Exhibit
10.20
INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (the “
Agreement ”) is effective as of September 18, 2006, by
and between Eagle Broadband, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “
Company ”), and ___________________________ (the
“ Indemnitee ”).
WHEREAS, the Indemnitee has been asked to serve
on the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board
”);
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary
for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify
persons serving as directors of the Company to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to
serve as directors of the Company free from undue concern that they
will not be so indemnified;
WHEREAS, the Indemnitee is willing to serve and
continue to serve on the Board on the condition that he be so
indemnified; and
WHEREAS, to the extent permitted by law, this
Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the provisions
of the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the
Company (the “Certificate”) and the provisions of the
Bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”) or resolutions
adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute
therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of the Indemnitee
thereunder;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises
and the covenants contained herein, the Company and the Indemnitee
do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Section 1.
Services by the
Indemnitee . The
Indemnitee agrees to continue to serve at the request of the
Company as a director of the Company (including, without
limitation, service on one or more committees of the Board).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indemnitee may at any time and
for any reason resign from any such position.
Section 2.
Indemnification -
General . The Company
shall indemnify, and advance Expenses (as hereinafter defined) to,
the Indemnitee as provided in this Agreement and to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law in effect on the date hereof and
to such greater extent as applicable law may thereafter from time
to time permit. The rights of the Indemnitee provided under the
preceding sentence shall include, but shall not be limited to, the
rights set forth in the other Sections of this
Agreement.
Section 3.
Proceedings Other Than
Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company
. The Indemnitee shall be entitled
to the rights of indemnification provided in this Section 3
if, by reason of his Corporate Status (as hereinafter defined), he
is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or participant in any
threatened, pending or completed Proceeding (as hereinafter
defined), other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the
Company. Pursuant to this Section 3 , the Company shall
indemnify the Indemnitee against Expenses, judgments, penalties,
fines and amounts paid in settlement (as and to the extent
permitted hereunder) actually and reasonably incurred by him or on
his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue
or matter therein, if he 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, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, if he
also had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was
unlawful.
Section 4.
Proceedings by or in the Right
of the Company . The
Indemnitee shall be entitled to the rights of indemnification
provided in this Section 4 if, by reason of his Corporate
Status, he is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or
participant in any threatened, pending or completed Proceeding
brought by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in
its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4 , the Company shall
indemnify the Indemnitee against Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding
if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to
be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no indemnification against such
Expenses shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter in
such Proceeding as to which the Indemnitee shall have been adjudged
to be liable to the Company or if applicable law prohibits such
indemnification; provided , however , that if
applicable law so permits, indemnification against Expenses shall
nevertheless be made by the Company in such event if and to the
extent that the court in which such Proceeding shall have been
brought or is pending, shall so determine.
Section
5. Indemnification for Expenses of a
Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful .
(a) To the extent that the
Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a party to and is
successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding, the
Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee against all Expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in
connection therewith. If the Indemnitee is not wholly successful in
defense of any 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 indemnify the
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
him or on his behalf in connection with each such claim, issue or
matter as to which the Indemnitee is successful, on the merits or
otherwise. For purposes of this Section 5(a) , the term
“successful, on the merits or otherwise,” shall
include, but shall not be limited to, (i) the termination of any
claim, issue or matter in a Proceeding by withdrawal or dismissal,
with or without prejudice, (ii) termination of any claim, issue or
matter in a Proceeding by any other means without any express
finding of liability or guilt against the Indemnitee, with or
without prejudice, (iii) the expiration of 120 days after the
making of a claim or threat of a Proceeding without the institution
of the same and without any promise or payment made to induce a
settlement or (iv) the settlement of any claim, issue or matter in
a Proceeding pursuant to which the Indemnitee pays less than
$200,000. The provisions of this Section 5(a) are subject to
Section 5(b) below.
(b) In no event shall the
Indemnitee be entitled to indemnification under Section 5(a)
above with respect to a claim, issue or matter to the extent (i)
applicable law prohibits such indemnification, or (ii) an admission
is made by the Indemnitee in writing to the Company or in such
Proceeding or a final, nonappealable determination is made in such
Proceeding that the standard of conduct required for
indemnification under this Agreement has not been met with respect
to such claim, issue or matter.
Section 6.
Indemnification for Expenses as
a Witness .
Notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, to the
extent that the Indemnitee is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a
witness in any Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify the
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
or on behalf of the Indemnitee in connection therewith.
Section 7.
Advancement of
Expenses . The Company
shall advance all reasonable Expenses incurred by or on behalf of
the Indemnitee in connection with any Proceeding within 10 days
after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from
the Indemnitee requesting such advance or advances from time to
time, whether prior to or after the final disposition of such
Proceeding. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence
the Expenses incurred by or on behalf of the Indemnitee. The
Indemnitee hereby expressly undertakes to repay such amounts
advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall ultimately be
determined by a final, non-appealable adjudication or arbitration
decision that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified
against such Expenses. All amounts advanced to the Indemnitee by
the Company pursuant to this Section 7 shall be without
interest. The Company shall make all advances pursuant to this
Section 7 without regard to the financial ability of the
Indemnitee to make repayment, without bond or other security and
without regard to the prospect of whether the Indemnitee may
ultimately be found to be entitled to indemnification under the
provisions of this Agreement. Any required reimbursement of
Expenses by the Indemnitee shall be made by the Indemnitee to the
Company within 10 days following the entry of the final,
non-appealable adjudication or arbitration decision pursuant to
which it is determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified against such Expenses.
Section
8. Procedure for
Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification.
(a) To obtain indemnification under this Agreement,
the Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request
therefor, along with such documentation and information as is
reasonably available to the Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to
determine whether and to what extent the Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification. The Secretary of the Company shall, promptly upon
receipt of such a request for indemnification, advise the Board in
writing that the Indemnitee has requested
indemnification.
(b) Upon written request by the Indemnitee for
indemnification pursuant to the first sentence of Section
8(a) hereof, a determination, if required by applicable law,
with respect to the Indemnitee’s entitlement thereto shall be
made in the specific case: (i) by the Board by a majority vote of a
quorum consisting of Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter
defined); or (ii) if a quorum of the Board consisting of
Disinterested Directors is not obtainable or, even if obtainable,
such quorum of Disinterested Directors so directs, by Independent
Counsel (as hereinafter defined), as selected pursuant to
Section 8(d) , in a written opinion to the Board (which
opinion may be a “more likely than not” opinion), a
copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee. If it is so
determined that the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the
Company shall make payment to the Indemnitee within 10 days after
such determination. The Indemnitee shall cooperate with the Person
or Persons making such determination with respect to the
Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including
providing to such Person or Persons upon reasonable advance request
any documentation or information which is not privileged or
otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably
available to the Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such
determination. Subject to the provisions of Section 10
hereof, any costs or expenses (including reasonable
attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by the Indemnitee
in so cooperating with the Person or Persons making such
determination shall be borne by the Company, and the Company hereby
agrees to indemnify and hold the Indemnitee harmless
therefrom.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change of
Control has occurred, the Indemnitee may require a determination
with respect to the Indemnitee’s entitlement to
indemnification to be made by Independent Counsel, as selected
pursuant to Section 8(d) , in a written opinion to the Board
(which opinion may be a “more likely than not”
opinion), a copy of which shall be delivered to the
Indemnitee.
(d) In the event the determination of entitlement to
indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to
Section 8(b) or (c) hereof, the Independent Counsel
shall be selected as provided in this Section 8(d) . If a
Change of Control shall not have occurred, the Independent Counsel
shall be selected by the Board (including a vote of a majority of
the Disinterested Directors if obtainable), and the Company shall
give written notice to the Indemnitee advising him of the identity
of the Independent Counsel so selected. If a Change of Control
shall have occurred, the Independent Counsel shall be selected by
the Indemnitee (unless the Indemnitee shall request that such
selection be made by the Board, in which event the preceding
sentence shall apply), and approved by the Company (which approval
shall not be unreasonably withheld). If (i) an Independent Counsel
is to make the determination of entitlement pursuant to Section
8(b) or (c) hereof, and (ii) within 20 days after
submission by the Indemnitee of a written request for
indemnification pursuant to Section 8(a) hereof, no
Independent Counsel shall have been selected, either the Company or
the Indemnitee may petition the appropriate court of the State (as
hereafter defined) or other court of competent jurisdiction for the
appointment as Independent Counsel of a Person selected by such
court or by such other Person as such court shall designate. The
Company shall pay any and all reasonable fees and expenses of
Independent Counsel incurred by such Independent Counsel in
connection with acting pursuant to Section 8(b) or
(c) hereof, and the Company shall pay all reasonable fees
and expenses incident to the procedures of this
Section 8(d) , regardless of the manner in which such
Independent Counsel was selected or appointed. Upon the due
commencement of any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to
Section 10(a)(iv) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel
shall be discharged and relieved of any further responsibility in
such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional
conduct then prevailing).
Section 9.
Presumptions and Effect of
Certain Proceedings; Construction of Certain
Phrases.
(a) In making a determination with respect to
whether the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder,
the reviewing party making such determination shall presume that
the Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement
if the Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in
accordance with Section 8(a) of this Agreement, and anyone
seeking to overcome this presumption shall have the burden of proof
and the burden of persuasion, by clear and convincing
evidence.
(b) Subject to the terms of Section 16 below,
the termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter
therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a
plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not
(except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of
itself adversely affect the right of the Indemnitee to
indemnification or create a presumption that the Indemnitee did not
act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to
be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with
respect to any criminal Proceeding, that the Indemnitee had
reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was
unlawful.
(c) For purposes of any determination of the
Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification under this
Agreement or otherwise, the Indemnitee shall be deemed to have
acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believe to be in
or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with
respect to a criminal Proceeding, to have also had no reasonable
cause to believe his conduct was unlawful, if the
Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of
account of the Company or another enterprise, including financial
statements, or on information supplied to the Indemnitee by the
officers of the Company or another enterprise in the course of
their duties, or on the advice of legal or financial counsel for
the Company or the Board (or any committee thereof) or for another
enterprise or its board of directors (or any committee thereof), or
on information or records given or reports made by an independent
certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert
selected by the Company or the Board (or any committee thereof) or
by another enterprise or its board of directors (or any committee
thereof). For purposes of this Section 9(c) , the term
“another enterprise” means any other corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which the Indemnitee
is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director,
officer, employee or agent. The provisions of this
Section 9(c) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to
limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee
may be deemed or found to have met the applicable standard of
conduct set forth in this Agreement. In addition, the knowledge
and/or actions, or failure to act, of any other director, trustee,
partner, managing member, fiduciary, officer, agent or employee of
the Company shall not be imputed to the Indemnitee for purposes of
determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement.
Whether or not the foregoing provisions of this
Section 9(c) are satisfied, it shall in any event be
presumed that the Indemnitee has 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, with respect to a criminal
Proceeding, that he also had no reasonable cause to believe his
conduct was unlawful. Anyone seeking to overcome this presumption
shall have the burden of proof and the burden of persuasion, by
clear and convincing evidence.
(d) For purposes of this Agreement, references to
“fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on the
Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan; references to
“serving at the request of the Company” shall include,
but shall not be limited to, any service as a director, officer,
employee or agent of the Company which imposes duties on, or
involves services by, the Indemnitee with respect to an employee
benefit plan, its participants or its beneficiaries; and if the
Indemnitee has acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably
believed to be in the interest of the participants and
beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, he shall be deemed to
have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of
the Company” as used in this Agreement. The provisions of
this Section 9(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to
limit in any way the other circumstances in which the Indemnitee
may be deemed or found to have met the applicable standard of
conduct set forth in this Agreement.
Section 10.
Remedies of the
Indemnitee .
(a) In the event that (i) a determination is made
pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement that the Indemnitee
is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement,
(ii) advancement of Expenses is not timely made pursuant to
Section 7 of this Agreement, (iii) the determination of
entitlement to indemnification is to be made by the Board pursuant
to Section 8(b) of this Agreement and such
determination shall not have been made and delivered to the
Indemnitee in writing within twenty (20) days after receipt by the
Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) the determination
of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent
Counsel pursuant to Section 8(b) or (c) of this
Agreement and such determination shall not have been made in a
written opinion to the Board and a copy delivered to the Indemnitee
within forty-five (45) days after receipt by the Company of the
request for indemnification, (v) payment of indemnification is not
made pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement within 10 days
after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor or
(vi) payment of indemnification is not made within 10 days
after a determination has been made that the Indemnitee is entitled
to indemnification or such determination is deemed to have been
made pursuant to Section 8 or 9 of this Agreement,
the Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication in an
appropriate court of the State of his entitlement to such
indemnification or advancement of Expenses. Alternatively, the
Indemnitee, at his sole option, may seek an award in arbitration to
be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the rules of the
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