GUARANTY
This GUARANTY (as amended,
restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified and in effect from
time to time, this “ Guaranty ”) is
made as of this 13 th day of November, 2008, jointly and
severally, by NORTH TEXAS DRILLING SERVICES, INC.
, a Texas corporation (“ North Texas
”), SONTERRA OPERATING, INC. , a Delaware
corporation (“ Operating ”),
VELOCITY ENERGY LIMITED LLC , a Texas limited
liability company (“ Limited ”),
VELOCITY ENERGY INC. , a Delaware corporation
(“ Velocity ”), VELOCITY
ENERGY OFFSHORE LP, a Delaware limited partnership
(“ Offshore ”), VELOCITY
ENERGY PARTNERS LP , a Delaware limited partnership
(“ Onshore ”; North Texas, Operating,
Limited, Velocity, Offshore and Onshore, together with 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
”; provided, that the parties hereto agree that, as of the
date hereof, North Texas, Operating, Limited, Velocity, Offshore
and Onshore are the only Guarantors) in favor of LONGVIEW MARQUIS
MASTER FUND, L.P., a British Virgin Island limited partnership
(“ Marquis ”) and THE LONGVIEW
FUND, L.P. , a California limited partnership (“
Longview ”; together with Marquis,
collectively, “ Holders ”).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS , as of the date hereof, Holders have made loans
and certain other financial accommodations (collectively, the
“ Loans ”) to SONTERRA
RESOURCES, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company ”), as evidenced by (i) that certain
Subordinated Note of even date herewith in an original aggregate
principal amount of $2,210,550.92 issued by the Company in favor of
Longview (as the same may be amended, supplemented, restated or
otherwise modified from time to time as permitted hereunder and
including any notes issued in exchange or substitution therefor,
collectively, the “ Longview Note ”)
and (ii) that certain Subordinated Note of even date herewith in an
original aggregate principal amount of $9,440,000 issued by the
Company in favor of Marquis (as the same may be amended,
supplemented, restated or otherwise modified from time to time as
permitted hereunder and including any notes issued in exchange or
substitution therefor, collectively, the “ Marquis
Note ”; Longview Note and Marquis Note, each a
“ Note ” and, together, “
Notes ”).
WHEREAS , the Notes are being acquired by Holders
pursuant to a Securities Exchange Agreement dated as of even date
herewith among the Holders and the Company (as the same may be
amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to
time, the “ Exchange Agreement
”)
WHEREAS , the Guarantors are direct or indirect
subsidiaries of the Company and, as such, will derive substantial
benefit and advantage from the Loans, 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 Loans and other financial accommodations from
Holders.
NOW,
THEREFORE , for and
in consideration of the premises and in order to induce Holders to
make the Loans, 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 Notes 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.
“ Obligations ”
shall mean (i) all obligations, liabilities and indebtedness of
every nature of the Company from time to time owed or owing to the
Holders, including, without limitation, all obligations,
liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the Company under
the Notes, the Loans, the Warrants, 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 any subsequent Guarantor from time to time owed or owing
to the Holders, including, without limitation, all obligations,
liabilities and indebtedness of every nature of the Guarantors
under or in respect of this Guaranty, the Exchange Agreement, the
Notes, the Loans, the Warrants 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 guarantees the full and prompt
payment and performance to Holders, 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 heretofore or hereafter made by
Holders 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 Holder; 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 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 and
Holders agree that if this Guaranty would, but for the application
of this sentence, constitute a Fraudulent Conveyance, this Guaranty
shall be valid and enforceable only to the maximum extent that
would not cause this Guaranty 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 costs and expenses of every kind incurred by any
Holder: (a) in enforcing this Guaranty, (b) in collecting any of
the Obligations from the Company or any Guarantor, (c) for payment
of any of the Obligations, and (d) in connection with any amendment
of, modification to, waiver or forbearance granted under, or
enforcement or administration of any Transaction Document or for
any other purpose in connection with any Transaction Document, in
each case, to the extent Holder may take such action pursuant to
the terms and conditions of this Agreement. “ Costs
and expenses ” as used in the preceding sentence
shall include, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees
incurred by any Holder in retaining legal 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, endorsement, or other agreement
held by Holders therefor or with respect thereto, whether or not
furnished by a Guarantor. None of Holders 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 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. Guarantor shall have no right to
exercise any right of subrogation, reimbursement, indemnity,
exoneration, contribution or any other claim which it may now or
hereafter have against the Company in connection with this Guaranty
until the termination of this Guaranty in accordance with
Section 8 below, and each Guarantor agrees that it will not
take any action to enforce any obligations of the Company to such
Guarantor prior to the Obligations being finally paid in full in
cash, provided that, in the event of the bankruptcy or
insolvency of the Company, to the extent the Obligations have not
been finally paid in full in cash, Holders 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) Without in any way diminishing the liability of
the Guarantors, following the occurrence 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 Holders and promptly following receipt shall be paid over
to Holders, until all of the Obligations have been paid in full in
cash.
(c) This Guaranty 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 Holders. 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. This Agreement,
together with the other Transaction Documents, supersedes all other
prior oral or written agreements between each Holder, the
Guarantors, the Subsidiaries, their Affiliates and Persons acting
on their behalf with respect to the matters discussed herein, and
this Agreement, together with the other Transaction Documents and
the other instruments referenced herein and therein, contain the
entire understanding of the parties with respect to the matters
covered herein and therein and, except as specifically set forth
herein or therein, neither any Guarantor nor any Holder makes any
representation, warranty, covenant or undertaking with respect to
such matters. As of the date of this Agreement, there are no
unwritten agreement between the parties with respect to the matters
discussed herein. No provision of this Agreement may be amended,
modified or supplemented other than by an instrument in writing
signed by the parties hereto.
(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 or any payment made pursuant hereto,
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
Holders 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;
(ii) accept and hold any endorsement or guaranty of
payment of the Obligations or any part thereof, and discharge,
release or substitute any such obligation of any such endorser or
guarantor, or discharge, release or compromise any Guarantor, 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 endorser, guarantor, or person or entity;
(iii) direct the enforcement of any and all
endorsements and guaranties relating to the Obligations or any part
thereof as Holders in their sole discretion may
determine;
(iv) subject to the terms of the Notes, 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 Holders
might lawfully have elected to apply such payments to the
Obligations or to amounts which are not covered by this Guaranty;
and
(v) accept or make or refrain from accepting or
making any compositions or arrangements when and in such manner as
Holders, in their sole discretion, may deem appropriate;
and generally
do or refrain from doing any act or thing which might otherwise, at
law or in equity, release the liability of such Guarantor as a
guarantor or surety in whole or in part; provided any such sale was
conducted in a commercially reasonable manner (to the extent
required under applicable law).
(b) Following the occurrence and during the
continuance of an Event of Default, and upon demand by any Holder,
each Guarantor, jointly and severally, hereby agrees to pay the
Obligations to the extent hereinafter provided and to the extent
unpaid:
(i) without deduction by reason of any setoff,
defense (other than payment) or counterclaim of the Company or any
other Guarantor;
(ii) without requiring presentment, protest or
notice of nonpayment or notice of default to any Guarantor, to the
Company or to any other person or entity;
(iii) without demand for payment or proof of such
demand or filing of claims with a court in the event of
receivership, bankruptcy or reorganization of the Company or any
other Guarantor;
(iv) without requiring Holders to resort first to
the Company (this being a guaranty of payment and not of
collection), to any other Guarantor, or to any other
guaranty;
(v) without requiring notice of acceptance hereof
or assent hereto by any Ho
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