Exhibit 10.1
INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
This Indemnification Agreement
(“Agreement”) is made as of
, 2009 by and between Covance Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and
(“Indemnitee”). This Agreement supersedes and
replaces any and all previous Agreements between the Company and
Indemnitee covering the subject matter of this
Agreement.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, highly competent persons
have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as
directors or in other capacities unless they are provided with
adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification
against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising
out of their service to and activities on behalf of the
corporation;
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent
and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to
indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of, directors to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and to set forth the
procedures pursuant to which such indemnification and advancement
of expenses will be provided, so that such directors will serve or
continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they
will not be so indemnified;
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a
supplement to and in furtherance of the By-laws of the Company
(“By-laws”), the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Company (“Certificate of Incorporation”) and any
resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a
substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of
Indemnitee thereunder; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and
Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
Section 1.
Definitions.
As used in
this Agreement:
(a)
“Corporate
Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or of any other
corporation, limited liability company, partnership or joint
venture, trust or other enterprise which such person is or was
serving at the request of the Company.
(b)
“Change in
Control” shall be deemed to occur if and when:
(i) any person (including as such term is used in
Section 13(d) and 14(d)(2) of the 1934 Act, as
defined herein) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or
indirectly, of securities representing 20% or more of the combined
voting power of the Corporation’s then outstanding
securities; or (ii) as a result of a proxy contest or
contests or other forms of contested shareholder votes (in each
case either individually or in the aggregate), a majority of the
individuals elected to serve on the Corporation’s Board of
Directors are different than the individuals who served on the
Corporation’s Board of Directors at any time within the two
years prior to such proxy contest or contests or other forms of
contested shareholder votes (in each case either individually or in
the aggregate); or (iii) when the Corporation’s
shareholders approve a merger, or consolidation
(where in each case the
Corporation is not the survivor thereof), or sale or disposition of
all or substantially all of the Corporation’s assets or a
plan or partial or complete liquidation; or (iv) when an
offeror (other than the Corporation) purchases shares of the
Corporation’s Common Stock pursuant to a tender or exchange
offer for securities representing 20% or more of the combined
voting power of the Corporation’s then outstanding
securities. For purposes of this definition, “1934
Act” means the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, including the rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder.
(c)
“Disinterested
Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was
not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification
is sought by Indemnitee.
(d)
“Enterprise”
shall mean the Company and any other corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise of
which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as
a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary.
(e)
“Expenses” shall
include all reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court
costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel
expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone
charges, postage, delivery service fees, any federal, state, local
or foreign taxes imposed on Indemnitee as a result of the actual or
deemed receipt of any payments under this Agreement, ERISA excise
taxes and penalties, and all other disbursements or expenses of the
types customarily incurred in connection with prosecuting,
defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being
or preparing to be a witness in, or otherwise participating in, a
Proceeding. Expenses also shall include (i) Expenses
incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any
Proceeding, including without limitation the premium, security for,
and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or
other appeal bond or its equivalent, and (ii) Expenses
incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the interpretation,
enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this
Agreement, by litigation or otherwise. The parties agree that
for the purposes of any advancement of Expenses for which
Indemnitee has made written demand to the Company in accordance
with this Agreement, all Expenses included in such demand that are
certified by affidavit of Indemnitee’s counsel as being
reasonable shall be presumed conclusively to be reasonable.
Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by
Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against
Indemnitee.
(f)
“Independent
Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is
experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is,
nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent:
(i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either
such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the
Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under
similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party
to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification
hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term
“Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who,
under the applicable standards of professional conduct then
prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing
either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine
Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement. The Company
agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent
Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel
against any and all Expenses, claims,
2
liabilities and damages
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement
pursuant hereto.
(g)
The term
“Proceeding” shall include 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 brought
in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil,
criminal, administrative legislative, or investigative (formal or
informal) nature, including any appeal therefrom, in which
Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party, potential party,
non-party witness or otherwise by reason of the fact that
Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by
reason of any action taken by him or of any action on his part
while acting pursuant to his Corporate Status, 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.
If the Indemnitee reasonably believes in good faith that a given
situation may lead to or culminate in the institution of a
Proceeding, such situation shall be considered a Proceeding under
this paragraph.
(h)
Reference to
“other enterprise” shall include employee benefit
plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise
tax assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references
to “serving at the request of the Company” shall
include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of
the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such
director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee
benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who
acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in
the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an
employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in manner
“not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as
referred to in this Agreement.
Section 2.
Indemnity in
Third-Party Proceedings. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 2 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a
party to or a participant in any Proceeding, other than a
Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment
in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 2, Indemnitee
shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his
behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or
matter therein, if Indemnitee 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, in the case of a criminal proceeding
had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was
unlawful.
Section 3.
Indemnity in
Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company.
The
Company shall indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the
provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee is, or is
threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any
Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment
in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee
shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or
on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim,
issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a
manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the Company. No
3
indemnification for Expenses
shall be made under this Section 3 in respect of any claim,
issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally
adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to
the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or any court in
which the Proceeding was brought shall determine upon application
that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the
circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification.
Section 4.
Indemnification for Expenses
of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful.
Notwithstanding any
other provisions of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is a party to
(or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or
otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or
matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
him 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 actually and reasonably incurred by him or on
his behalf in connection with or related to each successfully
resolved claim, issue or matter to the fullest extent permitted by
law. For purposes of this Section 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.
Section 5.
Indemnification For Expenses
of a Witness. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason
of his Corporate Status, a witness or otherwise asked to
participate in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party,
he shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and
reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection
therewith.
Section 6.
Exclusions.
Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Company shall
not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnity in
connection with any claim made against Indemnitee:
(a)
for which payment
has actually been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee under any
insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except with respect
to any excess beyond the amount paid under any insurance policy or
other indemnity provision (In the event that such actual payment is
made under any insurance policy or indemnity provision after the
Company has made an indemnity under this Agreement, Indemnitee
shall promptly reimburse the Company for such indemnity in the
amount of such payment.); or
(b)
for (i) an
accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and
purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the
meaning of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or similar provisions of
state statutory law or common law, or (ii) any reimbursement
of the Company by the Indemnitee of any bonus or other
incentive-based or equity-based compensa
|