INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
This
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT is made as of
, 2008, by and between ERIE INDEMNITY COMPANY , a
Pennsylvania business corporation (the “Company”), and
(the “Indemnified Person”).
It
is essential to the Company to attract and retain as directors and
officers the most capable persons available.
The
Company wishes the Indemnified Person to continue to serve as [a
director/an officer] of the Company and the Indemnified Person
is willing to continue in such position with the indemnification
and other rights provided hereby.
In
recent years, litigation seeking to impose liability on directors
and officers of publicly-held corporations has become more
frequent. Such litigation is extremely expensive to defend. The
possibility of liability for extremely large sums is a deterrent to
persons accepting positions of responsibility with a public
corporation.
The
Indemnified Person is deeply concerned regarding this situation, as
well as the adequacy of the indemnification available under the
Company’s bylaws. It is therefore of critical importance to
the Indemnified Person that adequate provisions be made for
advancing costs and expenses of legal defense.
In
recognition of the foregoing, the Company wishes to provide in this
Agreement for the indemnification of, and the advancement of
expenses to, the Indemnified Person to the fullest extent (whether
partial or complete) permitted by Pennsylvania law and as set forth
in this Agreement, and, to the extent insurance is maintained, for
the continued coverage of the Indemnified Person under the
Company’s directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance policies.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the Indemnified
Person continuing to serve the Company, and for other good and
valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
ARTICLE ONE
INTERPRETIVE RULES; DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1. General Interpretive Rules.
For
purposes of this Agreement, except as otherwise expressly provided
or unless the context otherwise requires, (i) terms defined in
this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article and
include the plural as well as the singular; (ii) references
herein to “Sections” without reference to a document
are to designated Sections of this Agreement; (iii)
“including” means “including but not limited
to;” and (iv) “herein,” “hereof,”
“hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to
this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular
provision.
Section 1.2. Definitions.
Agreement means this Indemnification Agreement as executed
by the parties hereto as of the date first written above or, if
amended, as amended.
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Board means the Board of Directors of the
Company.
Derivative Proceeding means a Proceeding brought by or in
the right of the Company or one of its subsidiaries to procure a
judgment in its favor.
Entity means a corporation, business, general or limited
partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability
company, reciprocal insurance exchange, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan or trust, or other enterprise.
Fine means any fine, penalty or, with respect to an employee
benefit plan, any excise tax or penalty assessed with respect
thereto.
Litigation Costs means reasonable costs, charges and
expenses, including attorneys’ fees, reasonably incurred in
the investigation, defense or prosecution of or other involvement
in any Proceeding and any appeal therefrom, and the reasonable
costs of appeal, attachment and similar bonds.
Losses means the total amount which the Indemnified Person
becomes legally obligated to pay in connection with any Proceeding,
including judgments, Fines, amounts paid in settlement and
Litigation Costs.
Proceeding means any threatened, pending or completed
action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether of a civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative (whether external or
internal to the Company) nature, and whether formal or informal, in
which the Indemnified Person is or was a director, officer or
employee of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, partner, member, employee, agent or
trustee of another Entity.
ARTICLE TWO
INDEMNIFICATION
Section 2.1. Proceedings by Third Parties.
The
Company shall indemnify the Indemnified Person if he or she was or
is a party or is threatened to be made a party to a Proceeding
(other than a Derivative Proceeding) against Losses incurred in
connection with such Proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by
Pennsylvania law.
Section 2.2. Derivative Proceedings.
(a) Except
as provided in Section 2.2(b), the Company shall indemnify the
Indemnified Person if he or she was or is a party to, or is
threatened to be made a party to, or otherwise involved in, a
Derivative Proceeding against amounts paid in settlement and
Litigation Costs incurred in connection with the defense or
settlement of such Derivative Proceeding to the fullest extent
permitted by Pennsylvania law.
(b) No
indemnification under Section 2.2(a) shall be made in respect
of any claim, issue or matter in a Derivative Proceeding as to
which the Indemnified Person shall have been adjudged to be liable
to the Company unless and only to the extent that a court of
competent jurisdiction or the court in which such Proceeding was
brought determines upon application that, despite the adjudication
of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, the
Indemnified Person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity
for the expenses that a court of competent jurisdiction or other
court deems proper.
Section 2.3. No Presumptions Based on Manner Proceeding is
Terminated.
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 the Indemnified
Person is not entitled to indemnification or the advancement of
Litigation Costs to the fullest extent permitted by Pennsylvania
law.
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Section 2.4. Indemnification
for Expenses of Successful Party.
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Notwithstanding
any other provision hereof, to the extent that the Indemnified
Person has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of
any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein,
he or she shall be indemnified against Litigation Costs actually
and reasonably incurred by the Indemnified Person in connection
therewith.
Section 2.5. Advances of Litigation Costs.
At
the request of the Indemnified Person, Litigation Costs incurred by
the Indemnified Person in any Proceeding shall be paid by the
Company in advance of the final disposition of such Proceeding to
the fullest extent permitted by Pennsylvania law with the
undertaking of the Indemnified Person, which undertaking is hereby
given, to repay the amount if it is ultimately determined that he
or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as
authorized by Pennsylvania law.
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Section 2.6.
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Determination of Right to
Indemnification or Advancing of Expenses Upon Application;
Procedure Upon Application.
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(a) Indemnification
under Sections 2.1 and 2.2 shall be made promptly, and in any
event within 90 days of the Indemnified Person’s written
request therefore, unless a determination is made reasonably and
within such 90-day period by the Company, in the manner provided in
Section 2.6(b), that the Indemnified Person is not entitled to
indemnification under Pennsylvania law.
(b) The
determination to be made by the Company under Section 2.6(a)
shall be based on the facts known at the time and shall be made
(i) by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum
consisting of directors who were not parties to the Proceeding
(“disinterested directors”); (ii) if such a quorum
is not obtainable, by independent legal counsel in a written
opinion; or (iii) if such a quorum is obtainable and a
majority vote of a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by
independent legal counsel in a written opinion; or (iv) by the
shareholders of the Company.
(c) The
right to indemnification hereunder shall be enforceable by the
Indemnified Person in any court of competent jurisdiction if
the
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