Exhibit 10.34
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
(the “ Agreement ”) is entered into as
of_______________, by and between Equity LifeStyle Properties,
Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “ Company ”),
and _______________, (the “ Indemnitee ”).
WHEREAS , the Indemnitee is a
director or officer of the Company and in such capacity is
performing valuable services for the Company;
WHEREAS , the Bylaws (the
“ Bylaws ”) of the Company and
Section 2-418 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the
“ MGCL ”) provide for indemnification by the
Company of its directors and officers as provided therein;
WHEREAS , to provide the
Indemnitee with additional contractual assurance of protection
against personal liability in connection with certain proceedings
described below, the Company desires to enter into this
Agreement;
WHEREAS ,
Section 2-418(g) of the MGCL expressly provides that the
indemnification provisions of Section 2-418 of the MGCL are
not exclusive of any other indemnification rights under the charter
or bylaws of a corporation, a resolution of stockholders or
directors, an agreement or otherwise, and this Agreement is being
entered into as permitted by the MGCL and the Bylaws and as
authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “
Board of Directors ”); and
WHEREAS , to induce the
Indemnitee to continue to provide services to the Company as a
director or officer, and to provide the Indemnitee with specific
contractual assurance that indemnification will be available to the
Indemnitee regardless of, among other things, any amendment to the
Bylaws or any acquisition transaction relating to the Company, the
Company desires to provide the Indemnitee with protection against
personal liability.
NOW, THEREFORE , in
consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein,
the Company and the Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
Section 1.
Definitions. For
purposes of this Agreement:
(a) “
Company Status ” describes the Indemnitee’s
status as a person who is or was a director or officer of the
Company or who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a
director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent of any other
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit
plan or other enterprise, whether conducted for profit or not for
profit.
(b) “
Disinterested Director ” means a director of the
Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as
hereinafter defined) in respect of which indemnification is sought
by the Indemnitee.
(c) “
Effective Date ” means the date of this Agreement as
set forth above.
(d) “
Expenses ” shall include all fees, retainers and
disbursements of counsel, court costs, arbitrator costs, transcript
costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating
costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage,
delivery service fees, and all other disbursements or expenses of
the types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting,
defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating or being
or preparing to be a witness in a Proceeding.
(e) “
Independent Counsel ” means a law firm, or a member of
a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporate law and
neither presently is, nor in the past two years has been, retained
to represent (i) the Company or the Indemnitee in any matter
material to either such party or (ii) any other party to the
Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification
hereunder.
(f) “
Proceeding ” includes any action, suit, arbitration,
alternative dispute resolution mechanism, investigation,
administrative hearing or any other proceeding,
including appeals therefrom, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative, except one initiated by the
Indemnitee pursuant to Section 9 of this Agreement to
enforce the Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.
Section 2.
Indemnification. The
Company hereby indemnifies the Indemnitee and agrees to hold the
Indemnitee harmless to the fullest extent permitted under the MGCL
and/or any other applicable law. Without limiting the effect of the
preceding sentence, the Indemnitee shall be indemnified and held
harmless as provided in this Agreement and under applicable law,
the Articles of Amendment and Restatement of the Company (the
“ Charter ”), the Bylaws, any agreement, a vote
of the stockholders or resolution of the Board of Directors or
otherwise if, by reason of the Indemnitee’s Company Status,
the Indemnitee is made a party to or is threatened to be made a
party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or
completed Proceeding, including a Proceeding by or in the right of
the Company, whether the basis of such Proceeding is an alleged
action or omission in an official capacity or in any other capacity
by reason of the Indemnitee’s Company Status. Subject to
Section 13 , the Indemnitee shall be indemnified
against Expenses, liabilities, losses, judgments, penalties, fines,
amounts paid in settlement, and ERISA excise taxes and penalties,
in each case actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of
the Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding or any claim,
issue or matter therein.
Section 3.
Expenses of a Successful Party.
Without limiting the effect of
Section 2 , Section 4 ,
Section 5 or any other provision of this Agreement, to
the extent that the Indemnitee is by reason of the
Indemnitee’s Company Status a party to and is successful on
the merits or otherwise in any Proceeding, the Indemnitee shall be
indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred
by or on behalf of the Indemnitee in connection therewith. If the
Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is
successful on the merits or otherwise as to one or more but less
than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company
shall, without limitation of the Indemnitee’s right to
indemnification with respect to claims, issues or matters as to
which the Indemnitee is not wholly successful, indemnify the
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
or on behalf of such Indemnitee in connection with each
successfully resolved claim, issue or matter. For purposes of this
Agreement and without limitation of the foregoing, the term
“successful on the merits or otherwise” shall include,
but not be limited to, (i) any termination, withdrawal or
dismissal (with or without prejudice) of any Proceeding against the
Indemnitee without a conviction or an express finding of liability
against the Indemnitee, (ii) the expiration of 180 days
after the making of any claim or threat of a Proceeding without in
each case the institution of the same and without any promise of
payment or payment made to induce a settlement or (iii) the
settlement of any actual or threatened Proceeding pursuant to which
the Indemnitee pays less than $25,000.
Section 4.
Witness Expenses.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Agreement, to the extent that the Indemnitee is, by reason of the
Indemnitee’s Company Status, a witness for any reason in any
Proceeding to which the Indemnitee is not a party, the Indemnitee
shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee in connection
therewith.
Section 5.
Advances. The Company
shall, without requiring a preliminary determination of the
ultimate entitlement to indemnification, advance all reasonable
Expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee in connection
with any Proceeding within twenty (20) days after the receipt
by the Company of a statement from the Indemnitee requesting such
advance from time to time, whether prior to or after final
disposition of such Proceeding. Such statement shall reasonably
evidence the Expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee
and shall be accompanied or preceded by (i) an affirmation by the
Indemnitee of the Indemnitee’s good faith belief that the
standard of conduct necessary for indemnification under this
Agreement has been met and (ii) an undertaking by or on behalf
of the Indemnitee to repay any Expenses advanced if it shall
ultimately be determined by final judicial determination from which
there is no further right to appeal that the Indemnitee is not
entitled to be indemnified against such Expenses. The Indemnitee
shall use its good faith efforts to notify the Company of Expenses
incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee by not later than six
months after the incurrence of such Expenses. The advancement of
Expenses pursuant to this Section 5 shall not be
construed as a loan to the Indemnitee, and the Indemnitee shall not
be obligated to repay any Expenses advanced, until such time as it
shall have ultimately been determined by final judicial
determination from which there is no further right to appeal that
the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified against such
Expenses.
Section 6.
Selection of Counsel.
In the event that the Company shall be obligated
under this Agreement to pay the Expenses of any Proceeding against
the Indemnitee, the Company shall be entitled to assume the defense
of such Proceeding, with counsel approved by the Indemnitee (who
shall not unreasonably withhold such approval),
2
upon the
delivery to the Indemnitee of written notice of its election to do
so. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by the
Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the
Company will not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement
for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee
with respect to the same Proceeding; provided , that
(i) the Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his or her
own counsel in any such Proceeding at the Indemnitee’s
expense; and (ii) if (A) the employment of counsel by the
Indemnitee has been previously authorized in writing by the
Company, (B) the Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded
that there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and
the Indemnitee in the conduct of such defense and shall have
notified the Company in writing thereof, (C) the Indemnitee
shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of
interest between the Indemnitee and other indemnitees of the
Company being represented by counsel retained by the Company in the
same Proceeding and shall have notified the Company in writing
thereof, or (D) the Company shall not, in fact, have employed
counsel to assume the defense of such Proceeding within a
reasonable time frame, then the reasonable fees and expenses of the
Indemnitee’s counsel shall be at the expense of the
Company.
Section 7.
Determination of Entitlement to
Indemnification.
(a) To
obtain indemnification under this Agreement, the Indemnitee shall
submit to the Company a written request, including such
documentation and information as may be reasonably necessary to
determine whether and to what extent the Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification.
(b) A
determination with respect to the Indemnitee’s entitlement to
indemnification shall be made: (i) by the Board of Directors
(A) by a majority vote of those members of the Board of
Directors that are Disinterested Directors, provided that such
Disinterested Directors constitute a quorum of the Board of
Directors, or (B) if such a quorum cannot be obtained, then by
a majority vote of a committee of the Board of Directors consisting
solely of two or more Disinterested Directors who were duly
designated to act in the matter by a majority vote of the full
Board of Directors, (ii) by Independent Counsel selected by
the Board of Directors or a committee of the Board of Directors by
vote as set forth in clause (i) or, if the requisite quorum of
the full Board of Directors cannot be obtained therefor and the
committee cannot be established, by a majority vote of the full
Board of Directors, or (iii) by the stockholders of the
Company. The Company shall promptly deliver to the Indemnitee a
copy of any written legal opinion delivered by Independent Counsel
in relation to clause (ii). The Company shall pay all fees and
expenses of any Independent Counsel. In addition to the advancement
of Expenses pursuant to Section 5 (which shall be made
in the manner set forth in Section 5 ), other
indemnification payments shall be made to the Indemnitee within
twenty (20) days after the determination of the
Indemnitee’s right to indemnification.
(c) The
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