FORM OF
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT FOR
NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
This Indemnification Agreement (“
Agreement ”) is made as of
, by and
between Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the “ Company ”), and
(“ Indemnitee ”). This Agreement supersedes and
replaces any and all previous agreements between the Company and
Indemnitee covering the subject matter of this
Agreement.
WHEREAS, directors, officers, and other persons
in service to publicly-held corporations and other business
enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and
time-consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters
that traditionally would have been brought only against the
corporation or business enterprise itself;
WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become
more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors or
in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate
protection through insurance and indemnification against inordinate
risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their
service to and activities on behalf of the corporation;
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company
(the “ Board ”) has determined that, in order to
attract and retain qualified individuals to serve the Company, the
Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole
expense, liability insurance to protect such persons; however, the
Board recognizes that although the furnishing of such insurance has
been a customary and widespread practice among U.S. corporations
and other business enterprises, given current market conditions and
trends, such insurance may be available in the future only at
higher premiums and with more exclusions;
WHEREAS, the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware (the “ DGCL ”) permits, and
the By-laws of the Company require, indemnification of the officers
and directors of the Company; each expressly provides that the
indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and
thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the
Company and members of the Board, officers and other persons with
respect to indemnification;
WHEREAS, in light of uncertainties relating to
such insurance and to indemnification and the resulting difficulty
of attracting and retaining persons to serve the Company, the Board
has determined that the best interests of the Company and its
stockholders would be served by assuring such persons that there
will be increased certainty of such protection in the
future;
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary
for the Company to obligate itself contractually to indemnify, and
to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or
continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they
will not be so indemnified; and
WHEREAS, although this Agreement is a supplement
to and in furtherance of the By-laws of the Company (and shall not
be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any
rights of Indemnitee thereunder), Indemnitee does not regard the
protection available under the Company’s By-laws and
insurance as adequate in the present circumstances, and may not be
willing to serve (or continue to serve) as an officer or director
without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to
serve and continue to serve in such capacity.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises
and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do
hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Section 1. Services to the Company .
Indemnitee agrees to serve, or continue to serve, as a director,
officer, employee and Agent (as defined below) of the Company
and/or, as applicable, its subsidiaries and any Enterprise (as
defined below). Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason
resign from any such position (subject to any other contractual
obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of law), in which
event the Company shall have no obligation under this Agreement to
continue Indemnitee in such position. This Agreement shall not be
deemed an employment contract between the Company (or any of its
subsidiaries or any Enterprise) and Indemnitee. Indemnitee
specifically acknowledges that Indemnitee’s employment with
the Company (or any of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), if any,
is at will, and Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any
reason, with or without cause, except as may be otherwise provided
in any written employment contract between Indemnitee and the
Company (or any such subsidiary or Enterprise), other applicable
formal severance policies duly adopted by the Board, or, with
respect to service as a director or officer of the Company, by the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, the Company’s
By-laws and the DGCL. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement
shall continue in force after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a
director, officer, employee and Agent of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries or other Enterprise as provided in
Section 16 hereof.
Section 2.
Certain Definitions . As used in this Agreement:
(a) “ Agent ” shall mean
any person who is or was a director, officer or employee of the
Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the
Company, to include any person serving in such capacity as a
director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another
corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture,
trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise (including any
subsidiary of the Company) at the request of, for the convenience
of, or to represent the interests of the Company.
(b) A “ Change in Control
” shall be deemed to occur upon the earliest to occur after
the date of this Agreement of any of the following
events:
i. Acquisition of Stock by Third Party .
Any Person (as defined below), other than Richard E. Caruso, Ph.D.,
Provco Leasing Corporation or Tru St Partnership, L.P., is or
becomes the Beneficial Owner (as defined below), directly or
indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifteen
percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the
Company’s then outstanding securities;
ii. Change in Board of Directors . During
any period of two (2) consecutive years (not including any
period prior to the execution of this Agreement), individuals who
at the beginning of such period constitute the Board, and any new
director (other than a director designated by a person who has
entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction
described in Sections 2(b)(i) , 2(b)(iii) or
2(b)(iv) hereof) whose election by the Board or nomination
for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a
vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office
who either were directors at the beginning of the period or whose
election or nomination for election was previously so approved,
cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the
members of the Board;
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iii. Corporate Transactions . The
effective date of a merger or consolidation of the Company with any
other entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would
result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding
immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to
represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted
into voting securities of the surviving entity) more than 51% of
the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving
entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation
and with the power to elect at least a majority of the board of
directors or other governing body of such surviving
entity;
iv. Liquidation . The approval by the
stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the
Company or an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company
of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets;
or
v. Other Events . There occurs any other
event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response
to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or a
response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form)
promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or
not the Company is then subject to such reporting
requirement.
For purposes of this Section 2(b) ,
the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(A) “ Exchange Act ” shall
mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to
time.
(B) “ Person ” shall have the
meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange
Act; provided , however , that Person shall exclude
(i) the Company, (ii) any trustee or other fiduciary
holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company,
and (iii) any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by
the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same
proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.
(C) “ Beneficial Owner ”
shall have the meaning given to such term in Rule 13d-3 under
the Exchange Act; provided , however , that
Beneficial Owner shall exclude any Person otherwise becoming a
Beneficial Owner by reason of the stockholders of the Company
approving a merger of the Company with another entity.
(c) “ Corporate Status ”
describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer,
employee or Agent of the Company or any other corporation, limited
liability company, partnership or joint venture, trust, employee
benefit plan or other Enterprise, in which capacity such person is
or was serving at the request of, for the convenience of, or to
represent the interests of the Company.
(d) “ Disinterested Director
” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not
a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is
sought by Indemnitee.
(e) “ Enterprise ” shall
mean the Company and any other corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan
or other enterprise (including any subsidiary of the Company) of
which Indemnitee is or was serving as a director, officer, employee
or Agent at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent
the interests of the Company.
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(f) “ Expenses ” shall
include all reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court
costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel
expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone
charges, postage, delivery service fees, any federal, state, local
or foreign taxes imposed on Indemnitee as a result of the actual or
deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement, ERISA excise
taxes and penalties, and all other disbursements or expenses of the
types customarily incurred in connection with or as a result of
prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend,
investigating, being or preparing to be a deponent or witness in,
or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding. Expenses also shall
include, without limitation: (i) expenses incurred in
connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding, including
without limitation the premium, security for, and other costs
relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond
or its equivalent, and (ii) for purposes of
Section 14(d) , expenses incurred by Indemnitee in
connection with the interpretation, enforcement or defense of
Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, by litigation or
otherwise. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in
settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines
against Indemnitee.
(g) “ Independent Counsel
” shall mean 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 five (5) years has been, retained to
represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter
material to either such party (other than with respect to matters
concerning Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this
Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification
agreements with the Company), or (ii) any other party to the
Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent
Counsel” shall not include any law firm or member of a law
firm who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct,
would have a conflict of interest in representing either the
Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s
rights under this Agreement. The Company agrees to pay the
reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent Counsel referred to
above and to indemnify such counsel fully against any and all
expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or
relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant
hereto.
(h) The term “ Proceeding
” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution process,
investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual,
threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought by or in the
right of the Company or otherwise, and whether of a civil,
criminal, administrative, regulatory, legislative or investigative
(formal or informal) nature, including any appeal therefrom, in
which Indemnitee was, is or could be involved as a party, potential
party, non-party witness or otherwise by reason of the fact that
Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or Agent of the
Company and/or any other Enterprise, by reason of any action taken
by him or of any action on his part while acting as a director,
officer, employee or Agent of the Company and/or such other
Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at
the time any liability or expense is incurred for which
indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be
provided under this Agreement. If the Indemnitee believes in good
faith that a given situation may lead to or culminate in the
institution of a Proceeding, such situation shall be considered a
Proceeding under this paragraph.
(i) References to “fines” shall
include any excise tax assessed with respect to any employee
benefit plan; references to “serving at the request of the
Company” shall include any service as a director, officer,
employee or Agent of the Company that imposes duties on, or
involves services by, such director, officer, employee or Agent
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or
beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner
he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the
participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be
deemed to have acted in manner “not opposed to the best
interests of the Company” as referred to in this
Agreement.
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Section 3. Indemnity in Third-Party
Proceedings . The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if
Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a
participant in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the
right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant
to this Section 3 , Indemnitee shall be indemnified to
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all
Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually
and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his behalf in
connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter
therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests
of the Company and, in the case of a criminal action or proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
The parties hereto intend that this Agreement shall provide to the
fullest extent permitted by law for indemnification in excess of
that expressly permitted by statute, including, without limitation,
any indemnification provided by the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation, its By-Laws, vote of its stockholders or
Disinterested Directors (or any committee thereof), or applicable
law.
Section 4. Indemnity in Proceedings by
or in the Right of the Company . The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 4 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be
made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding by or in the
right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant
to this Section 4 , Indemnitee shall be indemnified to
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against all Expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in
connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter
therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests
of the Company; provided, however , that no indemnification
for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in
respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall
have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company,
unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery
or any court in which the Proceeding was brought shall determine
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 that the
Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court deems
proper.
Section 5. Indemnification for Expenses
of a Party Who is Wholly or Partially Successful . To the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to the extent that
Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful,
on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any
claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company
shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and
reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith. If 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
applicable claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the
Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all Expenses actually
and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with
or related to each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter to
the fullest extent permitted by law. For purposes of this
Section 5 and without limitation, the termination of
any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with
or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as
to such claim, issue or matter.
Section 6. Indemnification For Expenses
of a Witness . To the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law and to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his
Corporate Status, a witness or otherwise asked to participate in
any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, he shall be
indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred
by him or on his behalf in connection therewith.
Section 7. Partial Indemnification .
If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to
indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of Expenses,
but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion thereof to which
Indemnitee is entitled.
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Section 8.
Additional Indemnification .
(a) Notwithstanding any limitation in
Sections 3 , 4 , or 5 hereof, the Company
shall indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made
a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the
right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against
all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
the Proceeding.
(b) For purposes of
Section 8(a) , the meaning of the phrase “to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law” shall include,
but not be limited to, the following:
i. to the fullest extent permitted by the
provision of the DGCL that authorizes or contemplates additional
indemnification by agreement, or the corresponding provision of any
amendment to or replacement of the DGCL, and
ii. to the fullest extent authorized or
permitted by any amendments to or replacements of the DGCL adopted
after the date of this Agreement that increase the extent to which
a Delaware corporation may indemnify its directors, officers,
employees, and Agents of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries.
Section 9. Exclusions .
Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, the Company
shall not be obligated to indemnify Indemnitee in connection with
any claim against Indemnitee:
(a) to the extent that payment has actually
been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy
or other indemnity provision; or
(b) for (i) an accounting of profits
made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by
Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of
Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (as defined in
Section 2(b) hereof) or similar provisions of state
statutory law or common law, or (ii) any reimbursement of the
Company by Indemnitee of any bonus or other incentive-based or
equity-based compensation or of any profits realized by Indemnitee
from the sale of securities of the Company, as required in each
case under the Exchange Act (including any such reimbursements that
arise from an accounting restatement of the Company pursuant to
Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (as amended, the
“ Sarbanes-Oxley Act ”), or the payment to the
Company of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee
of securities in violation of Section 306 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act); or
(c) in connection with any Proceeding (or
any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any
Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee
against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other
indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding
(or such part of such Proceeding) prior to its initiation or
(ii) the Company provides the indemnification, in its sole
discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under
applicable law; provided, however , that this provision
shall not apply to any claims related to the interpretation,
enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this
Agreement by litigation or otherwise, including as provided in
Sections 10 and 14(d) hereof.
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Section 10. Advances of Expenses. In
furtherance and not in limitation of the provisions of
Section 6.02 of the By-laws of the Company, and
notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the
contrary, the Company shall advance, to the extent not prohibited
by law, the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any
Proceeding, and such advancement shall be made within thirty
(30) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or
statements requesting such advances from time to time, whether
prior to or after final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances
shall be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall be made
without regard to Indemnitee&
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