Back to top

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

Indemnification Agreement

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT | Document Parties: ACCURIDE CORPORATION You are currently viewing:
This Indemnification Agreement involves

ACCURIDE CORPORATION

. RealDealDocs™ contains millions of easily searchable legal documents and clauses from top law firms. Search for free - click here.
Title: INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
Governing Law: Delaware     Date: 2/4/2009
Industry: Auto and Truck Parts     Sector: Consumer Cyclical

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT, Parties: accuride corporation
50 of the Top 250 law firms use our Products every day

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

 

2



 

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.

 

3



 

(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.

 

4



 

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


 
SITE SEARCH

AGREEMENTS / CONTRACTS

Document Title:

Entire Document: (optional)

Governing Law:(optional)


Try our advanced search >>
 

CLAUSES

Search Contract Clauses >>

Browse Contract Clause Library>>

Get Email Updates
Email:
This is only a partial view of this document. We have millions of legal documents and clauses drafted by top law firms. learn more search for free browse for free learn more