IX ENERGY HOLDINGS,
INC.
DIRECTOR AND OFFICER
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This Director and Officer
Indemnification Agreement, dated as of ________, 2008 (this
"Agreement"), is made by and between IX Energy
Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and _____________ (the
“Indemnitee").
RECITALS:
A. Section 141 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law provides that the business and
affairs of a corporation shall be managed by or under the direction
of its board of directors.
B. By virtue of the
managerial prerogatives vested in the directors and officers of a
Delaware corporation, directors and officers act as fiduciaries of
the corporation and its stockholders.
C. Thus, it is
critically important to the Company and its stockholders that the
Company be able to attract and retain the most capable persons
reasonably available to serve as directors and officers of the
Company.
D. In recognition of
the need for corporations to be able to induce capable and
responsible persons to accept positions in corporate management,
Delaware law authorizes (and in some instances requires)
corporations to indemnify their directors and officers, and further
authorizes corporations to purchase and maintain insurance for the
benefit of their directors and officers.
E. The Delaware
courts have recognized that indemnification by a corporation serves
the dual policies of (1) allowing corporate officials to resist
unjustified lawsuits, secure in the knowledge that, if vindicated,
the corporation will bear the expense of litigation, and (2)
encouraging capable women and men to serve as corporate directors
and officers, secure in the knowledge that the corporation will
absorb the costs of defending their honesty and
integrity.
F. The number of
lawsuits challenging the judgment and actions of directors and
officers of Delaware corporations, the costs of defending those
lawsuits and the threat to personal assets have all materially
increased over the past several years, chilling the willingness of
capable women and men to undertake the responsibilities imposed on
corporate directors and officers.
G. Recent federal
legislation and rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the national securities exchanges have exposed such
directors and officers to new and substantially broadened civil
liabilities.
H. Under Delaware
law, a director's or officer's right to be reimbursed for the costs
of defense of criminal actions, whether such claims are asserted
under state or federal law, does not depend upon the merits of the
claims asserted against the director or officer and is separate and
distinct from any right to indemnification the director may be able
to establish.
I. Indemnitee is, or
will be, a director and/or officer of the Company and his or her
willingness to serve in such capacity is predicated, in substantial
part, upon the Company's willingness to indemnify him or her in
accordance with the principles reflected above, to the fullest
extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware, and upon the
other undertakings set forth in this Agreement.
J. Therefore, in
recognition of the need to provide Indemnitee with substantial
protection against personal liability, in order to procure
Indemnitee's continued service as a director and/or officer of the
Company and to enhance Indemnitee's ability to serve the Company in
an effective manner, and in order to provide such protection
pursuant to express contract rights (intended to be enforceable
irrespective of, among other things, any amendment to the Company's
certificate of incorporation or bylaws (collectively, the
"Constituent Documents"), any change in the
composition of the Company's Board of Directors (the
"Board") or any change-in-control or business
combination transaction relating to the Company), the Company
wishes to provide in this Agreement for the indemnification and
advancement of Expenses to Indemnitee on the terms, and subject to
the conditions, set forth in this Agreement.
K. In light of the
considerations referred to in the preceding recitals, it is the
Company's intention and desire that the provisions of this
Agreement be construed liberally, subject to their express terms,
to maximize the protections to be provided to Indemnitee
hereunder.
AGREEMENT:
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby
agree as follows:
1.
Certain Definitions . In addition to terms defined elsewhere
herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used
in this Agreement with initial capital letters:
"Change in
Control" shall have
occurred at such time, if any, as Incumbent Directors cease for any
reason to constitute a majority of Directors. For purposes of this
Section 1(a), "Incumbent Directors" means the
individuals who, as of the date hereof, are Directors of the
Company and any individual becoming a Director subsequent to the
date hereof whose election, nomination for election by the
Company's stockholders, or appointment, was approved by a vote of
at least a majority of the then Incumbent Directors (either by a
specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company
in which such person is named as a nominee for director, without
objection to such nomination); provided, however, that an
individual shall not be an Incumbent Director if such individual's
election or appointment to the Board occurs as a result of an
actual or threatened election contest (as described in Rule
14a-12(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) with
respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or
threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a
Person other than the Board.
"Claim"
means (i) any threatened, asserted,
pending or completed claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding,
whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, investigative
or other, and whether made pursuant to federal, state or other law;
and (ii) any inquiry or investigation, whether made, instituted or
conducted by the Company or any other Person, including, without
limitation, any federal, state or other governmental entity, that
Indemnitee reasonably determines might lead to the institution of
any such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding. For the
avoidance of doubt, the Company intends indemnity to be provided
hereunder in respect of acts or failure to act prior to, on or
after the date hereof.
"Controlled
Affiliate" means any
corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit,
that is directly or indirectly controlled by the Company. For
purposes of this definition, "control" means the
possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause
the direction of the management or policies of an entity or
enterprise, whether through the ownership of voting securities,
through other voting rights, by contract or otherwise;
provided that direct or indirect beneficial ownership of
capital stock or other interests in an entity or enterprise
entitling the holder to cast 15% or more of the total number of
votes generally entitled to be cast in the election of directors
(or persons performing comparable functions) of such entity or
enterprise shall be deemed to constitute control for purposes of
this definition.
"Disinterested
Director" means a
director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Claim
in respect of which indemnification is sought by
Indemnitee.
"Expenses"
means attorneys' and experts' fees
and expenses and all other costs and expenses paid or payable in
connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in or
participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to
investigate, defend, be a witness in or participate in (including
on appeal), any Claim.
"Indemnifiable
Claim" means any
Claim based upon, arising out of or resulting from (i) any actual,
alleged or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in his or
her capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the
Company or as a director, officer, employee, member, manager,
trustee or agent of any other corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or
enterprise, whether or not for profit, as to which Indemnitee is or
was serving at the request of the Company, (ii) any actual, alleged
or suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in respect of any
business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other
activity of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred
to in clause (i) of this sentence, or (iii) Indemnitee's status as
a current or former director, officer, employee or agent of the
Company or as a current or former director, officer, employee,
member, manager, trustee or agent of the Company or any other
entity or enterprise referred to in clause (i) of this sentence or
any actual, alleged or suspected act or failure to act by
Indemnitee in connection with any obligation or restriction imposed
upon Indemnitee by reason of such status. In addition to any
service at the actual request of the Company, for purposes of this
Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to be serving or to have
served at the request of the Company as a director, officer,
employee, member, manager, trustee or agent of another entity or
enterprise if Indemnitee is or was serving as a director, officer,
employee, member, manager, agent, trustee or other fiduciary of
such entity or enterprise and (i) such entity or enterprise is or
at the time of such service was a Controlled Affiliate, (ii) such
entity or enterprise is or at the time of such service was an
employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by
the Company or a Controlled Affiliate, or (iii) the Company or a
Controlled Affiliate (by action of the Board, any committee thereof
or the Company's Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") (other than as the
CEO him or herself)) caused or authorized Indemnitee to be
nominated, elected, appointed, designated, employed, engaged or
selected to serve in such capacity.
"Indemnifiable
Losses" means any and
all Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from any
Indemnifiable Claim; provided, however, that Indemnifiable
Losses shall not include Losses incurred by Indemnitee in respect
of any Indemnifiable Claim (or any matter or issue therein) as to
which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged liable to the Company,
unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery
or the court in which such Indemnifiable Claim was brought shall
have determined upon application that, despite the adjudication of
liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case,
Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for
such Expenses as the court shall deem proper.
"Independent
Counsel" means a
nationally recognized law firm, or a member of a nationally
recognized law firm, that is experienced in matters of Delaware
corporate law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years
has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company (or any
subsidiary) or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such
party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee
under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar
indemnification agreements) or (ii) any other named (or, as to a
threatened matter, reasonably likely to be named) party to the
Indemnifiable Claim giving rise to a claim for indemnification
hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term "Independent
Counsel" shall not include any person who, under the applicable
standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a
conflict of interest in representing either the Company or
Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee's rights under this
Agreement.
"Losses"
means any and all Expenses, damages,
losses, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties (whether civil,
criminal or other) and amounts paid or payable in settlement,
including, without limitation, all interest, assessments and other
charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of any of
the foregoing.
"Person"
means any individual, entity or group, within
the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
"Standard of
Conduct" means the
standard for conduct by Indemnitee that is a condition precedent to
indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against Indemnifiable
Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from an
Indemnifiable Claim. The Standard of Conduct is (i) good faith and
a reasonable belief by Indemnitee that his action was in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company and, with respect to
any criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had no
reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful, or (ii)
any other applicable standard of conduct that may hereafter be
substituted under Section 145(a) or (b) of the Delaware General
Corporation Law or any successor to such provision(s).
2.
Indemnification Obligation . Subject only to
Section 7 and to the proviso in this Section, the Company shall
indemnify, defend and hold harmless Indemnitee, to the fullest
extent permitted or required by the laws of the State of Delaware
in effect on the date hereof or as such laws may from time to time
hereafter be amended to increase the scope of such permitted
indemnification, against any and all Indemnifiable Claims and
Indemnifiable Losses; provided, however, that, except as
provided in Section 5, Indemnitee shall not be entitled to
indemnification pursuant to this Agreement in connection with (i)
any Claim initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or any
director or officer of the Company unless the Company has joined in
or consented to the initiation of such Claim, or (ii) the purchase
and sale by Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company
acknowledges that the foregoing obligation may be broader than that
now provided by applicable law and the Company's Constituent
Documents and intends that it be interpreted consistently with this
Section and the recitals to this Agreement.
3.
Advancement of Expenses . Indemnitee shall
have the right to advancement by the Company prior to the final
disposition of any Indemnifiable Claim of any and all actual and
reasonable Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from
any Indemnifiable Claim paid or incurred by Indemnitee. Without
limiting the generality or effect of any other provision hereof,
Indemnitee's right to such advancement is not subject to the
satisfaction of any Standard of Conduct. Without limiting the
generality or effect of the foregoing, within five business days
after any request by Indemnitee that is accompanied by supporting
documentation for specific reasonable Expenses to be reimbursed or
advanced, the Company shall, in accordance with such request (but
without duplication), (a) pay such Expenses on behalf of
Indemnitee, (b) advance to Indemnitee funds in an amount sufficient
to pay such Expenses, or (c) reimburse Indemnitee for such
Expenses; provided that Indemnitee shall repay, without
interest, any amounts actually advanced to Indemnitee that, at the
final disposition of the Indemnifiable Claim to which the advance
related, were in excess of amounts paid or payable by Indemnitee in
respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from
such Indemnifiable Claim. In connection with any such payment,
advancement or reimbursement, at the request of the Company,
Indemnitee shall execute and deliver to the Company an undertaking,
which need not be secured and shall be accepted without reference
to Indemnitee's ability to repay the Expenses, by or on behalf of
the Indemnitee, to repay any amounts paid, advanced or reimbursed
by the Company in respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of
or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim in respect of which it
shall have been determined, following the final disposition of such
Indemnifiable Claim and in accordance with Section 7, that
Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder.
4.
Indemnification for Additional Expenses .
Without limiting the generality or effect of the foregoing, the
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and,
if requested by Indemnitee, shall reimburse Indemnitee for, or
advance to Indemnitee, within five business days of such request
accompanied by supporting documentation for specific Expenses to be
reimbursed or advanced, any and all actual and reasonable Expenses
paid or incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any Claim made,
instituted or conducted by Indemnitee for (a) indemnification or
reimbursement or advance payment of Expenses by the Company under
any provision of this Agreement, or under any other agreement or
provision of the Constituent Documents now or hereafter in effect
relating to Indemnifiable Claims, and/or (b) recovery under any
directors' and off