Exhibit 10.4
ACCURIDE
CORPORATION
INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
This Indemnification Agreement (the
“ Agreement ”) is made as of
by and among Accuride Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
“ Company ”) and
(the “ Indemnitee ).
RECITALS
The Company desires to attract and
retain the services of highly qualified individuals, such as
Indemnitee, and to indemnify its directors, officers and key
employees so as to provide them with the maximum protection
permitted by law.
The Bylaws of the Company (the
“ Bylaws ”) require indemnification of the
officers and directors of the Company, and Indemnitee may also be
entitled to indemnification pursuant to the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware (the “ DGCL
”).
The Bylaws and the DGCL expressly
provide 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 of
directors, officers and other persons with respect to
indemnification.
The Company and Indemnitee recognize
the increasing difficulty in obtaining liability insurance for
directors, officers and key employees, the significant increases in
the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the
coverage of such insurance.
The Company and Indemnitee further
recognize the substantial increase in corporate litigation in
general, subjecting directors, officers and key employees to
expensive litigation risks at the same time as the availability and
coverage of liability insurance has been severely
limited.
Indemnitee does not regard the
protection currently provided by applicable law, the
Company’s governing documents and available insurance as
adequate under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and agents
of the Company may not be willing to serve as agents of the Company
without additional protection.
The Board of Directors of the
Company (the “ Board ”) has determined that the
increased difficulty in attracting and retaining highly qualified
persons such as Indemnitee is detrimental to the best interests of
the Company’s stockholders and that the Company should act to
assure Indemnitee that there will be increased certainty of such
protection in the future.
It is reasonable, prudent and
necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to
indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, regardless of any
amendment or revocation of the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation (the “ Charter ”) or Bylaws, so
that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from
undue concern that they will not be so indemnified.
This Agreement is supplemental to
and in furtherance of the indemnification provided in the Bylaws
and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be
deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrograte any
rights of Indemnitee thereunder.
Indemnitee has certain rights to
indemnification and/or insurance provided by Sun (as defined
herein), which the Company and Indemnitee intend to be secondary to
the primary obligation of the Company to indemnify Indemnitee as
provided herein, with the Company’s acknowledgement and
agreement to the foregoing being a material condition to
Indemnitee’s willingness to serve on the Board.
AGREEMENT
In consideration of the mutual
promises made in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable
consideration, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the Company
and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1.
Indemnification
.
(a)
Third Party
Proceedings . The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee if Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be
made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit,
arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation,
inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or
completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any
subsidiary of the Company, by reason of any action or inaction on
the part of Indemnitee while an officer or director or by reason of
the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or trustee of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or 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 (any of the foregoing, a “
Proceeding ”), other than a Proceeding by or in the
right of the Company, against all expenses (including
attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the
Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld)
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
such action, suit or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith
and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to
any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to
believe Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of
any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon
a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself,
create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and
in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company, or, with respect to
any criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable
cause to believe that Indemnitee’s conduct was
unlawful.
(b)
Proceedings By or in the Right of
the Company . The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is, or is threatened to
be made, a party to or a participant in any Proceeding by or in
right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a
judgment in the Company’s favor, against expenses (including
attorneys’ fees) and, to
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the fullest extent permitted
by law, amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is approved
in advance by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld), in each case to the extent actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or suit if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a
manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, except that
no indemnification shall have been made in respect of any claim,
issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally
adjudicated by court order or judgment to be liable to the Company
in the performance of Indemnitee’s duty to the Company and
its stockholders unless and only to the extent that the court in
which such action or proceeding is or was pending shall determine
upon application that, in view of all the circumstances of the
case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for
such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
(c)
Mandatory Payment of
Expenses . Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee
has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any
Proceeding referred to in Section 1(a) or
Section 1(b) or the defense of any claim, issue
or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified to the maximum
extent permitted by law, as such may be amended from time to time,
against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf
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 claims, issues or
matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee
against all expenses (including attorney’s fees) actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf
in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or
matter. For purposes of this Section 1(c)
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.
(d)
Indemnification for Expenses of a
Witness . Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee
is, by reason of his status as a current or former director,
officer, employee, agent or trustee of the Company or of any other
enterprise which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the
Company, a witness in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a
party and is not 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.
2.
Contribution
.
(a)
Whether or not
the indemnification provided in Section 1 above is
available, in respect of any Proceeding in which the Company is
jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such
Proceeding), the Company shall pay, in the first instance, the
entire amount of any judgment or settlement of such Proceeding
without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment and the
Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it
may have against Indemnitee. The Company shall not enter into
any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly
liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding)
unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all
claims asserted against Indemnitee.
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(b)
Without
diminishing or impairing the obligations of the Company set forth
in Section 2(a) above, if, for any reason,
Indemnitee shall elect or be required to pay all or any portion of
any judgment or settlement in any Proceeding in which the Company
is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such
Proceeding), the Company shall contribute to the amount of expenses
(including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts
paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred and paid or
payable by Indemnitee in proportion to the relative benefits
received by the Company and all officers, directors or employees of
the Company, other than Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with
Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one
hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, from the transaction from
which such Proceeding arose; provided , however, that the
proportion determined on the basis of relative benefit may, to the
extent necessary to conform to law, be further adjusted by
reference to the relative fault of the Company and all officers,
directors or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who are
jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such
Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the other hand, in
connection with the events that resulted in such expenses,
judgments, fines or settlement amounts, as well as any other
equitable considerations which the law may require to be
considered. The relative fault of the Company and all
officers, directors or employees of the Company, other than
Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if
joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the
other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other
things, the degree to which their actions were motivated by intent
to gain personal profit or advantage, the degree to which their
liability is primary or secondary and the degree to which their
conduct is active or passive.
(c)
The Company
hereby agrees to fully indemnify and hold Indemnitee harmless from
any claims of contribution which may be brought by officers,
directors or employees of the Company, other than Indemnitee, who
are jointly liable with Indemnitee.
(d)
To the fullest
extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification
provided for in this Agreement is unavailable to Indemnitee for any
reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee,
shall contribute to the amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for
judgments, fines, penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid or to be
paid in settlement and/or for expenses (including attorneys’
fees), in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable
event under this Agreement, in such proportion as is deemed fair
and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances of such
Proceeding in order to reflect (i) the relative benefits
received by the Company and Indemnitee as a result of the
event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such
Proceeding; and/or (ii) the relative fault of the Company (and
its directors, officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in
connection with such event(s) and/or
transaction(s).
3.
No Employment
Rights . Nothing contained in this Agreement is
intended to create in Indemnitee any right to continued
employment. The foregoing nothwithstanding, this Agreement
shall continue in force after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company.
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4.
Expenses; Indemnification
Procedure .
(a)
Advancement of
Expenses . The Company shall advance
all expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the
investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of any Proceeding
referred to in Section 1 hereof (including amounts
actually paid in settlement of any such Proceeding). Advances
shall be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall be made
without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the expenses
and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to
indemnification under the other provisions of this Agreement.
Indemnitee shall qualify for advances upon the execution and
deliver to the Company of this Agreement and Indemnitee hereby
undertakes to the fullest extent required by law to repay such
amounts advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall
ultimately be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in a
final judgment, not subject to appeal, that Indemnitee is not
entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized
hereby. The right to advances under this paragraph shall in
all events continue until final disposition of any Proceeding,
including any appeal therein. Nothing in this
Section 4(a) shall limit Indemnitee’s right
to advancement of Enforcement Expenses pursuant to
Section 4(c) .
(b)
Notice/Cooperation by
Indemnitee . Indemnitee shall give
the Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim
made against Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be
sought under this Agreement. Failure of the Indemnitee to
give the Company notice of any claim made against Ind
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