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INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

Indemnification Agreement

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT | Document Parties: Exhibit 10.9   POGO PRODUCING COMPANY | Pogo Producing Company You are currently viewing:
This Indemnification Agreement involves

Exhibit 10.9 POGO PRODUCING COMPANY | Pogo Producing Company

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Title: INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
Governing Law: Delaware     Date: 4/28/2006
Industry: Oil and Gas Operations     Sector: Energy

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT, Parties: exhibit 10.9   pogo producing company , pogo producing company
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Exhibit 10.9

 

POGO PRODUCING COMPANY

 

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

 

This Indemnification Agreement (this “Agreement”), made and entered into as of the 25 th day of April, 2006, by and between Pogo Producing Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Stephen A. Wells (“Indemnitee”).

 

W I T N E S S E T H :

 

WHEREAS, Indemnitee is currently serving or is about to begin serving as a director and/or officer of the Company and/or in another Corporate Status, and Indemnitee is willing, subject to, among other things, the Company’s execution and performance of this Agreement, to continue in or assume such capacity or capacities; and

 

WHEREAS, the By-Laws of the Company provide that the Company shall indemnify and advance expenses to all directors and officers of the Company in the manner set forth therein and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides for limitation of liability for directors; and

 

WHEREAS, in order to induce Indemnitee to provide services as contemplated hereby, the Company has deemed it to be in its best interests and the best interests of its stockholders to enter into this Agreement with Indemnitee;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of Indemnitee’s agreement to provide services to the Company and/or certain of its affiliates as contemplated hereby, the mutual agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto stipulate and agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

 

Certain Definitions

 

As used herein, the following words and terms shall have the following respective meanings (whether singular or plural):

 

“Change of Control” means a change in control of the Company after the date Indemnitee acquired his Corporate Status, which shall be deemed to have occurred upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

 

(a)                                   The acquisition by any Person of beneficial ownership of Outstanding Company Voting Securities (including any such acquisition of beneficial ownership deemed to have occurred pursuant to Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) if, immediately thereafter, such Person is the beneficial owner of 20% or more of either (i) the then Outstanding Company Common Stock or (ii) the then Outstanding Company Voting Securities, unless such acquisition

 



 

is made (A) directly from the Company in a transaction approved by a majority of the members of the Incumbent Board, (B) by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any corporation controlled by the Company, or (C) by a parent corporation resulting from a Business Combination if, following such Business Combination, the conditions specified in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of subsection (c) of this definition are satisfied; or

 

(b)                                  Individuals who, as of the date of this Agreement, constituted the Board (the “Incumbent Board”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the date of this Agreement whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board, except that any such individual shall not be considered a member of the Incumbent Board if his or her initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board; or

 

(c)                                   Approval by the shareholders of the Company of a Business Combination (or if there is no such approval by shareholders, consummation of such Business Combination) unless, immediately following such Business Combination, (i) more than 60% of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock of the parent corporation resulting from such Business Combination and the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of such parent corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be (or is) then beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by all or substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the beneficial owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Combination in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such Business Combination of the Outstanding Company Common Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities, as the case may be, (ii) no Person (other than any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or any parent corporation resulting from such Business Combination) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 20% or more, respectively, of the then outstanding shares of common stock of the parent corporation resulting from such Business Combination or the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of such corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors and (iii) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the parent corporation resulting from such Business Combination were members of the Incumbent Board immediately prior to the consummation of such Business Combination; or

 

(d)                                  Approval by the shareholders of the Company of (i) a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company or (ii) a Major Asset Disposition (or if there is no such approval by shareholders, consummation of such Major Asset Disposition) unless, immediately following such Major Asset Disposition, (A) individuals and entities that were beneficial owners of the Outstanding Company Common Stock and the Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Major Asset Disposition beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 60% of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock and the combined voting power of the then outstanding shares of voting stock of the Company (if it continues to exist) and of the Acquiring Entity; (B) no Person, other than any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of

 

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the Company or such entity beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock and the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company (if it continues to exist) and of the Acquiring Entity and (C) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the Company (if it continues to exist) and of the Acquiring Entity were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement or action of the Board providing for such Major Asset Disposition.

 

For purposes of this definition of Change of Control,

 

a                   the term “Person” means an individual, entity or group;
 
b                  the term “group” is used as it is defined for purposes of Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”);
 
c                   the terms “beneficial owner”, “beneficially ownership” and “beneficially own” are used as defined for purposes of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act;
 
d                  the term “Business Combination” means (x) a merger or consolidation involving the Company or its stock or (y) an acquisition by the Company, directly or through one or more subsidiaries, of another entity or its stock or assets;
 
e                   the term “Outstanding Company Common Stock” shall mean the outstanding shares of Common Stock, par value $1 per share, of the Company;
 
f                     the term “Outstanding Company Voting Securities” means outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; and any specified percentage or portion of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities (or of other voting stock or voting securities) shall be determined based on the relative combined voting power of such securities;
 
g                  the term “parent corporation resulting from a Business Combination” means the Company if its stock is not acquired or converted in the Business Combination and otherwise means the entity which as a result of such Business Combination owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries;
 
h                  the term “Major Asset Disposition” means the sale or other disposition in one transaction or a series of related transactions of 60% or more of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis; and any specified percentage or portion of the assets of the Company shall be based on fair market value, as determined by a majority of the members of the Incumbent Board; and
 
i                      “Acquiring Entity” means the entity that acquires the largest portion of the assets sold or otherwise disposed of in a Major Asset Disposition (or the entity, if any, that owns a majority of the outstanding voting stock of such

 

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acquiring entity entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or members of a comparable governing body).
 

“Corporate Status” describes the status of Indemnitee as a director, officer,  employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company or of any other company, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company.

 

“Court” means the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or any other court of competent jurisdiction.

 

“DGCL” means the Delaware General Corporation Law.

 

“Expenses” shall include all 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, 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.

 

“Independent Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporate law and neither currently is, nor in the five years previous to its selection or appointment 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 the rights of Indemnitee under this Agreement or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements) or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder.

 

“Matter” is a claim, a material issue or a substantial request for relief.

 

“Proceeding” includes any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, administrative hearing or any other proceeding, whether civil (including intentional and unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative and whether instituted by or on behalf of the Company or any other party, or any inquiry or investigation that Indemnitee in good faith believes might lead to the institution of any such action, suit or other proceedings hereinabove listed, except such as is initiated by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 6.1 of this Agreement to enforce his rights under this Agreement.

 

ARTICLE II

 

Services by Indemnitee

 

Section 2.1. Services by Indemnitee. Indemnitee agrees to serve or continue to serve in his current capacity or capacities as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company. Indemnitee may also agree to serve (the agreement so to serve being in the sole discretion of Indemnitee), as the Company may request from time to time, as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other company, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, trust or other enterprise in which the Company has an interest.

 

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Indemnitee and the Company each acknowledge that they have entered into this Agreement as a means of inducing Indemnitee to serve the Company in such capacities. Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign from such position or positions (subject to any other contractual obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of law). The Company shall have no obligation under this Agreement to continue Indemnitee in any such position for any period of time and shall not be precluded by the provisions of this Agreement from removing Indemnitee from any such position at any time.

 

ARTICLE III

 

Indemnification

 

Section 3.1. General. If Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law in effect on the date hereof, and to such greater extent as applicable law may thereafter permit, within 30 days after written demand is presented to the Company, indemnify and hold Indemnitee harmless from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages, judgments, fines, penalties, amounts paid in settlement (subject to Section 7.2) and Expenses (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such listed items), whatsoever (i) arising out of any event or occurrence related to the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, is or was serving in another Corporate Status, consented to be named as a person to be elected as a director of the Company, or by reason of anything done or not done by Indemnitee in any such capacity and (ii) incurred in connection with such Proceeding.

 

Section 3.2. Successful Proceeding . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein (other than Section 3.3), if Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a party to and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding, he shall be indemnified against all losses, liabilities, claims, damages, judgments, fines, penalties, amounts paid in settlement (subject to Section 7.2) and Expenses (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such listed items), actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection therewith. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein (other than Section 3.3), if Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to any Matter in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all losses, liabilities, claims, damages, judgments, fines, penalties, amounts paid in settlement (subject to Section 7.2) and Expenses (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such listed items), actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf relating to such Matter. The termination of any Matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such Matter. To the extent that the Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding in which the Indemnitee is not a party or threatened to be made a party, he shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection therewith.

 

Section 3.3. Claims Initiated by Indemnitee . Notwiths


 
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