Exhibit 10.7
GUARANTY
AGREEMENT
THIS
GUARANTY AGREEMENT (this
" Guaranty ") is made as of the 15th day of October, 2008 by
J. BRIAN O'NEILL, (individually " Guarantor ") in favor
of NL INDUSTRIES, INC., a New Jersey corporation
(“NL Industries”) and NL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SERVICES, INC. (“ NLEMS ” and, collectively with
NL Industries, “ Lender ”) and their respective
successors and assigns. Capitalized terms not otherwise
defined herein shall have the definitions ascribed to them in that
certain Reinstated and Amended Settlement Agreement and Release
dated June 26, 2008 among Lender, Borrower, the Sayreville Economic
and Redevelopment Agency (“SERA”) and the County of
Middlesex, New Jersey (the “County”), as amended by
that Amendment to Reinstated and Amended Settlement Agreement and
Release dated as of September 25, 2008 (as amended, the
“Settlement Agreement and Release”).
PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS
(1) Sayreville
Seaport Associates, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership ("
Borrower "), has delivered a Mortgage Note (the “
Note ”) to Lender of even date herewith in the
original principal amount of $15,000,000.00 which Note has been
accepted by Lender as a credit against the Initial Payment (as
defined in the Settlement Agreement and Release).
(2) The
Note is or will be secured by a Leasehold Mortgage, Assignment,
Security Agreement and Fixture Filing dated of even date herewith
executed by Borrower in favor of Lender covering the Property as
described in the Mortgage (such mortgage, as it may hereafter be
renewed, extended, supplemented, increased or modified and in
effect from time to time, and any other mortgage or other document
given in substitution therefor, or in modification, renewal, or
extension thereof, in whole or in part, are herein called the "
Mortgage ").
(3) A
condition precedent to Lender accepting the Note from Borrower at
the Initial Closing is Guarantor's execution and delivery to Lender
of this Guaranty.
STATEMENT
OF AGREEMENTS
For good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are
hereby acknowledged, and as a material inducement to Lender to
accept the Note from Borrower, Guarantor hereby guarantees to
Lender and agrees to act as surety for the prompt and full payment
and performance of the indebtedness and obligations described below
in this Guaranty, this Guaranty being upon the following terms and
conditions:
Section
1
Payment Obligations .
(a)
Interest Obligations . Guarantor hereby,
unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to Lender the punctual
payment when due, whether by lapse of time, by acceleration of
maturity, or otherwise, of all interest (including any related
fees, late charges and interest accruing at the Past Due Rate
and/or after the commencement of any bankruptcy or insolvency
proceeding by or against Borrower, whether or not allowed in such
proceeding) now or hereafter due and owing, or which Borrower is
obligated to pay, pursuant to the terms of the Note or the
Mortgage.
(b) Amounts not
included in Prudential Obligations to Lender
. Guarantor hereby, unconditionally and irrevocably
guarantees to Lender the payment of any and all amounts due under
and pursuant to the Note and which amounts are not included as a
part of the Loan Pay-Off Capital Contribution (as such term is
defined in the Multi-Party Agreement) payable to Lender by PICA
(The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Inc.) under and
pursuant to the terms of that certain Multi-Party Agreement of even
date herewith by and among Mortgagor, Sayreville Seaport Associates
Acquisition Company, LLC, OPG Participation, LLC, J. Brian
O’Neill, Mortgagee, Sayreville PRISA II LLC and The
Prudential Insurance Company of America, an insurance company
organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey acting solely
on behalf of, for the benefit of, and with its liability limited to
the assets of its insurance company separate account known as PRISA
II, except as expressly provided in Section 18 of the Multi-Party
Agreement.
The liability and obligations under this
Section 1 shall not be limited or restricted by the
existence of, or any terms of, the guaranty of specific obligations
under Section 2 below
Section
2
Guaranty of Specific Obligations .
Guarantor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably
guarantees the payment of, and agrees to protect, defend, indemnify
and hold harmless Lender for, from and against, any and all losses,
damages or liability which may be suffered or incurred by, imposed
on or awarded against Lender as a result of:
(a) Fraud
by Borrower or Guarantor in connection with (i) the acquisition of
the Borrower's interest in the Property (as defined in the
Mortgage) or the management, leasing or operation thereof or (ii)
the making or disbursement of the Loan or any certificates or
documents provided in connection therewith;
(b) Material
misrepresentation or breach of warranty by Guarantor in connection
with the acquisition of Borrower's interest in the Property or the
management, leasing or operation thereof; (ii) the remediation
and/or redevelopment Property or (iii) the making or disbursement
of the Loan or any certificates or documents provided in connection
therewith;
(c) Material
misrepresentation or breach of warranty by Borrower in connection
with the acquisition of Borrower's interest in the Property or the
management, leasing or operation thereof; (ii) the remediation
and/or redevelopment of the Property or (iii) the making or
disbursement of the Loan or any certificates or documents provided
in connection therewith;
(d) After
the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default,
distributions to the members, partners or shareholders of Borrower
or Guarantor (or to any beneficiary or trustee if Borrower or
Guarantor is a trust) of any Rents, security deposits, or other
income arising with respect to any property covered by the Mortgage
which should have been applied against costs and expenses
associated with such property or paid to Lender pursuant to the
Note and the Mortgage;
(e) The
misapplication by Borrower or Guarantor of any insurance proceeds
or condemnation awards attributable to any property covered by the
Mortgage which, under the terms thereof, should have been applied
otherwise or paid to Lender;
(f) Any
filing by Borrower or any general partner of Borrower of a
bankruptcy petition, or the making by Borrower or any general
partner of Borrower of an assignment for the benefit of creditors,
or the appointment of a receiver of any property of Borrower or any
general partner of Borrower in any action initiated by, or
consented to by, Borrower or such general partner; or
(g) Any
acts of Borrower or Guarantor taken in bad faith with the intent to
hinder, delay or interfere with the exercise by Lender of any
rights and remedies under the Note or the Mortgage after the
occurrence of and during the continuance of a Default.
The obligations
guaranteed under Section 1 and this Section 2 are
collectively referred to herein as the " Guaranteed
Obligations ". In addition to the Guaranteed
Obligations, Guarantor hereby agrees to pay to Lender all costs and
expenses incurred by Lender in seeking to enforce Lender's rights
and remedies with respect to such Guarantee Obligations or any of
them, including, without limitation, court costs, costs of
alternative dispute resolution and reasonable attorneys' fees,
whether or not suit is filed or other proceedings are initiated
thereon. The guaranty of Guarantor as set forth in
Section 1 and this Section 2 is a continuing guaranty
of payment and not a guaranty of collection.
Notwithstanding
anything set forth in this Section 2 , the terms of this
Section 2 shall in no way amend, modify or waive any rights or
obligations of Borrower or Lender under the Settlement Agreement
and Release.
Section
3
Primary Liability of Guarantor .
(a) This
Guaranty is an absolute, irrevocable and unconditional guaranty of
payment and performance, and Guarantor shall be liable for the
payment and performance of the Guaranteed Obligations as a primary
obligor. This Guaranty shall be effective as a waiver
of, and Guarantor hereby expressly waives, any right to which
Guarantor may otherwise have been entitled, whether existing under
statute, at Law or in equity, to require Lender to take prior
recourse or proceedings against any collateral, security or
person. It shall not be necessary for Lender, in order
to enforce such payment or performance by Guarantor, first to
institute suit or pursue or exhaust any rights or remedies against
Borrower or other person liable on such indebtedness or for such
performance, or to enforce any rights against any security given to
secure such indebtedness or performance, or to join Borrower or any
other person liable for the payment or performance of the
Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof in any action to enforce
this Guaranty, or to resort to any other means of obtaining payment
or performance of the Guaranteed Obligations; provided, however,
that nothing herein contained shall prevent Lender from suing on
the Note or foreclosing the Mortgage.
(b) It
shall not be necessary for Lender, in order to enforce such payment
or performance by Guarantor, first to institute suit or pursue or
exhaust any rights or remedies against Borrower or other person
liable on such indebtedness or for such performance, or to enforce
any rights against any security given to secure such indebtedness
or performance, or to join Borrower or any other Person liable for
the payment or performance of the Guaranteed Obligations or any
part thereof in any action to enforce this Guaranty, or to resort
to any other means of obtaining payment or performance of the
Guaranteed Obligations; provided, however, that nothing herein
contained shall prevent Lender from suing on the Note or
foreclosing the Mortgage and if such foreclosure or other remedy is
availed of, only the net proceeds therefrom, after deduction of all
charges and expenses of every kind and nature whatsoever, shall be
applied in reduction of the amount due on the Note and the
Mortgage, and Lender shall not be required to institute or
prosecute proceedings to recover any deficiency as a condition of
payment hereunder or enforcement hereof. At any sale of
Borrower's interest in the Property or other collateral given for
the indebtedness due under the Note (the “
Indebtedness ”) or any part thereof, whether by
foreclosure or otherwise, Lender may at its discretion purchase all
or any part of Borrower's interest in the Property or collateral so
sold or offered for sale for its own account and may, in payment of
the amount bid therefor, deduct such amount from the balance due it
pursuant to the terms of the Note.
(c) Suit may be
brought or demand may be made against Borrower or against any or
all parties who have signed this Guaranty or any other guaranty
covering all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations, or against
any one or more of them, separately or together, without impairing
the rights of Lender against any party hereto. Any time that Lender
is entitled to exercise its rights or remedies hereunder, it may in
its discretion elect to demand payment and/or
performance. If Lender elects to demand performance, it
shall at all times thereafter have the right to demand payment
until all of the Guaranteed Obligations have been paid and
performed in full. If Lender elects to demand payment,
it shall at all times thereafter have the right to demand
performance until all of the Guaranteed Obligations have been paid
and performed in full.
Section
4.
Certain Agreements and Waivers by Guarantor .
(a) Guarantor
agrees that neither Lender’s rights or remedies nor
Guarantor’s obligations under the terms of this Guaranty
shall be released, diminished, impaired, reduced or affected by any
one or more of the following events, actions, facts, or
circumstances, and the liability of Guarantor under this Guaranty
shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable irrespective
of:
i. any limitation on
the liability of, or recourse against, any other person in the Note
or the Mortgage or arising under any Law;
ii. any claim or
defense that this Guaranty was made without consideration or is not
supported by adequate consideration or that the obligations of
Guarantor hereunder exceed or are more burdensome than those of
Borrower under the Note or the Mortgage;
iii. the taking or
accepting of any other security or guaranty for, or right of
recourse with respect to, any or all of the Guaranteed
Obligations;
iv. the operation of
any statutes of limitation or other laws regarding the limitation
of actions, all of which are hereby waived as a defense to any
action or proceeding brought by Lender against Guarantor, to the
fullest extent permitted by Law;
v. any homestead
exemption or any other exemption under applicable law;
vi. any release,
surrender, abandonment, exchange, alteration, sale or other
disposition, subordination, deterioration, waste, failure to
protect or preserve, impairment, or loss of, or any failure to
create or perfect any lien or security interest with respect to, or
any other dealings with, any collateral or security at any time
existing or purported, believed or expected to exist in connection
with any or all of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any impairment of
Guarantor’s recourse against any person or
collateral;
vii. whether express or
by operation of law, any partial release of the liability of
Guarantor hereunder (except to the extent expressly so released) or
any complete or partial release of Borrower or any other person
liable, directly or indirectly, for the payment or performance of
any or all of the Guaranteed Obligations;
viii. the death,
insolvency, bankruptcy, disability, dissolution, liquidation,
termination, receivership, reorganization, merger, consolidation,
change of form, structure or ownership, sale of all assets, or lack
of corporate, partnership or other power of Borrower or any other
person at any time liable for the payment or performance of any or
all of the Guaranteed Obligations;
ix. either with or
without notice to or consent of Guarantor, any renewal, extension,
modification, supplement, subordination or rearrangement of the
terms of any or all of the Guaranteed Obligations and/or the Note
or the Mortgage, including without limitation, material alterations
of the terms of payment (including changes in maturity date(s) and
interest rate(s)) or performance or any other terms thereof, or any
waiver, termination, or release of, or consent to departure from,
the Note or the Mortgage or any other guaranty of any or all of the
Guaranteed Obligations, or any adjustment, indulgence, forbearance,
or compromise that may be granted from time to time by Lender to
Borrower or any other person at any time liable for the payment or
performance of any or all of the Guaranteed Obligations;
x. any neglect, lack
of diligence, delay, omission, failure, or refusal of Lender to
take or prosecute (or in taking or prosecuting) any action for the
collection or enforcement of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or
to foreclose or take or prosecute any action to foreclose (or in
foreclosing or taking or prosecuting any action to foreclose) upon
any security therefor, or to exercise (or in exercising) any other
right or power with respect to any security therefor, or to take or
prosecute (or in taking or prosecuting) any action in connection
with the Note or the Mortgage, or any failure to sell or otherwise
dispose of in a commercially reasonable manner any collateral
securing any or all of the Guaranteed Obligations;
xi. any failure of
Lender to notify Guarantor of any creation, renewal, extension,
rearrangement, modification, supplement, subordination, or
assignment of the Guaranteed Obligations or any part thereof, or of
the Note or Mortgage, or of any release of or change in any
security, or of the occurrence or existence of any default, or of
any other action taken or refrained from being taken by Lender
against Borrower or any security or other recourse, or of any new
agreement between Lender and Borrower, it being understood that
Lender shall not be required to give Guarantor any notice of any
kind under any circumstances with respect to or in connection with
the Guaranteed Obligations, any and all rights to notice Guarantor
may have otherwise had being hereby waived by Guarantor, and
Guarantor shall be responsible for obtaining for itself information
regarding Borrower, including, but not limited to, any changes in
the business or financial condition of Borrower, and Guarantor
acknowledges and agrees that Lender shall have no duty to notify
Guarantor of any information which Lender may have concerning
Borrower;
xii. if for any reason
Lender is required to refund any payment by Borrower to any other
party liable for the payment or performance of any or all of the
Guaranteed Obligations or pay the amount thereof to someone
else;
xiii. the making of
advances by Lender to protect its interest in the collateral for
the Indebtedness, preserve the value of such collateral or for the
purpose of performing any term or covenant contained in the Note or
the Mortgage;
xiv. the existence of
any claim, counterclaim, set-off or other right that Guarantor may
at any time have against Borrower, Lender, or any other person,
whether or not arising in connection with this Guaranty, the Note
or the Mortgage;
xv. the
unenforceability of all or any part of the Guaranteed Obligations
against Borrower, whether because the Guaranteed Obligations exceed
the amount permitted by Law or violate any usury law, or because
the act of creating the Guaranteed Obligations, or any part
thereof, is ultra vires , or because the officers or persons
creating the Guaranteed Obligations acted in excess of their
authority, or because of a lack of validity or enforceability of or
defect or deficiency in any of the Loan Documents, or because
Borrower has any valid defense, claim or offset with respect
thereto, or because Borrower’s obligation ceases to exist by
operation of law, or because of any other reason or circumstance,
it being agreed that Guarantor shall remain liable hereon
regardless of whether Borrower or any other person be found not
liable on the Guaranteed Obligations, or any part thereof, for any
reason (and regardless of any joinder of Borrower or any other
party in any action to obtain payment or