Exhibit 10.2
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This
Indemnification Agreement (“Agreement”) made this
day of
,
2007 by and between The Allstate Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), and
(“Indemnitee”), who is a director of the
Company.
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS , Section
145 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware (“Section
145”) empowers corporations to indemnify any officer,
director, employee or agent, in accordance with the provisions of
Section 145, any person who was or is a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation, or is or was
serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint
venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including
attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in
connection with such action, suit or proceeding, in accordance with
the provisions of said Section, and to pay, in advance of the final
disposition of any such action, suit or proceeding, the expenses
(including attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred by any
person, in accordance with the provisions of Section 145; and
WHEREAS , the
Company and the Indemnitee recognize that today there exists a
substantial amount of corporate litigation in general, which
subjects directors, officers, employees and agents (including
fiduciaries) to expensive litigation risks; and
WHEREAS , the
Company desires to have highly competent persons serve as its
directors, and acknowledges that unless directors are provided with
adequate protection through insurance and indemnification against
risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their
service to, and activities on behalf, of the corporation highly
competent persons will be less likely to serve as directors;
and
WHEREAS , the
Indemnitee, in recognition of the continuing commitment to serve,
seeks enhanced protections deemed necessary under the present
circumstances, and in contemplation of the fact that Indemnitee may
not be willing to serve in such capacity without additional
protection; and
WHEREAS , in
recognition of Indemnitee’s need for (i) substantial
protection against personal liability for services rendered to the
Company, (ii) specific contractual assurance that the protection
promised by the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and
Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) will be
available to Indemnitee (regardless of, among other things, any
amendment to or revocation of the Certificate of Incorporation or
Bylaws or any change in the composition of the Board of Directors
of the Company or acquisition transaction relating to the Company),
and (iii) an inducement to provide effective services to the
Company as a director, officer, employee, or agent (including
fiduciary), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for
the
indemnification of and
the advancing of expenses to Indemnitee to the fullest extent
(whether partial or complete) permitted under law and as set forth
in this Agreement, and, to the extent insurance is maintained, to
provide for the continued coverage of Indemnitee under the
Company’s directors and officers liability insurance
policies; and
WHEREAS , the Board
of Directors of the Company has authorized and directed the proper
officers of the Company to enter into this Agreement in the name of
or on behalf of the Company.
NOW, THEREFORE , in
consideration of the premises, the agreements herein set forth, and
other good and valuable consideration, the Company and Indemnitee
hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Section
1.01 Definitions .
As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the following
meanings, unless a Section of this Agreement specifically provides
otherwise:
“ Agreement ” means this
Indemnification Agreement and any amendments pursuant to Section
7.01 hereof.
“ Agreement Date ” means the
date of this Agreement as set forth above.
“ Approved Passive Holder ”
means, as of any date, any Person that satisfies all of the
following conditions:
(a)
as of such date, such Person is a 20% Owner, but is the Beneficial
Owner of less than 30% of the then-outstanding common stock and of
Voting Securities representing less than 30% of the combined voting
power of all then-outstanding Voting Securities of the
Company;
(b)
prior to becoming a 20% Owner, such Person has filed, and as of
such date has not withdrawn, or made any subsequent regulatory or
judicial filing or public statement or announcement that is
inconsistent with, a statement with the SEC pursuant to Section
13(g) of the Exchange Act that includes a certification by such
Person to the effect that such beneficial ownership does not have
the purpose or effect of changing or influencing the control of the
Company;
(c)
prior to such Person’s becoming a 20% Owner, at least
two-thirds of the Company Incumbent Directors (such Company
Incumbent Directors to be determined as of such date using the
Agreement Date as the baseline date) shall have voted in favor of a
resolution adopted by the Board to the effect that:
(i)
the terms and conditions of such Person’s investment in the
Company will not have the effect of changing or influencing the
control of the Company, and
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(ii)
notwithstanding clause (a) of the definition of “Change of
Control,” such Person’s becoming a 20% Owner shall be
treated as though it were a Merger of Equals for purposes of this
Agreement.
“ Beneficial Owner ” means
such term as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the SEC under the Exchange
Act.
“ Board ” means the Board of
Directors of the Company.
“ CEO ” means Chief
Executive Officer of the Company.
“ Change of Control ” means,
except as otherwise provided at the end of this subsection, the
occurrence of any one or more of the following:
(a)
any person (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5 promulgated by the
SEC under the Exchange Act) or group (as such term is defined in
Sections 3(a)(9) and 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), other than a
subsidiary or any employee benefit plan (or any related trust) of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries, becomes the beneficial
owner, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 promulgated by the SEC
under the Exchange Act, of 20% or more of the common stock of the
Company or of Voting Securities representing 20% or more of the
combined voting power of all Voting Securities of the Company (such
a person or group that is not a Similarly Owned Company (as defined
below), a “20% Owner”), except that no Change of
Control shall be deemed to have occurred solely by reason of such
beneficial ownership by a corporation (a “Similarly Owned
Company”) with respect to which both more than 70% of the
common stock of such corporation and Voting Securities representing
more than 70% of the combined voting power of the Voting Securities
of such corporation are then owned, directly or indirectly, by the
persons who were the direct or indirect owners of the common stock
and Voting Securities of the Company immediately before such
acquisition in substantially the same proportions as their
ownership, immediately before such acquisition, of the common stock
and Voting Securities of the Company, as the case may be;
or
(b)
the Company Incumbent Directors (determined using the Agreement
Date as the baseline date) cease for any reason to constitute at
least two-thirds of the directors of the Company then serving
(provided that this clause (b) shall be inapplicable during a
Post-Merger of Equals Period); or
(c)
approval by the stockholders of the Company of a merger,
reorganization, consolidation, or similar transaction, or a plan or
agreement for the sale or other disposition of all or substantially
all of the consolidated assets of the Company or a plan of
liquidation of the Company (any of the foregoing, a
“Reorganization Transaction”) that, based on
information included in the proxy and other written materials
distributed to the Company’s stockholders in connection with
the solicitation by the Company of such stockholder approval, is
not expected to qualify as an Exempt Reorganization Transaction;
provided, however, that if (i) the merger or other agreement
between the parties to a Reorganization Transaction expires or is
terminated after the date of such
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stockholder approval but prior to the
consummation of such Reorganization Transaction (a
“Reorganization Transaction Termination”) or (ii)
immediately after the consummation of the Reorganization
Transaction, such Reorganization Transaction does qualify as an
Exempt Reorganization Transaction notwithstanding the fact that it
was not expected to so qualify as of the date of such stockholder
approval, then such stockholder approval shall not be deemed a
Change of Control for purposes of any Termination of Employment as
to which the Termination Date occurs on or after the date of the
Reorganization Transaction Termination or the date of the
consummation of the Exempt Reorganization Transaction, as
applicable; or
(d)
the consummation by the Company of a Reorganization Transaction
that for any reason fails to qualify as an Exempt Reorganization
Transaction as of the date of such consummation, notwithstanding
the fact that such Reorganization Transaction was expected to so
qualify as of the date of such stockholder approval; or
(e)
a 20% Owner who had qualified as an Approved Passive Holder ceases
to qualify as such for any reason other than ceasing to be a 20%
Owner (such cessation of Approved Passive Holder status to be
considered for all purposes of this Agreement (including the
definition of “Effective Date”) a Change of Control
distinct from and in addition to the Change of Control specified in
clause (a) above).
(f)
Notwithstanding the occurrence of any of the foregoing events, a
Change of Control shall not occur with respect to Indemnitee if, in
advance of such event, Indemnitee agrees in writing that such event
shall not constitute a Change of Control.
“ Company Incumbent Directors
” means, determined as of any date by reference to any
baseline date:
(a)
the members of the Board of Directors of the Company on the date of
such determination who have been members of the Board of Directors
of the Company since such baseline date, and
(b)
the members of the Board of Directors of the Company on the date of
such determination who were appointed or elected after such
baseline date and whose election, or nomination for election by
stockholders of the Company or the Surviving Corporation, as
applicable, was approved by a vote or written consent of two-thirds
(100% for purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of
“Merger of Equals”) of the directors comprising the
Company Incumbent Directors on the date of such vote or written
consent, but excluding any such member whose initial assumption of
office was in connection with (i) an actual or threatened election
contest, including a consent solicitation, relating to the election
or removal of one or more members of the Board of Directors of the
Company, (ii) a “tender offer” (as such term is used in
Section 14(d) of the Exchange Act), (iii) a proposed Reorganization
Transaction, or (iv) a request, nomination or suggestion of any
Beneficial Owner of Voting Securities representing 15% or more of
the aggregate voting power of the Voting Securities of the Company
or the Surviving Corporation, as applicable.
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“ Consummation Date ” means
the date on which a Reorganization Transaction is
consummated.
“ Disinterested Director ”
means a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to
the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification or advancement
of Expenses is sought by Indemnitee or Indemnitee’s Spouse,
and who will not be materially affected, either to his benefit or
detriment in a manner not shared by the Company and stockholders by
a decision rendered in the Proceeding and who is free from the
influence of other interested persons.
“ Effective Date ” means the
date on which a Change of Control first occurs.
“ Exchange Act ” means the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
“ Exempt Reorganization
Transaction ” means a Reorganization Transaction that
results in the Persons who were the direct or indirect owners of
the outstanding common stock and Voting Securities of the Company
immediately before such Reorganization Transaction becoming,
immediately after the consummation of such Reorganization
Transaction, the direct or indirect owners of both more than 70% of
the then-outstanding common stock of the Surviving Corporation and
Voting Securities representing more than 70% of the combined voting
power of the then-outstanding Voting Securities of the Surviving
Corporation, in substantially the same respective proportions as
such Persons’ ownership of the common stock and Voting
Securities of the Company immediately before such Reorganization
Transaction.
“ Expenses ” means any and
all costs and fees incurred in connection with any Proceeding
including, without limitation, costs and fees reasonably incurred
by counsel, consultants and experts, including all costs and fees
reasonably incurred in connection with the enforcement of this
Agreement.
“ Independent Counsel ”
means the law firm or member(s) of a law firm retained to fulfill
the duties contained in and otherwise comply with the requirements
of Article V as an independent decision maker who shall not owe a
fiduciary responsibility to, or have any attorney-client
relationship with, either the Company, Indemnitee, or
Indemnitee’s Spouse with respect to the matter for which the
law firm or member(s) have been retained as Independent
Counsel. This Agreement is not intended to and does not
supersede any obligations incumbent upon Independent Counsel
pursuant to applicable standards of professional
conduct.
“ Liabilities ” means all
judgments, fines (including any excise taxes assessed with respect
to any employee benefit plan), penalties and amounts paid in
settlement and other liabilities (including all interest,
assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or
in respect of any such amounts) arising out of or in connection
with any Proceeding; provided that Liabilities shall not include
any Expenses.
“ Merger of Equals ” means,
as of any date, a transaction that, notwithstanding the fact that
such transaction may also qualify as a Change of Control, satisfies
all of the conditions set forth in paragraphs (a) or (b)
below:
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(a)
If such date is on or after the Consummation Date, a Reorganization
Transaction in respect of which all of the following conditions are
satisfied as of such date, or, if such date is prior to the
Consummation Date, a proposed Reorganization Transaction in respect
of which the merger agreement or other documents (including the
exhibits and annexes thereto) setting forth the terms and
conditions of such Reorganization Transaction, as in effect on such
date after giving effect to all amendments thereof or waivers
thereunder, require that the following conditions be satisfied on
and, where applicable, after the Consummation Date:
(i)
at least 50%, but not more than 70%, of the common stock of the
Surviving Corporation outstanding immediately after the
consummation of the Reorganization Transaction, together with
Voting Securities representing at least 50%, but not more than 70%,
of the combined voting power of all Voting Securities of the
Surviving Corporation outstanding immediately after such
consummation shall be owned, directly or indirectly, by the persons
who were the owners, directly or indirectly, of the common stock
and Voting Securities of the Company immediately before such
consummation in substantially the same proportions as their
respective direct or indirect ownership, immediately before such
consummation, of the common stock and Voting Securities of the
Company, respectively; and
(ii)
the Company Incumbent Directors (determined as of such date using
the date immediately preceding the Effective Date as the baseline
date) shall, throughout the period beginning on the Effective Date
and ending on the third anniversary of the Effective Date, continue
to constitute not less than 50% of the members of the Board;
and
(iii)
the person who was the CEO of the Company immediately prior to the
Effective Date shall serve as (x) the CEO of the Company throughout
the period beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the
Consummation Date and (y) the CEO of the Surviving Corporation at
all times during the period commencing on the Consummation Date and
ending on the first anniversary of the Consummation Date; provided,
however, that a Reorganization Transaction that qualifies as a
Merger of Equals shall cease to qualify as a Merger of Equals (a
“ Merger of Equals Cessation ”) and shall
instead qualify as a Change of Control that is not a Merger of
Equals from and after the first date during the Post-Change Period
(such date, the “ Merger of Equals Cessation Date
”) as of which any one or more of the following shall occur
for any reason:
(A)
if any condition of clause (i) of paragraph (a) of this definition
shall for any reason not be satisfied as of immediately after the
consummation of the Reorganization Transaction; or
(B)
if as of the close of business on any date on or after the
Effective Date, any condition of clauses (ii) or (iii) of paragraph
(a) of this definition shall not be satisfied; or
(C)
if on any date prior to the first anniversary of the Consummation
Date, the Company shall make a filing with the SEC, issue a
press
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release, or make a public announcement to the
effect that the Company is seeking or intends to seek a replacement
for the CEO, whether such replacement is to become effective before
or after such first anniversary.
(b)
As of such date
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