebtedness owing to a Guarantor by the Company
(exclusive of this Guaranty), vote such claim and to apply the
proceeds of any such claim to the Obligations.
(b)
For the further security of Buyers and without in any way
diminishing the liability of the Guarantors, following the
occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, all
debts and liabilities, present or future of the Company to the
Guarantors and all monies received from the Company or for its
account by the Guarantors in respect thereof shall be received in
trust for Buyers and Collateral Agent and forthwith upon receipt
shall be paid over to Collateral Agent, for its benefit and in its
capacity as collateral agent for the benefit of Buyers, until all
of the Obligations have been finally and irrevocably paid in full
in cash. This assignment and postponement is independent of and
severable from this Guaranty and shall remain in full effect
whether or not any Guarantor is liable for any amount under this
Guaranty.
(c)
This Guaranty is absolute and unconditional and shall not be
changed or affected by any representation, oral agreement, act or
thing whatsoever, except as herein provided. This Guaranty is
intended by the Guarantors to be the final, complete and exclusive
expression of the guaranty agreement between the Guarantors and
Buyers. No modification or amendment of any provision of this
Guaranty shall be effective against any party hereto unless in
writing and signed by a duly authorized officer of such party.
(d)
Each Guarantor hereby releases the Company from all, and agrees not
to assert or enforce (whether by or in a legal or equitable
proceeding or otherwise) any “claims” (as defined in
Section 101(5) of the Bankruptcy Code), whether arising
under any law, ordinance, rule, regulation, order, policy or other
requirement of any domestic or foreign government or any
instrumentality or agency thereof, having jurisdiction over the
conduct of its business or assets or otherwise, to which the
Guarantors are or would at any time be entitled by virtue of its
obligations hereunder, any payment made pursuant hereto or the
exercise by any Buyer or Collateral Agent of its rights with
respect to the Collateral, including any such claims to which such
Guarantors may be entitled as a result of any right of
subrogation, exoneration or reimbursement.
5.
Certain Rights and Obligations .
(a)
Each Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that Buyers and Collateral
Agent, for its benefit and as collateral agent for the benefit of
Buyers, may, without notice, demand or any reservation of rights
against such Guarantor and without affecting such Guarantor’s
obligations hereunder, from time to time:
(i)
renew, extend, increase, accelerate or otherwise change the time
for payment of, the terms of or the interest on the Obligations or
any part thereof or grant other indulgences to the Company or
others;
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(ii)
accept from any person or entity and hold collateral for the
payment of the Obligations or any part thereof, and modify,
exchange, enforce or refrain from enforcing, or release,
compromise, settle, waive, subordinate or surrender, with or
without consideration, such collateral or any
part thereof;
(iii)
accept and hold any indorsement or guaranty of payment of the
Obligations or any part thereof, and discharge, release or
substitute any such obligation of any such indorser or guarantor,
or discharge, release or compromise any Guarantor, or any other
person or entity who has given any security interest in any
collateral as security for the payment of the Obligations or any
part thereof, or any other person or entity in any way
obligated to pay the Obligations or any part thereof, and
enforce or refrain from enforcing, or compromise or modify, the
terms of any obligation of any such indorser, guarantor, or person
or entity;
(iv)
dispose of any and all collateral securing the Obligations in any
manner as the Collateral Agent, in its sole discretion,
may deem appropriate, and direct the order or manner of such
disposition and the enforcement of any and all endorsements and
guaranties relating to the Obligations or any part thereof as
Collateral Agent in its sole discretion may determine;
(v)
(a) sell, exchange, enforce, waive, substitute, liquidate,
terminate, release, abandon, fail to perfect, subordinate, accept,
substitute, surrender, exchange, affect, impair or otherwise alter
or release any collateral for any Obligation or any other guaranty
therefor in any manner, (b) receive, take and hold additional
collateral to secure any Obligation, (c) add, release or
substitute any one or more other Guarantors, makers or endorsers of
any Obligation or any part thereof and (d) otherwise deal
in any manner with the Company and any other Guarantor, maker or
endorser of any Obligation or any part thereof;
(vi)
settle, release, compromise, collect or otherwise liquidate the
Obligations;
(vii)
determine the manner, amount and time of application of payments
and credits, if any, to be made on all or any part of any
component or components of the Obligations (whether principal,
interest, fees, costs, and expenses, or otherwise), including,
without limitation, the application of payments received from any
source to the payment of indebtedness other than the Obligations
even though Buyers might lawfully have elected to apply such
payments to the Obligations to amounts which are not covered by
this Guaranty;
(viii)
take advantage or refrain from taking advantage of any security or
accept or make or refrain from accepting or making any compositions
or arrangements when and in such manner as Collateral Age
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